Does anyone keep venus fly traps? I need tips!

Hi guys!
For Christmas, my parents got me a venus fly trap from flytrapstore.com (she said it was one of the best places to get them!)
They need 4+ hours of DIRECT sunlight, outside, but I live in Montana, so that can't happen for most of the year, and even not so much in the summer. It's super cold here.
So, my mom also got a uv grow light off Amazon!
I was just curious, would that light be good for my planted tanks?
Does anyone have experience keeping these?
The directions say that it doesn't need a terrarium, and it's best uncovered.
What do I feed them? I know it has to be live insects.
Thanks!!

 

Has no reply so I guess I'll say something here. Hopefully you already got an answer by now though.

Not sure about using them for aquarium plants, so can't answer on that part. I keep a fly traps and pitchers (indoors, never have grown them outside). I experimented a little bit with my fly traps and grew them under those grow lights for several months. They looked fine and was growing well, but since I had the option of my south facing window with enough sunlight I put it back there and it thrived there. So the answer is yes those lights will work.

Feeding insects is not required, but you can feed them at least once a month. You can buy some freeze dried bloodworms at the petstore, moist it, roll them into a tiny ball and drop it in the trap. But the extra step you have to do is rub the trap gently till the trap is sealed. If it's only closed it will open back up since what you fed isn't alive. Takes about 20-30 minutes for the trap to seal. You will notice it if you look closely and see a slight dent at the edges of the trap. Forgot to add this part. Don't feed every trap, feed 1-2 traps. Also don't purposely make them close. They use a lot of energy when doing that and it will drop faster when disturbed. If you see traps dropping and dying at normal times don't worry. They always grow new ones.

Fly traps aren't terrarium plants, it's best to keep them where you have it in

Water with distilled or rain water only, as overtime using regular drinking water will kill the plant. You can keep these plants in complete sphagnum moss (like in that pic) and it'll do fine. Use no fertilizer.

Fly traps need to hibernate every winter to prolong their life. You don't need to have it in a cold place, just an area with lack of sunlight around December. For your case just only turn on those lights for a minimum of 5-6 hours starting from December and up until February or March. Right now it won't hurt to skip the hibernation if you didn't start it last December. Just do it starting from this year.

 

I hope this answer isn’t too late. Yes, those lights should work fine. I’m in MN, so I understand the thing about not keeping them outside.

Why can’t you have them out in summer? How cold is it there? They can handle really cold temps. If it’s above 50, they’ll keep growing, and if it’s lower than that, they’ll go dormant.

In summer, I put mine out into the hottest, most intense sunlight I can get, and keep them there until after frost. I like to leave them out when the frost comes because it stimulates dormancy. I then chuck them into a garage for winter, bring them out in spring, and repeat.

You don’t need to feed them often, once a month is fine, but the bloodworm method works really well. I never actually feed mine because they just catch their own flies and wasps in summer, but if you have them indoors, that works.

And yes, that store is probably the best place to get flytraps. What variety did you get?

 

I hope this answer isn’t too late. Yes, those lights should work fine. I’m in MN, so I understand the thing about not keeping them outside.

Why can’t you have them out in summer? How cold is it there? They can handle really cold temps. If it’s above 50, they’ll keep growing, and if it’s lower than that, they’ll go dormant.

In summer, I put mine out into the hottest, most intense sunlight I can get, and keep them there until after frost. I like to leave them out when the frost comes because it stimulates dormancy. I then chuck them into a garage for winter, bring them out in spring, and repeat.

You don’t need to feed them often, once a month is fine, but the bloodworm method works really well. I never actually feed mine because they just catch their own flies and wasps in summer, but if you have them indoors, that works.

And yes, that store is probably the best place to get flytraps. What variety did you get?

