The NO B.S. care guide to growing VENUS FLY TRAPS for CANADIANS!
The most commonly known and popular of the carnivorous plant family. VFT’s are one of a few carnivorous plants with active traps, meaning they actively move/snap shut to catch their prey (insects). Native only to the North & South Carolina states in the U.S.A. Easy to grow but notoriously known for being easy to kill . Like most carnivorous plants they have some specific care requirements for success. Be sure to provide plenty of bright direct sunlight, above average humidity and never let the soil dry out . Only use a Carnivorous Soil Mix. You can gamble with your tap water if it is below 90 PPM (TDS), but for guaranteed results, use only distilled or rain water. For more in depth care and FAQ read below.
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
DIONEA MUSCIPULA (DIE-ON- E-AH MUS-CIP-ULA)
ORIGIN:
NORTH & SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A (ZONES 7-10)
SIZE:
HEIGHT: 6 – 12 INCHES (15 – 30 CM)
DIAMETER: 6 – 8 INCHES (15 – 20 CM)
SOIL:
DO NOT USE REGULAR POTTING SOIL!!
THESE GUYS NATURALLY GROW IN BOGS. SO THEY PREFER NUTRIENT DEFICIENT, MOIST, ACIDIC SOIL (PH BETWEEN 4.0 – 5.0).
USE OUR CARNIVOROUS MIX OR MAKE YOUR OWN WITH A BLEND OF EQUAL PARTS PEATMOSS, PERLITE, & SILICA SAND.
LIGHT:
4-6 + HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT DAILY. BEST PLACED IN A BRIGHT SOUTH FACING WINDOW OR OUTDOORS IN THE OPEN SUN.
WATER:
STAY AWAY FROM TAP WATER!!
UNLESS YOU HAVE TESTED YOUR WATER WITH A TDS (TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS) METER AND THE READING IS LESS THAN APPROX. 90 PPM.
OTHERWISE, IT IS BEST TO USE RAINWATER, REVERSE OSMOSIS OR DISTILLED WATER.
VFT’S DON’T LIKE TO DRY OUT SO KEEP SOIL CONSISTENTLY WET. FOR BEST RESULTS KEEP POT SITTING IN A SAUCER FILLED WITH WATER.
HUMIDITY:
VFT’S PREFER A RH (RELATIVE HUMIDITY) AROUND 50-70%.
ACROSS CANADA, THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE IN THE SUMMER.
INDOORS, THIS CAN BE ACHEIVED BY ALLOWING YOUR POT TO SIT IN A TRAY OF WATER OR MISTING OCCASIONALLY. MOST CANADIAN HOMES SIT AROUND 30 – 50% RH.
FEEDING:
NO FERTILIZER ALLOWED!
INSTEAD OF NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL, THESE GUYS USE INSECTS ABSORBED FROM THEIR TRAPS AS FERTILIZER.
HOWEVER, YOU DO NOT ACTUALLY NEED TO FEED THEM FOR THEM TO LIVE, THEY JUST CHOOSE VIOLENCE!
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO FEED THEM, ONLY USE INSECTS, NO MEAT! ANY LIVE INSECT FOUND AROUND THE HOUSE OR FREEZE-DRIED MEALWORMS FROM THE PET STORE.
POTS:
VFT’S HAVE LONG ROOT SYSTEMS, SO THE TALLER THE POT THE BETTER, MINIMUM 4-6 INCHES IN DEPTH.
4-6 INCH DIAMETER POT WILL SUFFICE, OR USE A WIDER POT TO ALLOW PLANT TO MULTIPLY.
AVOID USING POROUS MATERIALS SUCH AS TERRA COTA, UNGLAZED CERAMIC, CLAY, CONCRETE OR METAL POTS!
WINTER CARE:
F.A.Q:
1. NORMAL LIFECYCLE– YOUR OLDER TRAPS WILL DIE OFF OVER TIME AFTER HAVING SPENT THEIR ENERGY, ALLOWING NEW SHOOTS TO GROW IN THEIR PLACE. THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T FALSELY TRIGGER YOUR TRAPS!
2. DORMANCY– YOUR PLANT IS GOING INTO DORMANCY! THIS IS GREAT NEWS. MOST OF YOUR TRAPS WILL DIE BACK AND IT WILL COME BACK BIGGER AND STRONGER NEXT YEAR!
2. POOR GROWING CONDITIONS– CHECK THAT YOU HAVE MET ALL THE ABOVE CONDITIONS! LACK OF LIGHT, WRONG SOIL, AND WRONG CONTAINER CAN ALL CAUSE DYING TRAPS. IF YOUR CONTAINER IS TOO SHALLOW AND THE ROOTS ARE SITTING IN THE TRAY OF WATER THEY CAN GET ROOT ROT, TIME TO POT UP TO A TALLER CONTAINER!
IF YOU LOOK INSIDE THE TWO LOBES (TRAP) YOU CAN SEE EACH ONE HAS 3 SMALL TRIGGER HAIRS. WHEN AN INSECT TRIGGERS TWO OF THESE HAIRS AT THE SAME TIME THE TRAP CLOSES. IF YOU ARE MANUALLY FEEDING YOUR TRAP, YOU WILL HAVE TO SIMULATE THIS BY TRIGGERING THESE HAIRS.
ONLY IF YOU WANT TO HARVEST SEEDS. OTHERWISE, CUT THE CENTER STALK CLOSE TO THE BASE BEFORE IT FLOWERS TO PRESERVE ENERGY AND FOCUS ON PRODUCING MORE SIDE SHOOTS.
YOU DON’T! THEY DO JUST FINE WITH SUN & WATER. HOWEVER, THEY WILL DO BETTER WITH ADDED NUTRIENTS FROM INSECTS. THEY ARE QUITE GOOD AT CATCHING HOUSE FLIES BY THEMSELVES. HOWEVER, IF YOU DO WANT TO FEED THEM, KEEP IT TO ONCE EVER 1 – 2 WEEKS AND NEVER FEED MORE THAN HALF OF THE TRAPS AT THE SAME TIME.
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