1. 6+ hours of direct sunlight. If the plant was in heavy shade at the nursery, slowly acclimate your plant to more sun on a weekly basis. 2. Temperature up to 100°F, down to 32°F. They NEED to go dormant in the winter so if growing inside move them to a cold room that gets sun. 3. Respect the dormancy. They need up to 4 months of rest to conserve their energy for summer. 4. Only use distilled water, rainwater, or reverse osmosis water. VFT’s do not like nutrients and mineral or tap water will kill them. In summer, never let them dry out. In winter, allow their pebble tray to dry before watering again. Do not let their soil completely dry out. 5. Do not use regular potting soil. Use a combination of peat, perlite, sand, sphagnum moss, or silica. 6. Do not regularly feed them insects. They will generally catch their food on their own. It is okay to feed them once in a while if you find a bug you want to watch the VFT eat. DO NOT FEED THEM HUMAN FOOD. BONUS TIPS 1. Pay attention to the microclimate where you are growing your plant. Every room or spot in your garden is slightly different. 2. DO NOT OVER CARE. VFTs need a stable environment that they can acclimate to over time. Keep them in the same spot, do not over water. 3. Be patient. These plants need time to get used to their environment before they will really grow. This can take up to 3 months.
Hi can I ask? is it OK not to give it sunlight during winter month? Because my area will have heavy snowing. If I move indoor it will be too warm. I live in apartment. So the only way is to leave it inside the apartment building but outside my apartment door. Meaning not inside my warm apartment. But leaving it inside building means no sunlight. Is that okay? I just keep spraying water on it everyday? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks in advance
As someone who has been growing VFT for 11 years, I will still watch a new video on VFT care as I want to: 1) see the content of the video and the creator 2) I enjoy the plants and can see someone elses perspective 3) May learn something new and 4) I enjoy the plants no matter what the video is about. And I can always help people in the comments of those videos. Everyone has their reasons, these are mine and not OP's, however.
@@connerschaub387 I have learned a lot from looking at the information shared by others. Most are pretty good, some give me new ideas. This video is very complete and accurate, from my experiences.
Haha I find the plants easier. Rain water in a tray and keep them outside, simple enough for me but my climate is good for them. Not so much for others :(
It’s not. He’s over complicating it. These plants are really easy to take care of. Just get their conditions set up right, and let them thrive! Check out the videos from Sarracenia Northwest.
Hi! I totally impulse bought one of these bad boys a month ago and I saw no activity until yesterday when I was adding some water to the terrarium and it caught something ☺️☺️☺️ most exciting thing to happen all week lmao
@@TheFlytrapGarden Well thank you, at the moment I'm just looking at information of venus fly traps along with lots of other plants. If I do decide to get one I am pretty sure you will be my "go to" expert! lol. Thanks again :)
Sounds great! Goodluck on your plant discovery journey haha! Also check out other channels that deal with carnivorous plants, like brads greenhouse. He has lots of care guides on orchids and venus fly traps too, as well as nepenthes!
@@TheFlytrapGarden Oh wow, thanks for the tip, I will definitely look at his channel. I'll also make sure to suggest yours to anybody who is interested in venus fly traps :)
@@herbyme3373 Of course! Olivers greenhouse is also a good channel, although he is inactive now as he has started a new venture, but his videos are still up! And thanks for that, that's really kind of you! :) Just want to help as many people as possible and share the love of carnivorous plants
Venus fly trap: too much water, give me more water, I don't like the soil, you're giving me too much sun, now too little sun. Oh look, I'm dead and it's your fault idiot. Weed: SCREW YOUR PESTICIDES IM GROWING IN CONCRETE
@Sullivan Myles F**k off a**wipe go peddle your trash somewhere else. This is the second time I've seen this exact same garbage followed by the exact same "reply". You're a scammer. Go back under the rock you crawled out from under.
Im from south africa too and just bought my first VFT today! So hard to find plant lovers from SA making videos, definitely helps to have someone in the same zone who can give you advice, thank you!
Make a video about repotting the Venus fly trap. How long should we wait to repot?. Should we keep it in the nursery pot. Show how you mix the soul & brand recommendations, etc. New Venus fly trap mom & learning everything on RUclips lol !! So far so good though.
Panama Redd I will definitely do that! My current VFT will probably be repotted after winter here in Australia 😊 goodluck on your new adventure 😁 it’s very rewarding!!
Just noticed your video regarding these Dionaea muscipula’s, as a South Carolina resident myself, I’d like to also add, most importantly, you must be able to manipulate their environment as well, such as the type of soil content which they easily grow in, as well as temperature and humidity levels. From my experience as a resident and a carnivore plant hobbyist, our humidity lvls are quite high even during an extended heatwave, and as you may fully be aware, they are located in the southeast portion of NC and Northeast portion of SC (Horry County) so you will also need to take in account the zonage they are located in. For me, I have managed to grow them (even in the ground in heavy clay regions by replacing the clay with sand, peat moss, fresh bark mulch (which you use to cover the ground to inhibit weed growth) and bags of decomposed small mulch, all mixed together with a small amount of clay, as the Venus flytrap grows in a region with white clay mixed in with sand and decomposed humus/peat and mulch clippings/scattered clump grasses surrounding them (from my in person observations, not from a book)....hope this helps some....for you and others interested in my in-person perception
Really interesting info thank you for telling us. I had no idea about any of that. Don’t know why people don’t mention it often? I feel these plants are much tougher than what people generally say.
They need humidity!!! Humidity is so important to them. I live in North Carolina and it extremely humid here all the time. So you need a way to trap that humidity around the plant.
It's very funny that you (in S. Africa) know more about a plant that grows in N. & S. Carolina when I am from Virginia! 🤦🏻♀️ 😆 🤣 I've heard these tips before. But it's nice to get a refresher! Thank you!😊
The Flytrap Garden Question. I leave my trap outdoors all day in the heat & sunlight, would it be alright to bring it in at night in the kitchen where I see flies? Would that be too much of a dramatic change for it?
