venus fly traps

I have never used fruitflies. The ants were just too easy to get and maintain. You can certainly let them go all winter without feeding them and they should be fine. Just feed em what you can find over the winter.

I live in Lancaster, Pa and share your climate. I know all about the Pa winters.

Originally Posted by Rebel Dragons

I have never used fruitflies. The ants were just too easy to get and maintain. You can certainly let them go all winter without feeding them and they should be fine. Just feed em what you can find over the winter.

I live in Lancaster, Pa and share your climate. I know all about the Pa winters.

LOL

I HATE cold weather and SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Dorothy

Can I feed my flytraps uncooked meat?

thanks

Dorothy

Old thread I know. No you cant feed them raw meat it will kill them, well the traps at least in short order. They DO need a winter dormancy period. They may grow well a ocuple of seasons without it but they will decline over time and die. Unless you acquire a queen ant the ants you get in all those so called ant farms will not establish and reproduce themselve. They are slow to form large colonies, fruit flies, small crickets etc are a better choice. I keep my VFTs outdoors, they need no help from me in feeding.

I just purchased a venous fly trap. I was told at the nursery that they like lots of light, but it had to be indirect sunlight. I was also told that they need very humid conditions and must be watered with distilled water and fed one insect per month. Does this sound right to you guys?

-Julie

I grew mine outdoors in full sun in southern calif. They were kept in about an inch of pure distilled water.They do need fairly high humidty. You will have to adapt your plant to high light levels. If you put in it full sun now it will likely get burned due to being grown too soft. But once it is acclimated it will be fine.

hey plzz help all u experienced venus fly trap growers i have no idea wat to do with mine ive had it for about 2 weeks plzz reply with a quote so i cane be a successful grower for venus fly traps.

oh and thx......poke lol


say hello to my little friend u shall die

tata for now

Ok, I know it's old, but I figured I'd reply anyway and give some details of how mine grow. I live in Southern Ohio, and grow them outdoors, which will work just about anywhere in the US except deserts, beaches, or the extreme north.

Once you have a flytrap (there's a link to equilibrio earlier in this thread; I've also purchased from them with great satisfaction), find a spot in *full sun* for it. Now, if it's one of those sad, half-wilted traps from Home Depot or Lowe's, grown in a plastic cube, you'll need to start it out in indirect sun and gradually increase the sun exposure, but well-grown flytraps from proper carnivore nurseries will be ready for full sun immediately.

The soil mix I've had most success with has been 1:1 peat and perlite in drained plastic pots (other mixes work for others, but this is simple, easy and availible widely). The important thing is that the soil must be acidic and nutrient-free. Never, ever fertilize your trap; that will kill it. Similarly, you must be careful of water hardness; minerals can accumulate and kill the roots. Cincinnati has very hard water, so I just buy distilled water from the local grocery store. Keep the plant pot about half-submerged in water at all times.

For the whole growing season, that's it. Just get one, ensure it's in the right soil mix, place the pot in a dish, fill with distilled water, and put it in full sun. It'll catch it's own insects, and you won't have to do *anything* to it except re-fill the water; they basically keep themselves, very low-maintenance.

As Gordon indicated above, dormancy is essential. In about October or so, their growth with slow and the plant may begin to die back. Just pop it in the fridge, check occaisionally for mold, and when spring comes, put it back outside. I usually re-pot mine each spring with fresh soil, and also, if they've produced multiple sub-plants, divide them before they're out of dormancy (division can be done other times, but may shock the plant and retard growth).

So, in total summation, keep them wet, in full sun, and in the right soil, and they'll be great, easy and rewarding. Pop them in the fridge over winter, and repot for spring.

Also, north american pitcher plants (<i>Sarracenia</i>, not <i>Nepenthes</i>) can be grown by the same methods, also with great success. I've got a fair number of both, and they're thriving under this method.

Hopefully this'll answer questions in the future when other people look for info. Again, sorry for bumping such an old thread, but I thought this would be helpful.