Carnivorous Plants Care – Page 2 – Carnivorous Plants Hub

Grow A Venus Fly Trap In A Terrarium – Good Or Bad Idea?

By brchcar1445 February 5, 2020 October 6, 2022 Carnivorous Plant Info, Carnivorous Plants Care

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I get asked by my friends a lot whether or not a venus fly trap in a terrarium is a good idea. It seems like a match made in heaven and venus fly traps growing in terrariums look super cool. I understand the excitement around putting your venus flytrap in a terrarium, the problem is I just don’t think it’s a very good idea.

Should you put a venus fly trap in a terrarium? No, you should not. I have done a lot of research around this and I’m going to get into all that below. At this point, after going over all the data and information, terrariums and venus fly traps just do not seem like a good match.

I should mention that I have had a lot of experience growing venus flytraps but I’ve never tried growing them in terrariums as it never made sense to me.

Also, if you are interested in venus fly trap care, check my ultimate guide to venus fly trap care below. It has everything you would ever need to know about caring for a venus fly trap!

Venus Fly Trap Care Guide

Venus Fly Trap In A Terrarium

I’m going to discuss in detail below why terrariums are not the best way to grow a venus fly trap. I think it would be false to claim that its impossible to have some success with growing them in a terrarium but I think there are just way better ways to grow them.

The best advice you could ever get is to find someone in your area that grows venus fly traps and ask them. Find out what they do and what works best in your specific environment. We all live in different zones and determining what’s best for each zone can be hard. It’s definitely not a one answer fits all with growing venus fly traps.

I want to share below why I think putting a venus flytrap in a terrarium is a bad idea.

If your heart is set on a terrarium, I strongly suggest picking up the book by Peter D’ Amato, The Savage Garden, on Amazon. It has entire section on what carnivorous plants work really well in terrariums.

Drainage

The number one problem I see with putting a venus fly trap in a terrarium is drainage. For a venus flytrap to grow healthy and strong they need a fairly deep system for their roots. They also need a media with good aeration and drainage. If the water is not draining this could lead to crown rot or root rot on your venus flytrap.

On a lot of terrariums I also see they just aren’t deep enough. Venus fly traps really like a lot of room for their roots to grow and stretch out. The water passes by providing moisture then drains out the hole on the bottom. This is ideal for venus flytraps. Most terrariums just don’t provide the right drainage for your plant to thrive.

Humidity

There is a lot of confusion around venus fly traps and how much humidity they need. I think a little humidity is absolutely fine and won’t hurt them, but a lot is just not needed. Many think that a terrarium provides a venus flytrap the humidity it needs to survive when they can grow really well without much humidity at all.

People often think that since they are strange and unusual plants that they must be exotic and grow in the jungle. This just isn’t the truth, they grow in North and South Carolina naturally. It does get hot and humid in the summer but they also must survive during a colder and less humid winter.

The most important thing to consider is that venus fly traps obtain their water through their roots, not their leaves. Its much more important to make sure the soil stays moist than the air around it.

Too much humidity will lead to the same problems as not enough drainage. It will definitely increase the chance of root rot/crown rot having that much humidity all the time. Even if the top of the terrarium is open its still providing a significant amount of humidity.

If you really think about what a terrarium is and what it’s trying to accomplish, it all makes sense. A terrarium is trying to emulate a humid jungle environment. Venus fly traps don’t grow in those areas, so why would you try to emulate that for your plant?

Too Much Heat

Venus flytraps love a lot of direct sunlight. In most areas the more direct sunlight the better. The problem with putting them in a plastic or glass container is the amplification of the heat and sun. This can create an environment that is way too hot for your venus fly trap.

If you typically have temperatures that stay under 100 degrees in the sun, your fly trap should be fine when it’s not living in a terrarium. But the amount of heat that builds up in an enclosed or semi enclosed terrarium would be just too much for your plant.

Dormancy

This is a big one. Venus flytraps go through a dormancy period that usually lasts from October/November through March. They lose their color and shrivel up. Many people confuse dormancy with their plant dying. Actually, I have a great article I wrote all about this, check it out!

Venus Flytrap Dormancy – Dormant Or Dead?

The problem with a terrarium is the venus flytrap will get confused and skip its dormancy. They have the ability to detect colder temperatures and know when to go into their dormant stage. Being in a terrarium all the time with controlled temps makes it impossible for a venus fly trap to detect this.

Dormancy is incredibly important for the long term survival of your venus flytrap. Your plant can last up to a couple years without going dormant but it almost always kills the plant in the end.

You can force or trick a venus flytrap into dormancy but then you have to remove it from the terrarium anyway. You would need to remove it for such a long period of time that it’s not even worth moving back and forth from terrarium to pot. The best idea is just to use a pot in the first place.

Best Way To Grow A Venus Fly Trap

Okay, I think I presented a pretty compelling case with good reasons not to put a venus fly trap in a terrarium. What good is that however if I don’t give you an alternative!

In my humble opinion, the best way to grow a venus fly trap is with a pot that has good drainage. You want something that is a glazed ceramic or plastic/resin. This will ensure no minerals escape into the soil and burn the roots of the plant.

The drainage will keep the venus fly trap well aerated and will promote good healthy growth. Makes sure your pot is deep with room for your roots to stretch out and grow. Venus Fly Traps love a lot of room!

This was a super fundamental breakdown of the best way to grow a venus fly trap. Check out some of the articles I have written below that cover numerous different topics. These articles will help you determine the best way to grow a venus fly trap and the best way to care for them.

How Does A Venus Flytrap Work?

Venus Flytrap Soil Mix And Potting (Maybe one of the most important things to note)

Picking A Pot or Planter For Venus Flytrap

What/How To Feed A Venus Flytrap – How to feed and what to feed a venus flytrap!

Venus Fly Trap Watering Guide – Learn how often and what kind of water to give your plant!

Video Of Venus Fly Trap In A Terrarium

I may not be able to convince you, but check out the video below. Here is a great opportunity to see what they look like, but he also agrees with me and doesn’t expect much success long term.

Beware Big Box Store Terrariums

I see this all the time. I’ve never understood the concept behind selling venus fly traps in terrarium kits. At least until I started researching it on the internet. I started to realize that people just bought these assuming it was a good way to grow them.

I think these sales tactics really contributed to people thinking that a terrarium is good for a venus fly trap. What it really comes down to however, is sales. These things sell well but give bad advise on how to care for a venus fly trap. They are often sold with unhealthy and sick plants.

Even if your dead set on trying to grow a venus fly trap in a terrarium, please do a lot of research and get a healthy plant and good terrarium. It will cost a little more but in life you always get what you pay for.

Conclusion

I know I was on a bit of a soap box with this article but I feel strongly that terrariums are not the way to go for a healthy venus fly trap. I think it will give you a bad experience and sour you on growing these wonderful plants.

I’m not going to say its impossible, I just think it’s unlikely to be successful. Especially if you are a first time grower or inexperience with growing carnivorous plants such as a venus flytrap.

I urge you very strongly to check out some of my other pages above to help you decide the best way for you to grow a venus flytrap. I think you will agree after reading more info that a venus fly trap in a terrarium is not the best option.

If you found this article helpful, please feel free to share it in on your favorite social media, it will help me more than you could ever imagine!

How Often To Water A Venus Fly Trap – Venus Flytrap Watering Guide

By brchcar1445 February 2, 2020 October 6, 2022 Carnivorous Plants Care

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Learning how often to water a venus fly trap is incredibly important to ensure that you are keeping a healthy and strong plant. I’m glad you stopped by to learn more about watering a venus fly trap and things you can do to make sure you flytrap is always getting exactly what it needs.