Yep it is best to leave them outside as the cooler nights are better for them. Unfortunately Venus flytraps are just not good indoor plants unless you give them grow lights. Otherwise, a good indoor carnivorous plant would be a nepenthes that would do well in most windowsills indoors
People really do over analyse these plants. Leave on a window ledge inside with a bowl under the plant pot and keep the water in the bowl topped up with rain water. Feed it flies when you kill them or let it catch what it needs. When dormant remove from ledge to somewhere cool. Re-pot every 2 years gently. Simple!
These are the only plants i've managed to keep alive, so learning they are apparently difficult was news to me, because I just watered the plant occasionally and fed it flies I caught or flies I bought at the pet store
Thank you, I’ve watched a few over videos and I did not know about the acclimation process to sunlight. I’ve bought my first 2 and put them right outside because every video I watched was like they need SUNLIGHT!!!! All the original traps of both plants died but know new traps are growing and they seem to be doing pretty good 👍🏻
Glad to hear they are doing better now. They are easier plants to grow than people make them out to be and just need a bit of understanding for them to do well 😁
Great video! I am a beginner with venus traps and other videos confused me. You concentrated all the important information and made it much clearer. Thank you!
When I first started buying vft's, I avoided buying any with black leaves, not knowing that was the look of leaves as they went into dormancy or older leaves that would be replaced. I thought the plants were rotting due to a fungus as was my experience with other plants. You might touch on this subject for beginning vft growers.
Thanks for the tips! With all the bugs we get in TX and our mini winters i wish fly traps would naturalize here. Too dang dry i guess. Will just have as many as i can as porch plants.
Well with those temp ranges etc, I can plant them outside all year here in Melbourne lol We get the odd temp over 40C and we get to 1-2C during winter, but think they should be fine. Might contemplate a bog garden now.
Thanks for the video, very useful! 😻 Can I grow these guys in an indoor flat with plant grieing lights? I have no garden or balcony. Thanks. Hugs from Budapest! ❤
Good video and tips. To add, bring up “Wilmington, NC” in your weather app. You now have the perfect Venus Fly Trap growing climate to follow right on your phone. That’s the temperature and humidity they want, year-round, period.
The Flytrap Garden your video made me feel so sad about the Venus Fly Traps I threw away as a little kid when they were probably just going dormant! Never again! Haha. I got a bunch of “death cubes” from Walmart, replanted them and they’re doing great.
agentelvis81 I’m sure we all made that mistake! Those death cube rescues often turn out to be really good looking plants... if only the warehouses would look after them properly
This helps explain why my fvt died. My climate is more extreme, so when I brought it inside to keep it from freezing (in the late fall we can reach -10c at night) it started I think trying to go dormant, but I never thought to put it in the fridge and it got confused. It was also in too small a pot, and I had a fungus gnat problem that winter.
Um serious question, I got mine from a Chinese plant store about 3 days ago it’s it’s been growing rapidly. Like I keep having to feed it but that wasn’t enough I ended up giving it some blood but now it’s talking to me asking for more WHAT THE HECK DO I DO?
Mmmmmm. I was well into this when I was 17 40years ago. My brother just gave me one for a christmas and it went from a healthy plant to 3 or 4 leaves. Whoops!!! Lots of good information here. No more moving it around!!
Man i bought my first vft about a month ago in a small pot i repoted him he done ok but now hes just dieing im just using spagnum moss that i rinsed with distilled water and thats all i water him with i just dont know what im doing wrong we have 50 to 60%humidity plenty of sun here in fort worth Texas i really dont want him to die his risome is still white but all his traps are decaying and its still 85 to 90 degrees here can someone please help me bring Leroy back to life please and this was real informative bro great job im fallowing yours and others tips
It sounds like your VFT is going dormant, seeing as you are going into winter there in the US. :) I would just watch out for root rot, seeing as you haven't put perlite/silica sand in the media for the VFT, but that's all. Otherwise it is normal for the VFT to lose its traps as it goes into dormancy. Just be sure to water it a LITTLE BIT less in winter. Feel free to message me on instagram if you'd like me to take a look at some pictures?
When you see it's first trap, you can feed it. However, the tiny traps may be difficult to feed, so I recommend you only feed it when you are sure you can get a live insect into the trap, because if you miss, the plant can lose a lot of energy especially when it's young.
I had one when I was little and used to feed it people food, like chicken, hamburger, cheese, etc lol back then, ppl who sold them always said it was right to do that
Once the entire leaf has gone black, you can cut the whole stem off☺️ If you cut the trap/head off without the petiole (stem) going black, I find that the petiole goes black quicker, which means less photosynthesis. 😊 Hope this helps. If it isn’t clear let me know 😃
Jungle plants? Wilmington NC is not what I would call “Jungle”. Good info. I was given a bunch of seeds so I am about a week into trying to grow them for a first time. Luckily I am in NC so it will be easy to keep them alive... I hope.
in indonesia which have not winter. we never let them (vft) sleep or dormancy, when we look the sign of dormancy, we always split the plant directly and cancel the dormancy and finally we will have two new plant hahaha
Everyone that says VFT likes loads of sunlight because of where they come from in the swamps of NC and SC... have never been to the NC/SC swamps. They are some of the darkest places there are. That's why swamps are used for horror movies.
Ok....as a person who lives in NC.....the climate part of NC is give or take......it can sometimes be the summer and it begin snowing or it be winter and it being 100 degrees....
Just stumbled onto your channel. I just started with a couple of VFTs, a Serracenia purpurea, and 3 types of drosera (indoors) this late summer. I found your summary fantastic! Thank you!!!
@@TheFlytrapGarden I do have one question. What happens to VFTs that are out in the open during rain storms? Don't the rain drops trigger the traps and cause them to waste energy? How do VFTs deal with rain both in the home yard and in the wild?
I wish there were more sites where creators could get paid by writing articles or blogs, that were as widely used as RUclips. The tips here are great, and I appreciate OPs efforts, but MAN is it tedious to listen to. If these tips were written down instead of narrated in a video, I wouldn't have to spend 15 minutes watching a guy talk. I'd spend maybe two minutes reading through it, and I could bookmark the site if I needed to come back to them. It's not your fault, OP, you're using the service most people know, and I appreciate your work. RUclips is great if you need to show what you're talking about, but this could've been so much better suited to plain, old text.