Thanks!
Im hesitant to put it out in the summer because I'm forgetful, and it would suck if it was out all night and it froze (here in Montana, it can snow in may, or even August, and freeze anytime)
I got the 'basic flytrap', so I don't know if that answers your question.
I can easily get gnats and small live bugs anytime, which is nice for fish and plants lol

Has no reply so I guess I'll say something here. Hopefully you already got an answer by now though.

Not sure about using them for aquarium plants, so can't answer on that part. I keep a fly traps and pitchers (indoors, never have grown them outside). I experimented a little bit with my fly traps and grew them under those grow lights for several months. They looked fine and was growing well, but since I had the option of my south facing window with enough sunlight I put it back there and it thrived there. So the answer is yes those lights will work.

Feeding insects is not required, but you can feed them at least once a month. You can buy some freeze dried bloodworms at the petstore, moist it, roll them into a tiny ball and drop it in the trap. But the extra step you have to do is rub the trap gently till the trap is sealed. If it's only closed it will open back up since what you fed isn't alive. Takes about 20-30 minutes for the trap to seal. You will notice it if you look closely and see a slight dent at the edges of the trap. Forgot to add this part. Don't feed every trap, feed 1-2 traps. Also don't purposely make them close. They use a lot of energy when doing that and it will drop faster when disturbed. If you see traps dropping and dying at normal times don't worry. They always grow new ones.

Fly traps aren't terrarium plants, it's best to keep them where you have it in

Water with distilled or rain water only, as overtime using regular drinking water will kill the plant. You can keep these plants in complete sphagnum moss (like in that pic) and it'll do fine. Use no fertilizer.

Fly traps need to hibernate every winter to prolong their life. You don't need to have it in a cold place, just an area with lack of sunlight around December. For your case just only turn on those lights for a minimum of 5-6 hours starting from December and up until February or March. Right now it won't hurt to skip the hibernation if you didn't start it last December. Just do it starting from this year.

Thanks so much!
That clears a lot of things up.
I've had it for a couple weeks, one head is dying, but it's being replaced by 3 more. It's growing so fast!!
You said you keep pitcher plants, my dad wants one, is it similar to keep? Is it a harder to keep carnivorous plant than a flytrap?
Thanks again!!

 

Thanks!
Im hesitant to put it out in the summer because I'm forgetful, and it would suck if it was out all night and it froze (here in Montana, it can snow in may, or even August, and freeze anytime)
I got the 'basic flytrap', so I don't know if that answers your question.
I can easily get gnats and small live bugs anytime, which is nice for fish and plants lol

Thanks so much!
That clears a lot of things up.
I've had it for a couple weeks, one head is dying, but it's being replaced by 3 more. It's growing so fast!!
You said you keep pitcher plants, my dad wants one, is it similar to keep? Is it a harder to keep carnivorous plant than a flytrap?
Thanks again!!

Ok, that makes sense. I know you didn't ask me, but I've also kept pitchers. What type do you mean? Sarracenia or Nepenthes? Their care is fairly different, so it's best to know which kind. Sarracenia care is very similar to that of flytraps, and there are so many varieties and colors to choose from.

There is also a Sarracenia (S. purpurea 'purpurea') that could probably handle freezing in summer. It's kept actively growing for me in November with snow on the ground. It's native up here in MN and also a lot of Canada, and it can handle some very cold temps in winter. Just don't get S. purpurea 'venosa' instead of 'purpurea', as that one isn't as hardy.

Nepenthes are tropical/subtropical and native to Asia, Africa, and Australia. They like high humidity and plenty of light. You can give them direct light, but IME they do better with as much indirect light as possible.

There's also potting media to keep in mind, but Idk if you even want to grow Nepenthes, so I'll leave that out for now.

 

Ok, that makes sense. I know you didn't ask me, but I've also kept pitchers. What type do you mean? Sarracenia or Nepenthes? Their care is fairly different, so it's best to know which kind. Sarracenia care is very similar to that of flytraps, and there are so many varieties and colors to choose from.