Lets really dig in and talk about how often you should water a venus fly trap. We will discuss the importance of always keeping your flytrap perfectly wet to quench it’s thirst.
Also, real quick, if you are interested in my ultimate venus flytrap care guide, definitely check it out below. I have put everything you will ever need to know about caring for venus fly traps!

Ultimate Venus Fly Trap Care Guide

How Often To Water A Venus Fly Trap

Before I answer this, I wanted to point out that the type of water is just as important as how often you water. Keep reading below where I talk about the type of water you need to use for a venus flytrap.
The quick answer to how often to water a venus fly trap is to water the plant until it’s fully moist but not soggy. The easiest way is to use a tray. You can actually add the water to the tray, about 1 inch deep. When the water in the tray dries out you add more. This will make sure the soil has a chance to breathe and keep the roots of the venus flytrap healthy.
That is the quick answer we will dig in deeper below. But first, lets talk about the type of water your venus flytrap needs. This is probably more important than how much water.
Real quick, I just wanted to mention that I have some other really great and in depth guides for taking care of a venus flytrap. Check them out below!
How Does A Venus Flytrap Work?
Venus Flytrap Soil Mix And Potting (Maybe one of the most important things to note)
Picking A Pot or Planter For Venus Flytrap
Venus Flytrap Dormancy (Yes, they hibernate and yes you need to know about it!)

What Type Of Water For A Venus Flytrap

The type of water you give your venus flytrap is actually more important than how often you water a venus flytrap. You want to make sure you are only using distilled water, rainwater or reverse osmosis water.
I’m going to go over each of the different types below but wanted to talk a little bit about why these types of water are used instead of tap water. Tap water contains dissolved minerals commonly referred to as dissolved solids.

Tap water can contain sodium, alkaline salts, calcium, chlorine, sulfur and magnesium. You are filtering your tap water, right? These minerals in your water will lead to your venus flytrap living a very unhealthy life and possibly even killing it. The problem is, this water slowly kills your plant and does it’s damage over time. At first everything will seem fine, but you will eventually see the effects of tap water.
The information above is for typical tap water. If you get water from a well or have a very pure water supply you might be able to get away with it. You will want to make sure that your water measures at less than 50 PPM (Parts Per Million). If you don’t want to worry about testing your water I wouldn’t gamble, I would use one of the water methods below.
Have you ever tested your tap water? If not, I recommend you do. You can actually get a meter on Amazon that does the testing for you! And its only like $14. You can check it out below.
TDS Meter To Test Your Tap Water

Rainwater

We try to collect as much rainwater as possible being from the Northwest. You can check out some cool systems to get your started on collecting rainwater below. Click the link below to go to amazon to see price and watch their video to see how easy it is to install the rainwater collection system. I will be doing my own video and article on this at a later date!
The barrel is neat too, it comes in a few different colors!
Rainwater Collection System On Amazon
Rainwater Collection Barrel

You can get a really nice rainwater setup for your venus flytraps, carnivorous plants or other kinds of plants for well under the $200 mark. It does require little bit of work but it’s totally worth it! Please check back soon for my full setup and tutorial!

Distilled

If your not into the whole collecting rainwater thing, I totally understand. A lot of us just don’t have the time to do something like that, and that is completely fine! You can buy distilled water.
You can just run to most grocery stores or one stop shop places like Walmart to buy distilled water, and it’s fairly inexpensive. It is inconvenient to run to the store however. If you want, you can actually buy distilled water right off Amazon!
Distilled Water On Amazon.

Reverse Osmosis Water System

If you want the best water to come out of your faucet for not only your venus flytrap and other carnivorous or house plants but for your family and pets to drink, a reverse osmosis water system is where it’s at!
These can be installed under your sink and will really help filter out the impurities in your water before it hits your tap. These area little pricey but for what you get from it, it’s so worth it! Whether you are considering this option for your venus flytrap or just to have better drinking water, it’s worth a look! Check out the video at the product page on Amazon below, it explains how it works!
Reverse Osmosis Water System On Amazon
Now that we have talked about the best types of water for a venus fly trap lets talk more about how to water a venus fly trap and how often to water a venus flytrap.

How To Water A Venus Flytrap

Were going to talk a lot about watering below but keep in mind that the pot you choose for your venus flytrap and the soil mixture your plant is living in can make or break your plant, even if your watering is perfect. I took a lot of time to write up guides on both below!
Venus Flytrap Soil Mix And Potting (Maybe one of the most important things to note)
Picking A Pot or Planter For Venus Flytrap
Typically, during the active growing season for the venus fly trap it’s pretty hot outside. Its incredibly important to keep a close eye on your flytrap during the hot summer months. You never want your plant to dry completely out. The soil for your venus flytrap should always be moist.
Make sure that the soil is not over watered and is soggy or completely waterlogged. It’s easy to over water a venus flytrap with normal watering methods. If this happens the roots can rot and the plant can die or be very unhealthy.

Tray Method

If your plant is in the direct sunlight a lot (it’s okay if it is, they like it) or if you are away from your flytrap on vacation for a few days the tray method might be your best option. It’s also important to note that this method is best used while the flytrap is actively growing and not during a dormancy period.
Cool watering pot with a built in tray, click the photo to see it on Amazon!
Make sure your venus flytrap pot or planter has good drainage holes and set your pot in a tray with about 1 inch of water. The soil you use for your venus flytrap should be very good at absorbing water and the plant will suck the water right up from the tray through the drainage holes.

Cool watering pot with a built in tray, click the photo to see it on Amazon!

If you are able to monitor your venus flytrap and it’s not in as much direct sun, another method would be better for watering your plant.

Normal Watering

Nothing too fancy here, this is just normal watering by normal means with whatever you like to use to water. Just make sure the water is fresh rainwater or distilled. The main thing here is monitoring how wet the media is.
Like stated above, make sure it stays moist but not super wet or waterlogged. You will also want to make sure it’s never completely dried out. If your able to keep an eye on your venus flytrap this means of watering will definitely be the best!

Watering During Dormancy

The rules for watering a venus flytrap during dormancy doesn’t change much from above. What changes is the weather and temperatures and how fast the soil will dry out. With colder temperatures and shorter days you will need to water the venus flytrap less.

If you have found that you are on a consistent watering schedule during active growth you will want to make some adjustments. The schedule you are on now will likely lead to over watering during dormancy. If you give your plant too much water you can get crown rot or root rot and mold can develop.
Please adhere to the same rules to keep the soil moist and but not too wet or soggy. Make sure to never let the soil get completely dry.

Watering A Venus Fly Trap Video

Conclusion

Learning how often to water a venus fly trap is super important to the long healthy life of your plant. What types of water to give a venus fly trap as well as how often will be some of the more important factors for your venus fly trap.
I’m so glad you came here to learn more about these amazing plants. Check out some of my other guides above so you can learn all about the care for venus fly traps. If you take the time to really learn and understand them they will really pay off.
If you enjoyed this venus fly trap watering guide, please remember to share on your favorite social media platform, it helps me more than you know!

What To Feed A Venus Flytrap & How To Feed A Venus Fly Trap

By brchcar1445 February 1, 2020 October 6, 2022 Carnivorous Plant Info, Carnivorous Plants Care

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Thank you for stopping by! Today we are going to talk about what to feed a venus flytrap and how to feed a venus fly trap. Were going to first discuss what to feed a venus fly trap and I’m afraid it just might not be as exciting as your expecting.

Note: Please press “show” above on the table of contents to jump to a specific part of this article.