Yea you’re correct. I’m sorry that it is very tedious video. I try to cover each step in detail. RUclips is creating a new feature which will allow people to easily jump to different parts of the video kind of like creating different chapters in a book. When that comes out I’ll change the video to help
@@TheFlytrapGarden Thanks for replying, dude. And thanks again for the good tips, some of which I've already applied=) I have a Venus flytrap in my windowsill right now. It did say on its note that rainwater would be best, but I didn't understand why. Now I think I'll buy a bottle of distilled water specifically for this plant. I think if you apply this new YT feature, videos like this will become much easier to use - so it's much appreciated that you'll look into that=)
I've had them b4 but the bf n never agreed on light..my pitcher was doing good till I decided to Propagate..that didnt do so well lol. Now that I'm messin with moss I wanna make a terrarium using my moss n some carnivorous plants
So I just bought one from home Depot, little pot of horrors, I live in Florida so our winters arent crazy cold but I can get down to the 40s at night then 70-80s in the daytime. Any tips for this climate? They were out In the garden center in a plastic vented small container, thanks
Yes you can! That is what people call a mini bog and many people do that. You can use a pvc pipe to measure the water level, just make sure the tub has no leaks or any way for the water to escape from :)
Great video as always, but i have a question, will my vft die if i leave it without light during the winter? I live in an apartment and ill need to put it in the fridge in order for it to survive (where there's not any light of course). Is it possible for me to keep it like normal with artificial light and about 26 degrees celsius or does the plant really need the dormancy period to happen?
Liked & Subbed! If i didn't listen to your video and read every comment and response I would have sent my VFT to an almost certain death! I didn't realize what kind of "animal" i was buying. Sure don't need green thumbs on this one but alot of love & devotion for sure. Thank you for sharing! One question, when you feed the VFT do you give each trap a bite to eat or just one?
Thank you for your support! Goodluck with your new plant 😁 if you want to feed it, only feed one trap. In a couple weeks, you can feed a different trap.
I’m about to buy one so I’m educating myself beforehand. Thankfully I live in a state that has a similar year round climate to NC - humid summers and not freezing but still cold winters.
Hi there. I today, bought 3 beautiful Venus fly trap terrariums from a Meijer store here In Michigan USA. I bought a beautiful clear glass terrarium with a lift off lid. I got very small stones to line the bottom and then spagnum moss to put the vft into. Should that be an efficient enough drainage system for them to thrive inside with a grow light about 8 to 10 inches above the terrarium?? I plan to water it when the bottom is dry and to spritz the top of the plants and substrate once in awhile to keep good humidity?? This is my first go at seriously attempting to grow and keep this beautiful intriguing plant
Hi Rachel I would never suggest using a terrarium for Venus flytraps, unless someone is a long time grower and knows exactly what they need, as terrarium growing makes growing venus flytraps very difficult. They should really be grown outdoors, in full sun, with a tray of water that’s constantly filled. If you really want to use the terrarium, I suggest you keep the lid off as these guys don’t need as much humidity as what people think (seriously, I never worry about it). The grow light also needs to be at around 6500K with a full spectrum at least. I’m not sure which ones you have however, but seeing as VFT need as much sunlight as possible, you need very strong grow lights. I would also suggest you don’t transplant these guys out of their pots into a new soil mix, as it’s currently their growing season in the USA, and the pots make it easier to keep water in a water tray, which I recommend. Also remember, when winter comes around, moving this terrarium to a place that gets cold enough for their dormancy will be very difficult, as it will be heavy. So bare that in mind too. I’ll be happy to answer any other questions 😊
My venus fly trap has a whole lot of leaves, but they seem to be getting longer and longer and the insides of the traps are no longer red. Any idea what is up with it?
What is peat and perlite. I’ve always wanted a Venus flytrap but never bought one until my dad brought one home early this week. I’ve been finding out more and more about these plants and that it’s not a normal indoor plant. It can’t live outside where I am (I’m in New Jersey, it can get down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit here during the winter) but it can’t live indoors with the set up I have. I’m not one to let things die, so what do I do and what are some care tips for this plant. Also what are some things I need to buy for it. I already took it out of its death box, which I knew wasn’t legit.
Peat and perlite are types of soil for plants. They are really common ir gardening related shops, just ask for it and they'll more likely give it to you. A ratio of 50/50 of each is the right amount for the pot of your plant. As for what to buy, peat and perlite in case you don't have them yet in your pot, the ideal type of water until you can collect water rain, a container to put the water and pot on and maybe something to remove the insects corpses once they have dried out. Good luck with the litle guy, they are very unique plants!
Definitely, but less than when they're growing. Leave about 1-2 days between filling the tray back up in winter, depending on how fast the soil dries out.
I live in central Florida and I'm curious about the dormancy. Do I need to refrigerate my plant for 6 months? Also, mine had flowered and it was beautiful but almost died after
6 months is not necessary but is often what they endure. A 3 month dormancy is perfectly fine for these guys. Seeing as you live in Florida, you can keep it outside year round and it will naturally go dormant and do it’s own thing! Many people have VFT in Florida and do exactly this. You must also ensure that you cut the flowers off of your VFT, as this can often kill the plant unfortunately :( unless the plant is extremely healthy and extremely big and mature
Are you looking for some silica to purchase? The silica I use is “pool sand”. It’s just pure silica 😁 I generally look for the cheapest one which I’m sure is genuinely silica.
Other than water monitoring, I ignore my venus flytraps and they've thrived. They stayed outside all winter with minimal attention, summer time they were really healthy.
Is water bottle water good for Venus fly traps? Most water bottle water (like nestle pure life which is what I use) is made through reverse osmosis... but does it have too many minerals? Also I saw someone else say to feed them once a month... should we just let them catch their own food? What if we can’t have them live outside?
Bottled water is generally not recommended, as they add extra minerals and salts into the water as you said. If you can find the TDS on the water bottle, and it's less than 50, then use it, but I would still be cautious and not recommend it. Distilled water is easy to get from most stores anyway :) It's best to let them catch their own food. If you can't leave them outside, and they wont catch food in their other position, then it's best to feed them once a month as you said, maximum once a week, which is still not very necessary. I hope this helps :) please feel free to message me if you have any more questions.