There is also a Sarracenia (S. purpurea 'purpurea') that could probably handle freezing in summer. It's kept actively growing for me in November with snow on the ground. It's native up here in MN and also a lot of Canada, and it can handle some very cold temps in winter. Just don't get S. purpurea 'venosa' instead of 'purpurea', as that one isn't as hardy.

Nepenthes are tropical/subtropical and native to Asia, Africa, and Australia. They like high humidity and plenty of light. You can give them direct light, but IME they do better with as much indirect light as possible.

There's also potting media to keep in mind, but Idk if you even want to grow Nepenthes, so I'll leave that out for now.

Okay, I'll have to ask my dad. I think he just wants to have a cool pitcher plant, the easier to care for the better. I'll have to do some research!! Thanks!

 

Thanks!
Im hesitant to put it out in the summer because I'm forgetful, and it would suck if it was out all night and it froze (here in Montana, it can snow in may, or even August, and freeze anytime)
I got the 'basic flytrap', so I don't know if that answers your question.

I can easily get gnats and small live bugs anytime, which is nice for fish and plants lol

Thanks so much!
That clears a lot of things up.
I've had it for a couple weeks, one head is dying, but it's being replaced by 3 more. It's growing so fast!!
You said you keep pitcher plants, my dad wants one, is it similar to keep? Is it a harder to keep carnivorous plant than a flytrap?
Thanks again!!

I have the nepenthes type of pitcher plant. Currently have it on my south facing window. It's doing well there and growing more traps. I wouldn't say they're too different, just watering it from the top (with distilled water) is important. And make sure the pot its in is not sitting in water.

I am also keeping these in full spaghem moss and they are doing completely fine.
I want to add that my room is fairly humid, having like 3 aquariums in my room, 2 of them being open top. 65-70%, and fairly warm all year round. They don't do too well in dry environments. Could be why my pitcher is having no issues being grown in the same place like my other plants.

Basically they do alright in normal humidity levels (not below 50%)

 

I know this is very late but I used to grow Venus flytraps in one of the labs I worked in. They like very pure water, distilled is the best, or clean rainwater. We used to have a central distillation unit for the building, and they were a great quality check on the water. One of the most common things that kills them is build up of minerals from tap water. If you ever see minerals start to build up, flush them with lots of water and get distilled water on them.

Second thing is drying out will kill them, they like to be kept moist at all times. They are native to marshland in the Carolinas, so sphagnum moss is ideal growing material. About every month or two, water them with a dilute liquid fertilizer. I think it was about a one tenth strength, but you can look that up. Or just use a little old tank water, that should work fine.

The reason carnivorous plants are carnivorous is they live in nutrient-poor environments. Even though they are called flytraps, studies show that their most common food is ants. However, try and resist the temptation to feed them live foods. Occasional weak fertilizer will keep them happy and healthy. If the chunk of live food is too large, the trap leaf will disintegrate around it.

If the flytraps are happy, they will send up a tall flowering stalk with small white flowers. These can be hand-pollinated and seeds collected to grow more, using a shallow tray of sphagnum moss. Viability of seeds is usually only about a year. They can take fairly long to germinate and grow to full size, so be patient if you decide to try this.

It’s pretty common to be able to pick up discounted flytraps at places like Home Depot because they don’t use distilled water and start to look poorly fairly quickly. But a long flush of their media and distilled water will get them back to health in no time!

 

I know this is very late but I used to grow Venus flytraps in one of the labs I worked in. They like very pure water, distilled is the best, or clean rainwater. We used to have a central distillation unit for the building, and they were a great quality check on the water. One of the most common things that kills them is build up of minerals from tap water. If you ever see minerals start to build up, flush them with lots of water and get distilled water on them.

Second thing is drying out will kill them, they like to be kept moist at all times. They are native to marshland in the Carolinas, so sphagnum moss is ideal growing material. About every month or two, water them with a dilute liquid fertilizer. I think it was about a one tenth strength, but you can look that up. Or just use a little old tank water, that should work fine.