We will then move on to how to feed a venus fly trap. There are some different methods and you can choose which way suits you! There are a lot of common misconceptions about the diet of a venus fly trap but we will make sure and spell any of those today.

Before we go too much further I did want to let you know about my ultimate venus fly trap care guide. Learn everything you would ever need to know about caring for a venus fly trap!

Ultimate Venus Flytrap Care Guide

Lets get going!

The Boring Answer

I think it’s important to note that there are many things to think about that is probably more important than what to feed a venus flytrap. Caring for a strong healthy flytrap takes a lot more than simply planting and dropping insects into its trap.

These plants are so much fun to grow and raise but do need some pretty special treatment. The treatment isn’t that difficult its just way different than other plants. If you already have a plant and want to know what to feed it, I also suggest taking a look at some of the articles below first!

If you already know everything below and your ready to feed your plant, skip it and let’s get to talking about what to feed a venus fly trap!

How Does A Venus Flytrap Work?

Venus Flytrap Soil Mix And Potting (Maybe one of the most important things to note)

Picking A Pot or Planter For Venus Flytrap

Venus Flytrap Dormancy (Yes, they hibernate and yes you need to know about it!)

Venus Flytrap Watering Guide

Venus Flytrap Care Guide

That should get your started. The more you learn about these incredible plants the better chance you will have to successfully grow venus flytraps!

The More Fun Quick Answer

I will expand on this below a lot but wanted to provide you with the quick answer to what to feed your venus flytrap. You want to feed a venus flytrap either live or dried mealworms, blood worms and crickets. Any insect it may eat in the wild will work great. If you can catch house flies and freeze them to slow them down, this will also work well. They also need to “eat” lots of sun!

What To Feed A Venus Flytrap

For the majority of owners the honest answer to this question is you probably don’t need to feed it anything. One of the most important things to “feed” your venus flytrap is lots of sun.

Venus Flytrap Catching a live fly!

Whether you grow outside or inside, exposing your plant to as much sun as possible is the best thing to feed it. Also, if you move it outdoors or next to a sunny window it’s probably feeding enough on its own.

Okay, I get it, that’s a totally boring answer! Don’t worry, if you want to, you can feed your venus flytrap. And there are things you can get to feed it that will help it grow strong if it’s not getting enough food naturally.

How Often To Feed A Venus Flytrap

Okay, you really want to feed this plant, I totally get it I feel the same way. It’s so satisfying to see your venus flytrap close its trap around it’s prey. And lets face it, this is the reason many of us own these amazing plants.

Lets talk real quick about how often to feed a venus fly trap. I know you want to know the what, but its so important to know the how often before the what. Over feeding the plant can kill it.

The general rule for how often to feed a venus flytrap is that you should feed each plant every other week. This means feed just 1 head from the entire plant every other week. This will be enough food to feed the entire plant. Do not feed every or multiple traps at a time this can be bad for the venus flytrap.

Rules To Follow

Now that you understand how often to feed a venus flytrap I think we should discuss some general rules regarding feeding your plant.

Avoid giving your venus flytrap any fertilizer or anything else labeled as “plant food”. They need nutrient poor soil, fertilizer will burn the roots and kill the plant.
Some people like to call venus flytraps meat eaters. I mean, we call them carnivorous plants, so they must eat like a lion, right? Wrong. No meat. If it can’t catch it naturally it shouldn’t be eating it. This means no chicken, beef or any other kinds of meat.
Try your best not to trigger the traps unless you need to. The plant expels a lot of energy when it closes the trap and can cause its growth to slow down. When the trap closes the plant is expecting to turn it’s victim into food.
Make sure what you feed your venus flytrap is only about a third the size of the trap. If the prey is too big and the trap can’t completely close it could sit for a long time and rot the food and the trap.
This one is important and the reason I only like to feed venus flytraps live food. The hair that triggered the trap to close needs to be triggered again for digestion to start. If you feed your venus flytrap a dead insect make sure you use a tooth pick to reach in and trigger the hair a few times to stimulate and trigger the digestion.

Feed Venus Fly Trap Live Insects

I do prefer to feed venus flytraps live insects if I’m going to feed them. It makes for something really fun to do when you have friends over. Just remember the rules above. Don’t over feed them!

One quick tip for feeding your venus flytrap live insects. Put the insect into the freezer for a couple minutes before giving it to your flytrap. You want to make very sure that if you put the insect into the trap that the flytrap is able to trap it. If the cricket jumps away it’s a missed opportunity for your flytrp.

The freezer slows them down a bit and makes them easier for your flytrap to capture.

Would you believe you can get live bugs and dried insects on Amazon? It’s crazy, but also awesome! We will talk about dried bugs down below in a bit.

Mealworms – These are a great source of nutrition for your venus flytrap. You can get these from pet stores but I prefer to buy them right off Amazon, link below. It’s incredible that we live in a time where we can order some mealworms and they arrive in a few days! If the worm is too long, make sure to cut them in half. This is especially true if you have a young venus flytrap.

Click Here To Buy Live Mealworms On Amazon

Crickets – These little critters can also be a great live source of food for your venus fly trap. Again, believe it or not, you can buy these guys right on Amazon! They are available in 1 inch or half inch, I have linked to the half inch below as it’s likely your venus flytrap traps are not big enough to eat 1 inch crickets.

Click Here To See Live Crickets On Amazon

Feed A Venus Flytrap Dried Insects

If you need to feed your venus flytrap insects, dried insects is definitely an option. As a matter of fact its debatable that this option is better, especially for beginning growers.

Mealworms have been known to burrow out of a flytrap trap which is counter productive and crickets are just quick sometimes. If you have no experience feeding venus flytraps live insects you may want to consider dried.

Just remember that if you decide to go this route you do need to trigger the hairs after the trap closes with a tooth pick or buy squeezing the sides of the trap gently.

You can also get all your dried insects straight off Amazon, check the links below to see price, user reviews and other important information.

Dried Mealworms On Amazon

Dried Crickets On Amazon

Now that you have learned what to feed a venus flytrap lets talk about how to feed a venus fly trap.

How To Feed A Venus Fly Trap

Some of the stuff I’m about to cover is things I covered a bit above. I wanted to dig into it a little more. Also, if you jumped ahead to this part of the article, you may have missed some important things about feeding a venus flytrap.

What It Needs Most

What your venus flytrap needs the most in terms of food is as much sun as possible. I know this isn’t the typical answer when you think of the mighty carnivorous venus flytrap. Most people think of flies, and why wouldn’t they, it’s called a flytrap. The truth is they need a lot of sun. As much as 12-15 hours a day. If they aren’t getting enough sun they may never grow to their best potential.

It’s important to make sure that if you grow your venus flytrap outside that it’s in a spot that gets as much direct sun as possible. If you grow it on the inside make sure you move it t a window or outside when the sun is out. This will help your venus flytrap grow healthy and stay strong!

Feeding A Venus Flytrap Live Insects

Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox about sun and get to what you’re really here for. Lets talk about how to feed a venus flytrap live bugs. This is a risky endeavor, as your venus flytrap needs to make sure that if the trap shuts the bug gets caught.

Feeding your venus flytrap live bugs brings up a few issues. If the bug is able to escape before the trap closes the plant has wasted a lot of energy it needs by triggering the trap to close. The other risk is that even if your trap closes around the insect they are often times able to escape it’s clutches. This essentially ceates the same energy waste as missing the insect entirely.

I’m going to talk about some tricks to ensure your venus flytrap is able to successfully capture and digest a live insect.