I like in southern californa and summers approching so every say will be 95F+ degrees. Im keeping a tiny one inside i got from a locol garden shop, with an artifical light timer for 6hrs a day. Also a humidifier. Is this good enough to keep the plant growing and alive?
Your plant would probably do much better outside. My plant has survived in 46°c here in Australia with 15% humidity. It’ll be ok if you adhere to the care it needs
So I just got my flytrap on vacation in florida. While it was 80 degrees down there, it's about 50 degrees here in Massachusetts. I'm worried about the process of the dormancy period. Since it is significantly cooler here in MA, when should I expect to start seeing the plant go dormant? It is beautiful and healthy right now with 9 fully developed "mouths" and 3 or 4 realllly tiny baby heads growing underneath. If it stayed in Florida where it constantly hot and moist, would it never go through this dormancy period? Also, how often should I be watering? Sorry for the essay lol. Just a concerned plant mom!!
Meghan Orlando haha don’t worry about essays! The more info, the better 😊 Generally, in a sub tropical/tropical climate such as in Florida, the VFT goes dormant much later on in the season. The biggest contributor to dormancy is a decrease in the amount of sunlight between the two seasons (a decreased photoperiod). So to answer the questions, yes it will go dormant but much later in the winter season (if it stayed in FL), and seeing as you are further north, you should see the VFT going dormant within the next week or two. Furthermore, you should water the VFT less in winter, say about a half inch to an inch of water (max) in the tray, and allowing the tray to dry out in between watering (ensure the plant itself does not dry out, only the watering tray) and then fill it back up to ~1 inch of water as soon as you see it has dried out. Every grower has a different way to grow their plants, so the original provider of your VFT may have left their VFT outside year round, whereas another grower in FL may have put their VFT into the fridge for dormancy, so it’s quite different in how some people would induce a dormancy in a tropical climate. It may be best to contact the provider just to ask how they induce dormancy for their VFT so we know what your new VFT has received in the past?😊 What I suggest you do, is to acclimate your new VFT to the environment you have. If it’s 50°F during the night time, then I would suggest putting the plant outside. If it is 50°F max during the day time, I would keep the plants inside by an unheated windowsill to allow it to acclimate to the cooler temperatures and decreased light exposure before moving it outside. I am unsure on the climate of MA, but I don’t think the area receives temperatures below freezing (30°F) for months on end? And snow? VFT are native to the Carolinas, which do experience cold winters but not long periods of freezes. Let me know if your area experiences these freezes and snows, and I can advise you further. 😊
I recently just got my VFT and I potted it with the right stuff and water but it’s starting to have black spots on the leaves and VFT what’s happening?
Hi. Sounds like the plant might be experiencing some sort of mold or stress. Would you be able to send me a picture of it on Instagram? That way I can much easier see the whole plant and help you 😊
rhizome [ˈrīˌzōm] NOUN rhizomes (plural noun) a continuously growing horizontal underground stem which puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding. In another video (don’t let your fly trap rot away) you said you recommend letting Venus flytraps sitting in water, to let the tray run out of water then filling it back up (something about oxygen in the soil) and not keeping it filled. You said advanced growers could just let it stay moist not wet. Here you say to keep the water level the same all summer long… so which is it?
For advanced growers, if you are able to keep it moist it’s good. However, you can keep them wet all summer long. It depends on your experience level, the basic care is to let it just sit in water 24/7 which is perfectly fine. If you’re an advanced grower, you can let it dry out for a day or 2 between watering. At the end of the day, either method will be good :)
You can get one now, they’ll still be growing for about a month or 2 but will then go dormant. It’s your own choice. I would get one at any time as I understand their dormancy and won’t think its dead :)
Really nice video, you have my whole appreciation. Though I've got a question. I got interested in carnivorous plants because I have a fly issue in my house and I'd love to get one or two not only but also for this purpose. The problem is that I'd like to keep it on the windowsill but it doesn't get direct sunlight, only from reflective surfaces which are not reflective enough. I thought about putting some metal plates with hight reflection to accurately calculate 6-7 hours of sunlight and allow me to keep it inside where the temperature is just about what it needs to be. Would the metal plates idea work?
thanks! dude for enlighten me as a beginners of this new hobby, keep up the good work. new subscriber here from Philippines :), I will watch your other videos too.
Can you keep them in a windowsill? I am moving into a small room, but with a lot of direct sunlight. I will keep a bowl outside for rainwater, but I won't be home very often... Any tips to keep my 'pet' alive? :)
I don’t recommend you keep them on a windowsill, but if that is all you have, then a south facing windowsill (if you live in the northern hemisphere) would be best. You can also get a growlight to supplement it, but I am not good with growlights (I always use sunlight outdoors in the sun)
Should I do something if a bug didn’t get completely inside the trap? He’s got half a mosquito. I’m afraid the other half will rot before he digests. I have pics if that helps Also, if we’re in a heat wave, how long should I leave them in the sun per day? I just got mine last week and have been trying to keep him in the sun. Should it be x hours in sun then moved into the shade?
If it naturally caught that bug, don’t worry! They do this often. The bug may rot away or the trap if it’s a big bug, but this is completely normal and not an issue as long as the plant is developing new traps just fine! This depends on the temperatures. 100 Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) or more, then keep them in bright shade until the heat has passed. Otherwise, full sun and a lot of water! They’ll be happy like that. They get lots of heat and humidity in the Carolinas and a lot of sunlight (where they’re native to)
The Flytrap Garden thank you for replying. With the bug, he actually opened yesterday after I wrote you and what was left was blown out. Seems more happy with little ants. Will keep an eye on the temp. We’ve been going through a wicked heat wave. I’ll probably end up getting a little thermometer to go on his set up. Thanks again 😁
No problem! Sounds like your plant is quite the savage ready for more food 😂 I always recommend a thermometer but don’t keep it in direct sun, this will affect the readings. Keep it close to the plant but shaded
Hi! I live in South Carolina and just bought my first plant. If I keep the plant on a ledge next to a window that gets about 8 hours of sunlight do you think that will be enough for the plant? The house temperature next to the window is somewhere between 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
If you can’t put it outside that window, then that window would be the next best thing. They always do better outside (unless you have a super technical set up with grow lights etc). You should really aim to have them somewhere where they can have as many hours of light as possible with 8 hours of direct light bring their minimum 😊👍🏼
1. 6+ hours of direct sunlight. If the plant was in heavy shade at the nursery, slowly acclimate your plant to more sun on a weekly basis.