The reason carnivorous plants are carnivorous is they live in nutrient-poor environments. Even though they are called flytraps, studies show that their most common food is ants. However, try and resist the temptation to feed them live foods. Occasional weak fertilizer will keep them happy and healthy. If the chunk of live food is too large, the trap leaf will disintegrate around it.

If the flytraps are happy, they will send up a tall flowering stalk with small white flowers. These can be hand-pollinated and seeds collected to grow more, using a shallow tray of sphagnum moss. Viability of seeds is usually only about a year. They can take fairly long to germinate and grow to full size, so be patient if you decide to try this.

It’s pretty common to be able to pick up discounted flytraps at places like Home Depot because they don’t use distilled water and start to look poorly fairly quickly. But a long flush of their media and distilled water will get them back to health in no time!

Thank you so much! That was by far the most informative post I've read. I did hear that I was supposed to cut off flower stalks, since they could take to much energy and kill the plant. Should I be careful if I let a stalk grow?
Do I have to dilute tank water if I use it for fertilizer?
I also noticed that after about half of my heads died off, there are 5 more coming out, but they're really really slow. Am I doing something wrong? They usually pop up in less than a week and it's been almost a month.
Thanks again!

 

I never had any problems with the flowering stalks killing the main plants. They would usually just pop up once a year, seemed to be triggered by spring light levels. I didn’t use tank water before, just distilled and dilute liquid fertilizer. But it should be fine once every month or so. The new fly traps I never really paid much attention to as to time of growth, but if it was used to a regular fertilizer schedule and you’ve had it several months, that could explain the slowdown of the growth.

 

I never had any problems with the flowering stalks killing the main plants. They would usually just pop up once a year, seemed to be triggered by spring light levels. I didn’t use tank water before, just distilled and dilute liquid fertilizer. But it should be fine once every month or so. The new fly traps I never really paid much attention to as to time of growth, but if it was used to a regular fertilizer schedule and you’ve had it several months, that could explain the slowdown of the growth.

Ahh that makes a lot of sense. What do you mean by liquid fertilizer? Is there a good brand?
I got a flower stalk this spring and now i regret cutting it off. Maybe next year!
I've been eyeing some venus fly traps at Walmart, they'll put them on sale soon because they're bone dry. . Then I'll snatch them haha!

 

If I remember correctly, I used a granular fertilizer that I mixed at one-tenth the regular concentration into the distilled water. So when
I added it to the plant, I would just give them a little into the water tray that I had under the pot. So it ended up very dilute. I kept them on a deep windowsill in a South facing window. They would be cool in the winter and warm in the summer, with a fairly natural photoperiod. I know the original plant I had was healthy and happy for at least four years, but I don’t know what happened to them when I moved and left them behind.
Interesting - I went poking around on the internet, and so many places said “no fertilizer” and “natural food.” But I remember when I grew these and the internet was still pretty rudimentary, I pulled a scientific paper about growing them and the advice I gave you was what it recommended.

 

If I remember correctly, I used a granular fertilizer that I mixed at one-tenth the regular concentration into the distilled water. So when
I added it to the plant, I would just give them a little into the water tray that I had under the pot. So it ended up very dilute. I kept them on a deep windowsill in a South facing window. They would be cool in the winter and warm in the summer, with a fairly natural photoperiod. I know the original plant I had was healthy and happy for at least four years, but I don’t know what happened to them when I moved and left them behind.
Interesting - I went poking around on the internet, and so many places said “no fertilizer” and “natural food.” But I remember when I grew these and the internet was still pretty rudimentary, I pulled a scientific paper about growing them and the advice I gave you was what it recommended.

Thanks!
I think I'll try it. People say no fertilizer 'unless you do it right' so I can do some more research just to make sure. But yeah. Distilled and very diluted, every month, my brain cell may be able to comprehend that haha
Thanks again! That helps a lot!