One of the best tricks is to put the insect in the freezer for a few minutes before feeding your venus flytrap. This will make the insect stop moving. Once the insect starts to warm up after it’s been trapped the insect will trigger the hairs and begin digestion. Make sure not to leave the insect in the freezer too long or it will die. If it dies and you feed it to your trap you will need to manually trigger the hairs for digestion. We will talk more about this soon in the “feeding your venus flytrap dried insects”

You can also uses tweezers to get a good grip on the insect. Allow the plant to close around your tweezers and let go and slide the tweezers out. This is still a little risky but significantly reduces the risk of the flytrap escaping.

This seems a little less humane and it’s not something I do, but others have. You can always pull the legs from the insect. If your feeding your venus flytrap crickets you can pull the legs off so it will squirm a bit but can’t jump out. Again, it’s not my cup of tea as I think there are better ways. But when it’s all said and done you are feeding this insect to a plant, so whatever you decide!

Feeding A Venus Flytrap Dried Insects

There is a little more labor involved with this process. The insect is dead and will not stimulate the inside of the venus flytrap. Imagine how these plants have evolved. They know when they catch an insect that the little guy is going to wiggle and move around. If there is not wiggle or move around, they will actually open up and not digest the insect.

The way it works is… If you drop a dead bug in your flytrap and they don’t stimulate the hairs inside the trap it won’t trigger venus flytrap digestion. The enzymes wont’ release and the plant will open. This is a design to help them avoid wasting even more energy and resources on something that inadvertently triggered a trap to close. They really are pretty smart, aren’t they?

If you would like to learn more about how all this and much more works with a venus flytrap, click below to another article I wrote!

How Does A Venus Flytrap Work?

The trick to getting them to digest the dried insect is you have to stimulate the trigger hair after the trap has closed. The trap will actually close tighter once the hairs have been triggered to help avoid an escape. There area couple different things you can do to trigger the stimulation.

Gently (very gently) squeeze together to trap to help it close a little more and to stimulate the hairs on the inside. You can give it a few squeezes (as long as your gentle) to make sure it takes. This process helps the flytrap close down tighter and trigger the enzymes to come out and start digesting it’s prey.

The other thing you can do is to stick a toothpick or a bent paperclip, anything that has that basic shape, into the trap and stimulate the hairs manually. The trap should proceed to close a little tighter and start digesting the insect.

If the trap opens up a few hours later you know that this was not successful. If the trap stays closed for 5-12 days you know it’s working on digestion and providing energy the plant will eat up!

If you want more info on what a venus flytrap eats, I cover all that above!

Feeding A Venus Flytrap Video

Check out this cool video of people feeding venus flytraps. Not so much instructional, just really cool!

Conclusion

We have completely covered what a venus flytrap eats and how a venus flytrap eats. Venus flytraps aren’t that hard to take care of, they are just so different than regular plants. We really have to ignore most of what we have been taught about gardening and planting.

I’m so excited you are here to learn about venus flytraps and hope that this info has helped you in some way with your precious plant. Keep them in the sun, make sure they have appropriate amounts of water and throw them a bug from time to time. That’s the super simple formula for having a healthy and happy venus flytrap.

Thank you again for stopping by, here’s to everyone having healthy flytraps!

Venus Flytrap Soil Mix – Repot A Venus Flytrap

By brchcar1445 January 25, 2020 October 6, 2022 Carnivorous Plant Info, Carnivorous Plants Care

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Today we are going to talk about the best venus flytrap soil mix. Venus flytraps are very picky when it comes to soil and won’t live if you don’t get a very specific mix for potting. If you go outside in your backyard and grab some soil or buy your typical potting soil at the market it will quickly kill a venus flytrap. I want to make sure you have the best soil for a venus flytrap there is!

We are also going to dig into (see what I did there?) how to repot a venus flytrap from whatever it came in to your new pot. Were even going to talk a little bit about how to pick out a pot for your venus flytrap. And how often you should repot your venus flytrap.

I’m going to deep dive into the best soil for venus flytraps below but I wanted to give you the quick answer before we get too far in.

I have looked high and low and read many, many comments on everyone’s favorite venus flytrap soil mix for potting. This is the soil recipe that I found most common and most successful.

Make sure to also check out my venus fly trap ultimate caring guide below. Learn everything you need to know about venus flytrap care.

Ultimate Venus Fly Trap Care Guide

Best Venus Flytrap Soil Mix

The best and most recommended venus flytrap soil mixture is 5 parts peat moss, 3 parts silica sand and 2 parts perlite. Aeration is important with venus flytraps and the silica sand really helps with creating a drainage and a healthy root system. You may also see silica sand referred to as white sand, silicon dioxide or just silica.

The reason the silica sand is acceptable is it’s a very hard mineral and is not soluble, it won’t release any additional minerals into the soil.

Now that you have the quick answer, lets talk more about what each ingredient means and why they are important. Lets also talk about what a venus flytrap needs from it’s soil mixture.

Also, before going too far, check out some of the other guides/information I have written right here on this website. You will find everything you need to take care of your venus fly trap!

How Does A Venus Flytrap Work?

Picking A Pot or Planter For Venus Flytrap

Venus Flytrap Dormancy (Yes, they hibernate and yes you need to know about it!)

What/How To Feed A Venus Flytrap – How to feed and what to feed a venus flytrap!

Venus Fly Trap Watering Guide – Learn how often and what kind of water to give your plant!

30 Interesting Venus Flytrap Facts

What A Venus Flytrap Needs From Soil

This is kind of a misleading questions in a way considering it’s almost easier to say what does a venus flytrap not need from it’s soil. The answer you might not be expecting is nutrients. The soil needs to be void of any minerals or nutrients which is very opposite of most plants and goes against our typical planting knowledge.

The most important part of picking the right soil for a venus flytrap is making sure the soil is very nutrient poor. If you use regular potting soil or just plant the venus flytraps into the ground they nutrients in the soil will burn the roots and eventually kill the plant.

There are some experts who use a very diluted fertilizer on the leaves but it’s extremely risky and can go wrong very easily if your not experienced. This is not suggested for anyone starting out growing venus flytraps.

Let’s talk about each ingredient individually for a bit.

Peat Moss

Peat moss is great for venus flytraps due to it being very nutrient poor. Please make sure you don’t get anything that’s “Enriched” this means nutrients have been added. It’s easy to obtain as you can get it at just about any store that carries any kind of soil. Whether it’s big box or a local nursery you shouldn’t have any problems finding it.

Using a long fibered sphagnum moss can really help prevent the perlite from floating to the top during watering and heavy rains. This is something to keep in mind when picking out the peat moss, but isn’t absolutely necessary.

Watch out for the brand of peat moss you get. I know that Miracle-Gro and Scott’s both contain fertilizer which will kill the venus flytrap, so try to avoid those.

Perlite

Perlite is a volcanic glass that has high water content. This helps it aid in water retention and aeration. It also modifies the soils substructure keeping it loose, well drained and keeps it from getting too compact. Perlite is optimum for growing in a container it enables the pot to hold just enough water and oxygen.

Perlite is also going to be pretty easy to find, you will be able to get some at big box stores, local hardware stores and likely at local nursery’s.

Silica Sand

Silica sand is is a very hard mineral but it’s not soluble and it’s completely neutral. This basically means that it’s great for venus flytraps because it won’t release any minerals into the soil. It can really help with the formation of a healthy root system as well as promoting great aeration.

It’s also known as white sand, silica quartz and silicon dioxide. You will have the best luck finding silica sand at your local hardware store. I know that places like Lowes and Home Depot will have some available.

Mixing The Soil

Okay, now that we have talked about the ingredients to the best soil for venus flytrap lets talk about what to do with them.