2. Temperature up to 100°F, down to 32°F. They NEED to go dormant in the winter so if growing inside move them to a cold room that gets sun.
3. Respect the dormancy. They need up to 4 months of rest to conserve their energy for summer.
4. Only use distilled water, rainwater, or reverse osmosis water. VFT’s do not like nutrients and mineral or tap water will kill them. In summer, never let them dry out. In winter, allow their pebble tray to dry before watering again. Do not let their soil completely dry out.
5. Do not use regular potting soil. Use a combination of peat, perlite, sand, sphagnum moss, or silica.
6. Do not regularly feed them insects. They will generally catch their food on their own. It is okay to feed them once in a while if you find a bug you want to watch the VFT eat. DO NOT FEED THEM HUMAN FOOD.
BONUS TIPS
1. Pay attention to the microclimate where you are growing your plant. Every room or spot in your garden is slightly different.
2. DO NOT OVER CARE. VFTs need a stable environment that they can acclimate to over time. Keep them in the same spot, do not over water.
3. Be patient. These plants need time to get used to their environment before they will really grow. This can take up to 3 months.
Perfect 👏🏼🔥
Hi can I ask? is it OK not to give it sunlight during winter month? Because my area will have heavy snowing. If I move indoor it will be too warm. I live in apartment. So the only way is to leave it inside the apartment building but outside my apartment door. Meaning not inside my warm apartment. But leaving it inside building means no sunlight. Is that okay? I just keep spraying water on it everyday? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks in advance
virusgal 5500 yes that’s fine, as long as you are sure the plant is dormant. Look into fridge dormancy, May be a better option :)
@@TheFlytrapGarden thank you so much for your prompt reply! Now I can place my order. My first plant. Thanks!!!!
virusgal 5500 it’s a pleasure. Goodluck!
Great video. I've kept vfts for 25 years and everything you said here is true.
drLnstza thank you. I’m glad to hear that 😁
Then... forgive me for asking... but why did you click on this video
As someone who has been growing VFT for 11 years, I will still watch a new video on VFT care as I want to:
1) see the content of the video and the creator
2) I enjoy the plants and can see someone elses perspective
3) May learn something new and
4) I enjoy the plants no matter what the video is about. And I can always help people in the comments of those videos.
Everyone has their reasons, these are mine and not OP's, however.
Wow ty, that made me confident in his tips
@@connerschaub387 I have learned a lot from looking at the information shared by others. Most are pretty good, some give me new ideas. This video is very complete and accurate, from my experiences.
Why is keeping a plant more complicated than keeping a dog?
Haha I find the plants easier. Rain water in a tray and keep them outside, simple enough for me but my climate is good for them. Not so much for others :(
@@TheFlytrapGarden my fly traps in my Pythons tanks under a plant light. Lets see how this goes ha
Because they have been removed from their normal environment which is the subtropical wetlands in the Carolinas.
@@gregkisinger4183 true, animals adapt to their environment much more than plants
It’s not. He’s over complicating it. These plants are really easy to take care of. Just get their conditions set up right, and let them thrive! Check out the videos from Sarracenia Northwest.
Hi! I totally impulse bought one of these bad boys a month ago and I saw no activity until yesterday when I was adding some water to the terrarium and it caught something ☺️☺️☺️ most exciting thing to happen all week lmao
Joel Aguilar it really is so exciting 😂 especially when you watch it happen
That was really informative, thank you. And thanks for doing this version without the music, it made it so much easier to follow what you were saying.
It's a pleasure! I'm glad i was able to help. If you have any questions i'm more than happy to answer :)
@@TheFlytrapGarden Well thank you, at the moment I'm just looking at information of venus fly traps along with lots of other plants. If I do decide to get one I am pretty sure you will be my "go to" expert! lol. Thanks again :)
Sounds great! Goodluck on your plant discovery journey haha! Also check out other channels that deal with carnivorous plants, like brads greenhouse. He has lots of care guides on orchids and venus fly traps too, as well as nepenthes!
@@TheFlytrapGarden Oh wow, thanks for the tip, I will definitely look at his channel. I'll also make sure to suggest yours to anybody who is interested in venus fly traps :)
@@herbyme3373 Of course! Olivers greenhouse is also a good channel, although he is inactive now as he has started a new venture, but his videos are still up!
And thanks for that, that's really kind of you! :) Just want to help as many people as possible and share the love of carnivorous plants
Venus fly trap: too much water, give me more water, I don't like the soil, you're giving me too much sun, now too little sun. Oh look, I'm dead and it's your fault idiot.
Weed: SCREW YOUR PESTICIDES IM GROWING IN CONCRETE
True
@Deandre Andzulis looks like a scam
@Sullivan Myles F**k off a**wipe go peddle your trash somewhere else. This is the second time I've seen this exact same garbage followed by the exact same "reply". You're a scammer. Go back under the rock you crawled out from under.
@@Equinox051256 yeah these people need a life
I keep mines in the window. I purchased mines from walmark.
Im from south africa too and just bought my first VFT today! So hard to find plant lovers from SA making videos, definitely helps to have someone in the same zone who can give you advice, thank you!
MELISSA JACOBS it’s more than a pleasure. I’m very happy to be of help 😊
Make a video about repotting the Venus fly trap. How long should we wait to repot?. Should we keep it in the nursery pot. Show how you mix the soul & brand recommendations, etc. New Venus fly trap mom & learning everything on RUclips lol !! So far so good though.
Panama Redd I will definitely do that! My current VFT will probably be repotted after winter here in Australia 😊 goodluck on your new adventure 😁 it’s very rewarding!!
I made a video about how my ventriloquist dummy from Mars grew an oak tree and sold the acorns to Donald Trump 🌲 👽🛸🚀🪐
Just noticed your video regarding these Dionaea muscipula’s, as a South Carolina resident myself, I’d like to also add, most importantly, you must be able to manipulate their environment as well, such as the type of soil content which they easily grow in, as well as temperature and humidity levels. From my experience as a resident and a carnivore plant hobbyist, our humidity lvls are quite high even during an extended heatwave, and as you may fully be aware, they are located in the southeast portion of NC and Northeast portion of SC (Horry County) so you will also need to take in account the zonage they are located in. For me, I have managed to grow them (even in the ground in heavy clay regions by replacing the clay with sand, peat moss, fresh bark mulch (which you use to cover the ground to inhibit weed growth) and bags of decomposed small mulch, all mixed together with a small amount of clay, as the Venus flytrap grows in a region with white clay mixed in with sand and decomposed humus/peat and mulch clippings/scattered clump grasses surrounding them (from my in person observations, not from a book)....hope this helps some....for you and others interested in my in-person perception
Really interesting info thank you for telling us. I had no idea about any of that. Don’t know why people don’t mention it often? I feel these plants are much tougher than what people generally say.
The bonus tips were very helpful, thank you.
They need humidity!!! Humidity is so important to them. I live in North Carolina and it extremely humid here all the time. So you need a way to trap that humidity around the plant.
This dude is a weird-O....
I like him.
I've never been able to grow these cool plants. I'll give it one more shot now.
Goodlucky! If you have any questions I’m happy to help out
It's very funny that you (in S. Africa) know more about a plant that grows in N. & S. Carolina when I am from Virginia! 🤦🏻♀️ 😆 🤣 I've heard these tips before. But it's nice to get a refresher! Thank you!😊
Oh....and did I mention, these flytraps can handle short term drought....once again....from my experience as an avid hobbyist grower
Awesome info, thank you for adding it to the comments!
And I bought mine to keep in my kitchen, glad I watched this.
Glad you found it helpful!
The Flytrap Garden
Question.
I leave my trap outdoors all day in the heat & sunlight, would it be alright to bring it in at night in the kitchen where I see flies? Would that be too much of a dramatic change for it?
Yep it is best to leave them outside as the cooler nights are better for them. Unfortunately Venus flytraps are just not good indoor plants unless you give them grow lights. Otherwise, a good indoor carnivorous plant would be a nepenthes that would do well in most windowsills indoors
The Flytrap Garden
Thanks again. I will look into it. Such a interesting, misunderstood plant.
Not a problem! And yes, very misunderstood.
People really do over analyse these plants. Leave on a window ledge inside with a bowl under the plant pot and keep the water in the bowl topped up with rain water. Feed it flies when you kill them or let it catch what it needs. When dormant remove from ledge to somewhere cool. Re-pot every 2 years gently. Simple!
These are the only plants i've managed to keep alive, so learning they are apparently difficult was news to me, because I just watered the plant occasionally and fed it flies I caught or flies I bought at the pet store
Thank you, I’ve watched a few over videos and I did not know about the acclimation process to sunlight. I’ve bought my first 2 and put them right outside because every video I watched was like they need SUNLIGHT!!!! All the original traps of both plants died but know new traps are growing and they seem to be doing pretty good 👍🏻
Glad to hear they are doing better now. They are easier plants to grow than people make them out to be and just need a bit of understanding for them to do well 😁
Great video! I am a beginner with venus traps and other videos confused me. You concentrated all the important information and made it much clearer. Thank you!
I’m glad it helped!
When I first started buying vft's, I avoided buying any with black leaves, not knowing that was the look of leaves as they went into dormancy or older leaves that would be replaced. I thought the plants were rotting due to a fungus as was my experience with other plants. You might touch on this subject for beginning vft growers.
Thank you very much for your hard earned wisdom! Hopefully my vft's can live now 🤓🌱
Burning Heart more than a pleasure 😊 goodluck
I had the best luck just leaving it alone aside from watering them. Now I'm a vft master
Thanks for the tips! With all the bugs we get in TX and our mini winters i wish fly traps would naturalize here. Too dang dry i guess. Will just have as many as i can as porch plants.
Well with those temp ranges etc, I can plant them outside all year here in Melbourne lol We get the odd temp over 40C and we get to 1-2C during winter, but think they should be fine.
Might contemplate a bog garden now.
Definitely. Most of Aus is actually really good. I’m up in QLD, Toowoomba and the temps are very similar to Melbs. So yes, a bog garden will work
Thanks for the video, very useful! 😻 Can I grow these guys in an indoor flat with plant grieing lights? I have no garden or balcony. Thanks. Hugs from Budapest! ❤
1-Dont they need light during dormancy in the fridge?
2-You keep them for 4-6months straight in the fridge?
Good video and tips. To add, bring up “Wilmington, NC” in your weather app. You now have the perfect Venus Fly Trap growing climate to follow right on your phone. That’s the temperature and humidity they want, year-round, period.
Awesome tip!
The Flytrap Garden your video made me feel so sad about the Venus Fly Traps I threw away as a little kid when they were probably just going dormant! Never again! Haha. I got a bunch of “death cubes” from Walmart, replanted them and they’re doing great.
agentelvis81 I’m sure we all made that mistake! Those death cube rescues often turn out to be really good looking plants... if only the warehouses would look after them properly
This is a great video, I and my venus fly trap (swampy) thank you
I’m glad to hear that 😁 it’s a pleasure! I’m always happy to help if you have any more questions in the future
This helps explain why my fvt died. My climate is more extreme, so when I brought it inside to keep it from freezing (in the late fall we can reach -10c at night) it started I think trying to go dormant, but I never thought to put it in the fridge and it got confused. It was also in too small a pot, and I had a fungus gnat problem that winter.
Ahhhh yea sounds like a combination of issues! Goodluck for the next one
In all seriousness, very informative video. I might grow a Venus fly trap soon! Thx for the info!
Cali Calico my pleasure! I’m glad to have helped. Feel free to message me if you ever need help 😊
The Flytrap Garden awesome thank you!