Clean And Rinse The Silica And Perlite

I would recommend soaking the silica sand and perlite in distilled water. This will help get the dust off and prevent any unwanted minerals from entering the soil. I’ve heard of people talk about soaking the peat moss as well, but this seems like overkill and has never been an issue for me.

To do this just dump the sand and perlite into a plastic container or bucket. Poor enough water in to cover the silica and perlite. Swirl the water around for a bit and dump it out. Do this again until the water appears to be clear. Keep in mind, when you dump the water in and it’s clear you can reuse this water as it should still be clean.

Mixing The Soil (For Real)

Now your ready to start mixing all the ingredients. Add 5 parts peat moss, 3 parts silica sand and 2 parts perlite by volume.

Once all ingredients are added you will want to add some distilled water. It’s going to take more water than you think due to the perlite and peat moss being very absorbent. Keep adding and mixing together you will want to make sure that the peat moss gets completely saturated and that the perlite is all mixed in.

At first the peat moss may seem to avoid the water and it might not soak up well. Keep mixing and the peat moss will eventually soak up the water. If it’s cold it will be even worse, so just mix and be patient!

Once your all mixed up your ready to go! Your venus flytrap soil mis is ready and it’s time to start potting.

Pre Mixed Venus Fltyrap Soil

Life is busy you don’t have time to get all these different parts then clean and finally mix. Trust me, I have 3 kids, I COMPLETELY understand. If you want to grab a premixed soil you definitely have options.

Keep in mind, I believe the mix I presented to you is the best venus flytrap soil mix but there are more than one way to do this. The mixes may not be exactly the same as mine but you should be able to find something that works for you. Even Amazon has soil mixes you can buy.

If your not looking to pot a lot of venus fltyraps you probably don’t need to make a ton of your own soil mix. Take a look at the link below to see the soil mix I recommend on Amazon.

Venus Flytrap Soil Mix On Amazon

Choosing A Pot For Venus Flytrap

Now that we made the best venus flytrap soil mix, I’m going to talk quickly about what to look for when choosing a pot or planter for your venus flytrap.

Just the other day I actually spent hours working on an article all about choosing the right pot and what to look for, check that out below. I’ll paraphrase that article below but if you really want to deep dive and see some good examples, the article is great!

Best Pots And Planters For Carnivorous Plants

Make sure you get a pot that has good drainage holes for your venus flytrap. One of the best ways to keep them watered is with drainage holes and keeping the tray under the pot full of water. If the pot doesn’t have good drainage your venus flytrap will likely end up rotting at the roots.

You also want to make sure and look for something that is light in color. In the summer you don’t want your venus flytrap’s roots baking in a black pot. The lighter the color the less sun it will absorb keeping the roots nice and cool.

Avoid any kind of pot that is unglazed. The terracotta planters for example are very porous and can actually steal the moisture and dry out the soil. These pots can also leach unwanted minerals into the soil. If you need the look of terracotta grab a resin or plastic pot that mimics the look.

Make sure the planters are fully glazed. Some are glazed on the outside but not the inside.

Venus Flytrap Pots To Look For

Look for anything that is made out of resin or plastic. These will work the best. I have also seen some really neat fully glazed ceramic pots. These are great as long a they are fully glazed. I prefer the resin or plastic, you can check out some really nice resin and plastic pots below.

Just keep in mind that its very important to pick something that has good drainage holes. Most good planters and pots these days will have a drainage hole with a plug so you can choose to drain or not.

Resin Pots On Amazon

Plastic Pots On Amazon

Fully Glazed Ceramic Pots On Amazon

Now that you have picked out your pot and made the best soil for venus flytrap lets talk about how to plant!

How To Repot A Venus Flytrap

Alright, so you picked out the perfect pot for your venus flytrap. You either made or bought a great venus flytrap soil mix. You are ready to repot your plant to your custom soil mix and brand new pot!

Lets break this down into steps. It’s really not that hard to repot a venus flytrap but I’ll still break it down into steps for you below just to make it as easy as possible.

To start off find a good work area, somewhere you are not worried about making a huge mess. If you can repot outside, this is probably best.

Before we get started its important that you know what the rhizome is. The rhizome is the bulb-like white part that is just below the soil but just above the black roots. If you research plants especially plants that you can propagate the rhizome will come up a lot. Most of the leaves from the venus flytrap originate from the rhizome and this is where the plant stores its energy.

Steps To Repotting A Venus Flytrap

I wanted to outline some really easy steps for you below. This isn’t a super complicated process but it helps to see each step. Honestly, your going to remove the venus flytrap from the container its in. Clean off the roots of any soil or debris and put it in the new venus flytrap soil you made or bought. That’s the jist but I’ll break it down below.

Get The New Pot Ready

Here we go! You created the best soil for venus flytrap and now it’s time to introduce your plant to your soil. Grab some of your prepared soil and put in in your planter or pot. Fill it to the top then compress it a bit. Using your finger or possibly some other tool make a hole that is pretty deep. You want it to be deep enough that the roots and the rhizome have a lot of room to grow. Make sure the hole is deep enough that you don’t have to loop up the roots to get the venus flytrap to fit. It’s important to make the top of the hole a little larger so the rhizome can fit.

Uprooting And Preparing The Plant

Just like with other plants, gently squeeze the side of the plastic planter it came in. This helps release the soil from the planter. You will then turn the pot over and release the plant from it’s current pot. Make sure to hold it in a way that you don’t drop the plant.

Once it’s free, start breaking the soil away from the roots of the venus flytrap. Go very slow and be very patience with this process. If you were going to hurt your venus flytrap during repotting, this would be the time. You can also plunge the roots into some distilled or rain water to help release the soil from the roots. Just swirl it around a bit and the soil should just fall off.

Place Into The New Pot

The venus flytrap is now exposed and the soil is completely off the roots and rhizome. It’s time to repot it into it’s new home. The key to this part is to get the roots as deep into the hole you dug as possible. Use a stick or screwdriver to guide the roots as far into the hole as possible. You may need to adjust the depth of your hole at this point if the roots don’t go very deep. You will want the rhizome just below the soil in the hold you made.

Compact The Soil

Next, you will compact the soil around the rhizome. Do this very gently but do make sure to press it enough so that its snugly fit to the rhizome. You may want to grab some extra venus flytrap soil mix to put in around the rhizome. It shouldn’t be super deep but the white of the rhizome should be completely covered.

Give The Venus Flytrap A Big Drink Of Water

It’s been a long day for your venus flytrap, its finally time for it to rest a bit and have a drink. After a hard days work, don’t we all? Watering immediately helps eliminate any air pockets that may have developed. It can also help reduce any root shock that may have occurred from the repotting process.

It’s important to water gently from the top this will help reduce the chances of the perlite and silica (if used) from rising to the top of the pot. The harder the water hits the more the peat moss will want to separate from the perlite. You can even pour the water right onto the plant itself and allow the water to trickle into the soil. The soil should be pretty saturated on this initial watering.

Venus Flytrap Soil Q&A

Before getting to the end of teaching you about the best soil for venus flytraps and how to repot, I wanted to do a little Q&A. I think most of the questions and answers are sprinkled above but it’s nice to have all the biggest questions answered in one area.

Where To Buy Venus Flytrap Soil?

You can make your own or you can simply buy it from a local nursery or even Amazon. Amazon has some great carnivorous plant and venus flytrap soil mixes to choose from. Check the link below to see where you can buy venus flytrap soil on Amazon.

Venus Flytrap Soil On Amazon

Just make sure it’s at the very least a peat moss and perlite mix. Most importantly make sure none of the ingredients have been enriched.

How Much Soil Does My Venus Flytrap Need?