Um serious question, I got mine from a Chinese plant store about 3 days ago it’s it’s been growing rapidly. Like I keep having to feed it but that wasn’t enough I ended up giving it some blood but now it’s talking to me asking for more WHAT THE HECK DO I DO?
Don’t look at my channel description you have to sacrifice a lamb to the plant and ask for it to keep you safe on a bi weekly basis 😔
@@TheFlytrapGarden 🤣🤣🤣
Oh god
Thank you for the helpful and entertaining content!
Thank you!
Mmmmmm.
I was well into this when I was 17 40years ago.
My brother just gave me one for a christmas and it went from a healthy plant to 3 or 4 leaves.
Whoops!!!
Lots of good information here.
No more moving it around!!
Goodluck! I’m always happy to help if you have questions :)
That 's great information, thank you
Man i bought my first vft about a month ago in a small pot i repoted him he done ok but now hes just dieing im just using spagnum moss that i rinsed with distilled water and thats all i water him with i just dont know what im doing wrong we have 50 to 60%humidity plenty of sun here in fort worth Texas i really dont want him to die his risome is still white but all his traps are decaying and its still 85 to 90 degrees here can someone please help me bring Leroy back to life please and this was real informative bro great job im fallowing yours and others tips
It sounds like your VFT is going dormant, seeing as you are going into winter there in the US. :) I would just watch out for root rot, seeing as you haven't put perlite/silica sand in the media for the VFT, but that's all. Otherwise it is normal for the VFT to lose its traps as it goes into dormancy. Just be sure to water it a LITTLE BIT less in winter. Feel free to message me on instagram if you'd like me to take a look at some pictures?
Ya I stay in Ft worth TX too... And just got 3 of them. And not sure what to do with them
I like how you say “tips” :-)
Thank you!
Super helpful!!! Thank you so much!
Thank you!
Should I feed my Venus flytrap when it’s still a sprout. Mine has his jaw already. Plus thx for the tips
When you see it's first trap, you can feed it. However, the tiny traps may be difficult to feed, so I recommend you only feed it when you are sure you can get a live insect into the trap, because if you miss, the plant can lose a lot of energy especially when it's young.
Oh amazing I have the perfect place for my little guys
I had one when I was little and used to feed it people food, like chicken, hamburger, cheese, etc lol back then, ppl who sold them always said it was right to do that
Nice info, cheers fr Monterey ,California.....
Great video, dankie man
Should i trim my plant when one of the heads dies? And if so should i just cut the head (trap) off or the whole leaf/stem also?
Once the entire leaf has gone black, you can cut the whole stem off☺️
If you cut the trap/head off without the petiole (stem) going black, I find that the petiole goes black quicker, which means less photosynthesis. 😊
Hope this helps. If it isn’t clear let me know 😃
Jungle plants? Wilmington NC is not what I would call “Jungle”. Good info. I was given a bunch of seeds so I am about a week into trying to grow them for a first time. Luckily I am in NC so it will be easy to keep them alive... I hope.
I was being sarcastic when I said jungle plants :)
I grow in canada and the winter is way to cold . So i put in the fridge over winter . Watch them closley when in the fridge they can get mold
I can honestly say this is very educational and good source of information🙂thank also new subscriber☺️
Thank you! I’m glad to hear that. I hope you enjoy all the future videos too 😁
in indonesia which have not winter. we never let them (vft) sleep or dormancy, when we look the sign of dormancy, we always split the plant directly and cancel the dormancy and finally we will have two new plant hahaha
Everyone that says VFT likes loads of sunlight because of where they come from in the swamps of NC and SC... have never been to the NC/SC swamps. They are some of the darkest places there are. That's why swamps are used for horror movies.
I was born in south africa. As was my sister though she was born 3 years before me, we moved back to england uk when I was a few months old.
Hi jut came across your video not had my VFT for long so i found your video very interesting thanks
I’m glad you found it helpful! Goodluck. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have :)
You helped me a lot
Ok....as a person who lives in NC.....the climate part of NC is give or take......it can sometimes be the summer and it begin snowing or it be winter and it being 100 degrees....
Good thing I live in North Carolina
Fantastic vid loved how you explained there natural habitat 👍
Thank you I appreciate it 🙏🏼
It sounds like san Francisco with its temperature range of 90 in the direct sunlight and 42 in winter should be a good place for this plant.
Great great very well informed details about tips and temperatures. 💜🙏😁
Just stumbled onto your channel. I just started with a couple of VFTs, a Serracenia purpurea, and 3 types of drosera (indoors) this late summer. I found your summary fantastic! Thank you!!!
I’m glad you found it helpful! Goodluck. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have :)
@@TheFlytrapGarden I do have one question. What happens to VFTs that are out in the open during rain storms? Don't the rain drops trigger the traps and cause them to waste energy? How do VFTs deal with rain both in the home yard and in the wild?
Buying my plant right before domicy was not a good idea..
I wish there were more sites where creators could get paid by writing articles or blogs, that were as widely used as RUclips. The tips here are great, and I appreciate OPs efforts, but MAN is it tedious to listen to. If these tips were written down instead of narrated in a video, I wouldn't have to spend 15 minutes watching a guy talk. I'd spend maybe two minutes reading through it, and I could bookmark the site if I needed to come back to them. It's not your fault, OP, you're using the service most people know, and I appreciate your work. RUclips is great if you need to show what you're talking about, but this could've been so much better suited to plain, old text.
Yea you’re correct. I’m sorry that it is very tedious video. I try to cover each step in detail. RUclips is creating a new feature which will allow people to easily jump to different parts of the video kind of like creating different chapters in a book. When that comes out I’ll change the video to help
@@TheFlytrapGarden Thanks for replying, dude. And thanks again for the good tips, some of which I've already applied=) I have a Venus flytrap in my windowsill right now. It did say on its note that rainwater would be best, but I didn't understand why. Now I think I'll buy a bottle of distilled water specifically for this plant. I think if you apply this new YT feature, videos like this will become much easier to use - so it's much appreciated that you'll look into that=)
Thank you. Goodluck with your new plant 😁 hopefully it does well!