This wasn’t covered much above. This will all depend the size of the pot and size of your venus flytrap. I did talk about how you need to fill your planter to the top and compress it down. So at least enough to fill the pot you purchased for your venus flytrap and plus a little extra in case you have a spill or need it.

Can Venus Flytraps Live In Normal Soil?

This one is a hard no. Venus flytraps come from bogs where the soil has very little nutrients. This is why the venus flytrap catches insects and eats them, they don’t obtain nutrients or energy from their roots. If the soil has normal amounts or is enriched with fertilizer or nutrients it will burn the roots and likely be a quick death for your plant.

When Should I Repot My Venus Flytrap?

Aside from your initial repotting a venus flytrap does like to be repotted once a year. The media (Soil) can get hard and compact making it hard for the roots to thrive and grow. Repotting will keep your venus flytrap soil aerated and fresh. The best time of year is to repot in early spring which is about the time they are coming out of dormancy. I also spent a lot of time writing an article all about dormancy, check it out!

Read All About Venus Flytrap Dormancy Here!

I think that covers most of the questions you might ask.

Best Venus Flytrap Soil And Repot Venus Flytrap Conclusion

Thank you so much for stopping by and learning all about venus flytrap soil mixes and information. These plants are truly special and I’m happy your here to give your venus flytrap the best home you possibly can. I hope your

If this was helpful to you, please make sure to share on your favorite social medial platform. Facebook, Pinterest or Instgram, whatever you like best. If you have a website, feel free to link back to this info!

Thank you for all your support and may all your plants venus flytrap plants thrive and lead a healthy long life!

Best Pots And Planters For Carnivorous Plants

By brchcar1445 January 21, 2020 October 6, 2022 Carnivorous Plant Info, Carnivorous Plants Care

Buy Carnivorous Plants Online!

I get this question a lot, which are the best pots and planters for carnivorous plants? Carnivorous plants require a lot of care and making sure that you pick out the best pot for your carnivorous plant is obviously very important. Whether your looking to plan your venus flytrap, nepenthes or sundews this will definitely help you out! Although it may seem like a big decision finding the best pots for carnivorous plants is not as difficult as you might think!

Lets talk about the best planters and pots for your carnivorous plants. These venus flytraps look great potted!

When it comes down to it, what is more important to you? Do you want to just keep it simple and use what’s going to work the best at the lowest price? Or are you like most of us and you want your carnivorous plants to be living in something that not only works well but looks really cool.

I’m guessing that if your into carnivorous plants, you want to go with the “looks cool” angle. Don’t worry, were going to talk about all options today. I’ll give you some that I think look cool as well as affordable carnivorous plants pots and planters that will work well without breaking the bank.

Also, before I get too far, I wanted to point out that I have spent a lot of time writing up some other great information on venus flytrap. If your interested in venus flytraps these will be great!

You can check them out below!

Learn Everything you will ever need to know in my ultimate venus fly trap care guide!

Ultimate Care Guide For Venus Flytraps

How Does A Venus Flytrap Work?

Venus Flytrap Soil Mix And Potting (Maybe one of the most important things to note)

Venus Flytrap Dormancy (Yes, they hibernate and yes you need to know about it!)

What/How To Feed A Venus Flytrap – How to feed and what to feed a venus flytrap!

Venus Fly Trap Watering Guide – Learn how often and what kind of water to give your plant!

30 Interesting Venus Flytrap Facts

Best Pots And Planters For Carnivorous Plants

Let’s start off with the carnivorous plants pots and planters that aren’t going to cost a lot but will work really well. Before we actually talk about the pots and planters themselves, lets talk about what to look for in a carnivorous plant planter or pot.

What To Look For

This will definitely always depend on which carnivorous plant you are wanting. Maybe you are looking for a venus flytrap pot or planter or maybe your looking to plant your nepenthes. I’m focusing more on things to look for with all carnivorous plants.

The rules I’m about to go over can be applied to almost all carnivorous plants. But keep in mind some carnivorous plants do require special treatment and it will be up to you to make sure and understand those things before committing to a planter or pot for your carnivorous plant.

One of the most important features of a good planter for a carnivorous plant is going to be the drainage. Something to consider is you may find that perfect pot that you just must have but it doesn’t have any holes in the bottom. This is fine, you can make your own holes with a common power drill.

It’s also important that you look at a pot or planter with lighter colors. Try to avoid anything that is black, dark grey or dark brown. When the temps get hot and the sun is out these planter or pots will soak up the sun and possibly cook the roots of your carnivorous plant.

You want to avoid unglazed terracotta planters as they are very porous and can dry out the soil. I’ve also seen people advise that these pots can leach salts into the soil over time which is not good for your carnivorous plant who needs mineral poor soil. If you really like the look, check out my link below you can find resin planters that have the terracotta look!

When it comes down to it, any planters or pots that are super breathable and porous you will probably want to avoid. You also want to make sure that the plants are fully glazed. I have seen some planters be glazed on the outside but not on the inside which is not good for carnivorous plants.

The Cheap Route – Plastic Planters

So, you not too concerned with the looks you just want a planter for carnivorous plants that is going to function well and also not cost much money. This would be a good option for someone who is growing carnivorous plants to sell. It’s important for the plants to do well, but you don’t want to waste any overhead on the planters.

Think of your plant as yourself and the planter as your shoes. Do we need to spend more than $50 to get a good pair of functioning shoes? No, not really. If we really want to impress though, we may want to drop $200 on a fresh new pair of Jordan’s or whatever the cool shoes are now a days.

This is the same with your carnivorous plant pots or planters. You can spend as much as you want to make them look cool! Just keep in mind that the affordable plastic container route is actually one of the most functional and cheapest and will keep your carnivorous plant happy and healthy!

These are pretty neat for smaller plants, you could make a venus flytrap look really nice in these plastic pots. I did confirm, these do have holes in the bottom for drainage already, so they come ready to go! Click Here To See Them!

How many of you just rolled your eyes at me? Ya, I know not the greatest comparison. And I’m sure most of you are saying, “Come on buddy, were better than cheap plastic containers, tell us about the cool ones!” FINE! Let’s take a look at some of the cool carnivorous plants pots and planters.

Resin Planters For Carnivorous Plants

Alright, so you scoffed at my plastic planter or pot idea and you want to see some of the finer things in life. Fair enough, lets take a look at resin planters or pots for carnivorous plants. Resin my have you duped however as its honestly just a fancier type of plastic. The important thing though, is it just looks a lot nicer. I have seen some REALLY cool resin pots and planters however.

Resin Planters On Amazon – Click that link for some great resin planter options on Amazon.

I’m such a sucker for whiskey barrels, I think this little resin whiskey barrel planter is my favorite! Click Here For Price and Size Options!

carnivorous plant whiskey barrel planter — A cool planter for your carnivorous plants!

Maybe something bigger you can create a small bog garden in? I found this one that looks kind of like a basket, it even already comes with a drainage plug. This could work really well for creating your own little bog garden and planting venus flytraps or many other carnivorous plants.

It also has a really cool self watering system that helps you determine the moisture in the planter. It helps you prevent root decay and over watering which is important with carnivorous plants. The drainage system is also a huge plus as this will be ready to go right out of the box, no drilling or customization!

Click Here To See Price And Reviews!

Just remember, if you find one you like make sure it has good drainage or make sure you have something at home that you can use to drill a couple holes in the bottom to create your own drainage! Honestly, even a nail and hammer would probably get the job done for these resin pots and planters!

Glazed Ceramic Planters And Pots

So your not a plastic kind of person, that is completely fair. Lets take a look at some ceramic planters and pots. Just keep in mind, its important to make sure these planters for carnivorous plants are always fully glazed, especially on the inside.

I have found some of my favorites below you can click below to see a page from Amazon that has a ton of different kinds of glazed ceramic planters.

Glazed Ceramic Planters On Amazon

There are so many cool glazed ceramic pots and planters to choose for your carnivorous plants. I’m just going to list a couple here that I really like personally, click the link above though as there are so many to choose from. Out styles may not be similar but I almost guarantee you will find something you like above!

glazed ceramic planter for carnivorous plants — I think this would look great with a small pitcher or medium sized venus flytrap!

Click Here To Check It Out On Amazon!

If your looking for something a little larger check out this really cool hand painted 10″ and 8″ set of 2 planters. They are double glazed and come with drainage holes and plugs.

hand painted ceramic glazed planters — These planters are ready to go with drainage holes and plugs!

Price And More Info On Amazon!

Hanging Planters

Hanging planters can be absolutely beautifully matched with carnivorous plants especially if your looking to plant your Nepenthes or pitcher plants. They probably aren’t the best planters for venus flytrap or sundews. Just keep in mind that when your shopping for a hanging planter that all the same rules as above apply.

It’s important to note that it will be a little harder to keep water on the plants since there is no tray with hanging planters. You will also want to make sure that it still has holes for drainage. If you are hanging your carnivorous plants outside, drainage probably ins’t a problem. If you are hanging your plants inside then it is a little trickier to keep your drainage under control.

The other problem you might run into is the hanging pots tend to be a little shallower. You want to make sure you select a hanging planter that is a little deeper and gives the roots on your carnivorous plants room to grow.

resin hanging planter planter for carnivorous plants

The cool thing about the planter above is that it has a self watering system, which makes it much easier to keep your carnivorous plants watered. They also come in a bunch of different colors, not just white. I strongly suggest something like this to help with watering. They also come with drainage holes and included plugs.

Click Here To See Colors and Price!

Planter And Making A Bog Bow Vidoe

Check out this super cool video below of the type of planter to look for and how to create a “Bog Bowl”. This is a really cool video that shows you how to plant a venus flytrap and pitcher plant in the planter that he has.

Carnivorous Plants Pots and Planters Conclusion

What it really comes down to is what you want! Just keep the few simple rules above about what to look for in a planter and you will have so many options are your finger tips. Between plastic and resin planters you have almost unlimited colors, styles and options.

I hope that this guide on the best carnivorous plants pots and planters was helpful to you. It’s a fairly simple and small part of your carnivorous plant but it is its home and where it will reside, so it’s important to your plant.

If this was helpful, please remember to share this article on your favorite social media platform, whether it’s Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. It really would mean a lot to me!

Venus Flytrap Dormancy – Dead Or Dormant?

By brchcar1445 January 19, 2020 October 6, 2022 Carnivorous Plant Info, Carnivorous Plants Care

Buy Carnivorous Plants Online!

Like always, I’m so excited to talk to you today about Venus Flytrap dormancy. It’s a super common question I see about the venus flytrap. People often confuse venus flytrap dormancy with the plant being dead. Were going to talk about what a dormant venus flytrap looks like and what you can expect. Were then going to talk about how to tell if your venus flytrap is dormant or dead.

A venus flytrap when entering dormancy.

Also, before I get too far, I wanted to point out that I have spent a lot of time writing up some other great information venus flytrap articles.

You can check them out below!

Venus Fly Trap Ultimate Care Guide

How Does A Venus Flytrap Work?

Venus Flytrap Soil Mix And Potting (Maybe one of the most important things to note)

Picking A Pot or Planter For Venus Flytrap

What/How To Feed A Venus Flytrap – How to feed and what to feed a venus flytrap!

Venus Fly Trap Watering Guide – Learn how often and what kind of water to give your plant!

Also, if you like this article and found it helpful if you could share it on your favorite social media platform, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or whatever you prefer. Even if you have a website a link back from your site would mean the world to me! Lets get on to venys flytrap dormancy!

Venus Flytrap Dormancy

One of the biggest misconceptions with Venus Flytraps or Dionaea muscipula is that the plants are tropical and need a year round dose of humidity and sun. What most people don’t realize is that they are actually very hardy perennial plants. People always want to assume that all carnivorous plants are from exotic, humid and hot locations.

The venus flytrap being a perennial basically means that they flourish during the spring an summer then die back and prepare for a dormancy period. During the winter the venus flytrap will go dormant and come back in the spring from the energy they saved in the root stock or rhizome.

When fall comes around the venus flytrap prepare for the harsher winter months. This is the natural way for this plant. Light freezes and frost wont kill the hardy venus flytrap but extended freezes can kill them.

I have seen some arguments popping up in carnivorous plants communities on the internet in regards to eliminating the dormancy period for venus flytraps but all the most experienced growers I have read about say that for prolonged healthy life for venus flytraps they should have a minimum of a 10 week dormancy period. Most growers will say 3-5 months a year are best.

One of the biggest problems and misconceptions are due to the plant surviving a fairly long time without going dormant. The truth is however, over a prolonged period of time the venus flytrap will weaken and eventually die if they aren’t allowed dormancy periods.

Caring For Venus Flytrap During Dormancy

Venus flytraps will require as much light as possible to stay healthy and strong during dormancy. If they are going to be in the dark it’s actually better to keep them in colder conditions, you will need something under 40 degrees.

If the temperatures are staying above 40 degrees they need to have as much light exposure as possible. If your in a zone 7 or lower in the more extreme latitudes you may need to employee a couple of the more commonly used over wintering options for their venus flytraps.

Since I mentioned zone 7 above, lets take a quick look at the climate zones to help you understand when I make these references.

Hardiness Zone Map

Okay, I’m sorry to jump away from the caring for venus flytraps during dormancy section but understanding the hardiness zone map in the US is going to help you understand what I’m referencing through the rest of this article. From here on out I’ll simple reference zones by a number. You can look up your location in the US and see which zone you are in or which zone you want to grow these cool carnivorous plants.

venus flytrap hardiness zone united states — Hardiness Zone Map For Venus Flytraps

Okay, now that you understand the zones, lets get back to venus flytrap dormancy care.

Back To Dormancy Care For Venus Flytraps

Sorry about the detour there but now you will be able to follow along with the different zones, which is going to be important!

There are a couple different options of dormancy, it just depends on which zones you live in. Some growers create their own bog gardens and mulch them in the winter. Others actually choose an extreme venus flytrap fridge dormancy method. For the fridge method to work the flytraps will need to reach their full dormancy state before being placed in the fridge.

During the winter months the venus flytrap should receive less water. As the weather is colder the soil does not dry out as quickly. Using too much water can cause root rot or crown rot to become a problem. When this happens mold can definitely become a factor.

You want to keep the soil wet but less wet than you did in the summer seasons. But you also want to make sure that the soil never gets completely dry. It’s a balance, but the right amount of water during the winter months is very important.

Even when dormant the venus flytrap photosynthesizes and will need as much light as possible to get as much energy as they can during winter months. Since no bugs will be caught, its more important than ever to get them as much natural light as possible. In their most natural growing conditions the venus flytrap will actually continue to grow even in the dormant stages.

The exception to the light rule is if they are being kept in conditions lower than 40 degrees, much like I talked about earlier. They will actually enter a state of suspended animation when kept this cold. This method will work but is not the most ideal set up for your venus flytrap.

I want to talk more in depth about the different dormancy types below, indoor, outdoor and even the fridge method. We will even discuss skipping dormancy so you can decide which is best for you. But first, I want to discuss the venus flytrap dead or dormant discussion.

Is My Flytrap Dead or Dormant?

There are definitely a few things to discuss here with the dead vs dormant question. Unfortunately due to the special care needs of the venus flytrap a lot of people do kill these neat plants but always hope their plant is just dormant. The other thing I see a lot is people wanting their plant to come out of dormancy too quickly so they get impatient and try to get it moving rather than just leaving it alone.

You can see a dormant vs in season venus flytrap.

Is my venus flytrap dead?

You will know your venus flytrap is dead when the plant seems to go black and die quickly. The entire plant turns a dark sickly color and all that is left is a mushy pile of mass. If you were to freeze a piece of lettuce and let it thaw, this is similar to how a venus flytrap would look if dying. The key thing to remember is when dead, it will happen quickly.

Is my venus flytrap going into dormancy?

This is a completely different process that happens at much slower speed. The leaves will blacken and seem dead but this will happen over a span of several weeks. It’s also important to note that when a venus flytrap enters dormancy it will typically keep some green leaves.

Another thing to look for is the time of the year. Did your plant enter these stages during autumn or fall? If so, there is a really good chance that its going dormant. If your plant starts to seem to die during spring or summer it can be an indicator that it is dying.

Keep your eyes open for any kind of green. If there is green anywhere, it could just be that dormancy has been triggered. Unless the plant is obviously dead the best thing you can do is just wait it out. The best thing you can do to a dormant plant is just leave it alone. Other than the little bit of care they need, just don’t mess with it. If it is dormant the best way to kill it is to start digging around it and messing with it. It’s in a fragile state and should be left to do what it needs to do.

This is a dead venus flytrap.

Time For Dormancy What Do I Do?

Remember the image above with the hardiness zones? Okay, I’m going to reference it here. If you are in zones 8-11 congratulations you have the easiest jobs. You honestly don’t have to do anything. This is the venus flytraps natural climate and just leaving them alone during the winter months is enough. I’m staring out of my window right now at about 3 feet of snow in a zone 4 area, I’m completely jealous.

Outside Dormancy

If you live in zones 4-7 it is still possible to keep your plants outside, they just need a little more care. The carnivorous plants will need to be properly insulated. It’s recommended that you bury your potted plants in a bog garden. If your venus flytrap is in an above ground pot it can be more susceptible to the cold and wind.

Once temperatures get close to freezing it will be time to provide even more protection. You will want to cover your plants with a shade cloth or burlap. It’s important to secure the cloth at the edges with something heavy, like a rock or log. Then cover the cloth with pine needs, straw or leaves. This will help keep moisture in and help keep the plants from freezing.

Don’t panic if your area gets snow. Snow is actually a great insulator and will help keep them from freezing.

Purchasing a cold frame or mini greenhouse might be the way to save your plants during colder winter dormancies. I encourage you to check out my guide to cold frames and mini greenhouses on carnivorousplantshub.com below!

Best Cold Frames & Mini Greenhouses For Carnivorous Plants

A bog garden can be kind of tricky but that’s okay, you can also build or buy what’s called a cold frame. See price info and what they look like on Amazon, click here for cold frames!

The other option would be good if your plants were still really small and in small pots. A mini green house would be a great way to go, and is actually pretty affordable. There is a great chance your venus flytraps will make it through dormancy in a mini greenhouse. Price and photos of the mini greenhouse on Amazon.

Inside Dormancy

If you are up in the colder climates or a zone 3 or lower you will want to bring your venus flytrap inside to a cold room. Maybe a garage or basement that isn’t as heated as the main house. It’s important to keep this room no warmer than 55 degrees. Plants should still be kept near a window to soak in as much light as possible.

It’s important to note that you would not want to keep it in the part of the house where people reside. The temperatures humans want to stay comfortable are way too warm for a venus flytrap dormancy. If the plant is brought out of dormancy too soon it can confuse the plant and eventually lead to its death.

Refrigerator Dormancy

Alright, you desperately want these plants but none of the options above work for you. This usually happens in one of two different areas. The first being that it just gets way too cold and the methods above wont work. Or, its way too warm year round and temps never go below 55 degrees. If you just can’t accommodate any of the other options above, this should be your last option as it’s the least likely your venus flytrap will survive.

Now you have decided the venus flytrap fridge dormancy is the only option, lets talk about it.

This is more of a process than just throwing your venus flytrap in the fridge for winter. It’s important to slowly decrease the photoperiod, which is the amount of hours it’s exposed to light. If you just take the plant from many hours of light a day and throw it in the fridge this can shock the plant and lead to its death. You want to slowly start giving it less light to make it a less shocking transition.

Whether you keep the venus flytrap potted or uproot them during fridge dormancy is completely up to you. Many people like to uproot due to the amount of room it takes to keep potted plants in your fridge.

If you keep them in a pot you want to put the entire pot in a plastic bag before putting them away in your refrigerator. Before doing that you will want to spray or dust the plant with a good fungicide.

Please check for any mold and fungus every couple of weeks. If needed continue to give the venus flytrap small doses of fungicide. You will ant to leave your plant in the fridge for at least 3 months.

If you don’t want to use up all that room in your fridge by keeping potted plants you can use the steps below to properly uproot and put in the fridge.

Remove any of the potting media around the roots until they are totally bare, please do this very gently.
Cut off any dying or dead growth.
Dip the entire plant in fungicide. You can mist, but I suggest dipping the entire plant.
Dampen some paper towels and wrap the entire plant in it. Make sure that the paper towel is damp and not soaked.
You are now going to seal the dormant venus flytraps in ziplock bags. Its important to push all the air out before sealing them.
The best place in your fridge will be the veggie drawer.
You do want to check for mold every couple of weeks and you can bring the venus flytrap out of dormancy in 3 months.

Youtube Videos On Dormancy

Sometimes reading can be just a bit too much. I wanted to make sure I left you a video you could watch that helped explain venus flytrap dormancy a bit. So grab some coffee, sit back hit play and relax!

Here is another video of someone using a cold box or winter box to prepare their flytraps for the dormant period.

Skip Venus Flytrap Dormancy

I have seen this debated and argued in the carnivorous plant communities. The people that seem to actually know what they are talking about say that skipping dormancy basically is a slow death for venus flytraps. Your plant might last a couple years without dormancy but it won’t live for the long run.

If you ask me, I say try your best not to skip venus flytrap dormancy as this isn’t the natural way for the plant. Even if you keep an indoor venus flytrap it’s still important to assist it in triggering dormancy so that the plant lives for many years. I know it can be a bummer to not be able to “enjoy” your plant for months at a time, but it’s whats best for them.

Flytrap Dormancy Conclusion

There is no perfect science or way to put your venus flytrap in dormancy. All we can do is try our best to mimic the conditions they have where they thrive in the bogs of North and South Caroline. No way is going to be perfect and there may be some trial and error.

The fact is that it’s hard to find anyone that is the all knowing expert for the exact area you live. If you can somehow find a grower in your area that has had success and speak with them this might be the best way to tackle dormancy in your area. It’s a lot of trial and error and if you can find an expert where you live who has already mastered your specific conditions it might be the best option.

Thank you so much for stopping by and doing your best to understand venus flytrap dormancy. It’s a tricky part of having these beautiful carnivorous plants but a very important one. I’m glad you care enough to do your research and find out how to best care for your plant.

I wish you the best luck with all your venus flytrap growing efforts. Once you get it down its one of the most rewarding things you could ask for! If you have some extra time, make sure to check out some of our YouTube content at our YouTube channel below. Check out this video of me unboxing some new nepenthes and sundews! If you like what you see, make sure to subscribe!