I've had them b4 but the bf n never agreed on light..my pitcher was doing good till I decided to Propagate..that didnt do so well lol. Now that I'm messin with moss I wanna make a terrarium using my moss n some carnivorous plants
Definitely make a terrarium with moss, but not all CP will be happy in a terrarium so make sure you pick the right ones 😀
This video is really informative. Really nice
Glad you think so!
So I just bought one from home Depot, little pot of horrors, I live in Florida so our winters arent crazy cold but I can get down to the 40s at night then 70-80s in the daytime. Any tips for this climate? They were out In the garden center in a plastic vented small container, thanks
Thank you for making this easy to follow video it was full of a lot of information that I did not know
Keep safe
Regards
Steve UK London
Glad you found it helpful
Can I put my fly trap aka Venus fly trap in a tub and in the mini small tub I put water 💧 and when the water finishes I fill it back up can o so that?
Yes you can! That is what people call a mini bog and many people do that. You can use a pvc pipe to measure the water level, just make sure the tub has no leaks or any way for the water to escape from :)
Can u make a video on transplanting to bigger pot please
Definitely will do!
Great video as always, but i have a question, will my vft die if i leave it without light during the winter? I live in an apartment and ill need to put it in the fridge in order for it to survive (where there's not any light of course). Is it possible for me to keep it like normal with artificial light and about 26 degrees celsius or does the plant really need the dormancy period to happen?
Some people say they grow their VFT without a dormancy. Once the plant is dormant, no light will not affect it.
@@TheFlytrapGarden thank you very much
Liked & Subbed! If i didn't listen to your video and read every comment and response I would have sent my VFT to an almost certain death! I didn't realize what kind of "animal" i was buying. Sure don't need green thumbs on this one but alot of love & devotion for sure. Thank you for sharing! One question, when you feed the VFT do you give each trap a bite to eat or just one?
Thank you for your support! Goodluck with your new plant 😁 if you want to feed it, only feed one trap. In a couple weeks, you can feed a different trap.
Super video, very helpful :)
Thank you!
My Venus flytrap grew his jaws 🤗
That's great!
Great info I’m from South Carolina
Thank you I appreciate it. You have the perfect environment for them 😁
I’m about to buy one so I’m educating myself beforehand. Thankfully I live in a state that has a similar year round climate to NC - humid summers and not freezing but still cold winters.
Sounds nearly perfect for them :)
So you live in Washington DC? 🥳🥳😸😸😸😸😸
Hi there. I today, bought 3 beautiful Venus fly trap terrariums from a Meijer store here In Michigan USA. I bought a beautiful clear glass terrarium with a lift off lid. I got very small stones to line the bottom and then spagnum moss to put the vft into. Should that be an efficient enough drainage system for them to thrive inside with a grow light about 8 to 10 inches above the terrarium?? I plan to water it when the bottom is dry and to spritz the top of the plants and substrate once in awhile to keep good humidity?? This is my first go at seriously attempting to grow and keep this beautiful intriguing plant
Hi Rachel
I would never suggest using a terrarium for Venus flytraps, unless someone is a long time grower and knows exactly what they need, as terrarium growing makes growing venus flytraps very difficult. They should really be grown outdoors, in full sun, with a tray of water that’s constantly filled. If you really want to use the terrarium, I suggest you keep the lid off as these guys don’t need as much humidity as what people think (seriously, I never worry about it). The grow light also needs to be at around 6500K with a full spectrum at least. I’m not sure which ones you have however, but seeing as VFT need as much sunlight as possible, you need very strong grow lights. I would also suggest you don’t transplant these guys out of their pots into a new soil mix, as it’s currently their growing season in the USA, and the pots make it easier to keep water in a water tray, which I recommend. Also remember, when winter comes around, moving this terrarium to a place that gets cold enough for their dormancy will be very difficult, as it will be heavy. So bare that in mind too. I’ll be happy to answer any other questions 😊
My venus fly trap has a whole lot of leaves, but they seem to be getting longer and longer and the insides of the traps are no longer red. Any idea what is up with it?
I just planted mine but it doesn't look good. I used rain water to wet the moss
Feisty selia contact me on Instagram and send a picture of your plant, I’ll be happy to check it out 👍🏼
Once when I replanted a Venus flytrap it died away too.
What is peat and perlite. I’ve always wanted a Venus flytrap but never bought one until my dad brought one home early this week. I’ve been finding out more and more about these plants and that it’s not a normal indoor plant. It can’t live outside where I am (I’m in New Jersey, it can get down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit here during the winter) but it can’t live indoors with the set up I have. I’m not one to let things die, so what do I do and what are some care tips for this plant. Also what are some things I need to buy for it. I already took it out of its death box, which I knew wasn’t legit.
Peat and perlite are types of soil for plants. They are really common ir gardening related shops, just ask for it and they'll more likely give it to you. A ratio of 50/50 of each is the right amount for the pot of your plant.
As for what to buy, peat and perlite in case you don't have them yet in your pot, the ideal type of water until you can collect water rain, a container to put the water and pot on and maybe something to remove the insects corpses once they have dried out. Good luck with the litle guy, they are very unique plants!
Thanks for fixing the sound
should we water them when they are dormant?
Definitely, but less than when they're growing. Leave about 1-2 days between filling the tray back up in winter, depending on how fast the soil dries out.
I live in central Florida and I'm curious about the dormancy. Do I need to refrigerate my plant for 6 months? Also, mine had flowered and it was beautiful but almost died after
6 months is not necessary but is often what they endure. A 3 month dormancy is perfectly fine for these guys. Seeing as you live in Florida, you can keep it outside year round and it will naturally go dormant and do it’s own thing! Many people have VFT in Florida and do exactly this. You must also ensure that you cut the flowers off of your VFT, as this can often kill the plant unfortunately :( unless the plant is extremely healthy and extremely big and mature
Great video, I have about 8 VFT I keep them outside and in peat and perlite. What silica sand do you use? I'm in England.
Are you looking for some silica to purchase? The silica I use is “pool sand”. It’s just pure silica 😁 I generally look for the cheapest one which I’m sure is genuinely silica.
@@TheFlytrapGarden Yeah, that's great thanks for the info.
Where did you find the peat? I’m also in England. I know it’s nor advisable to get one now - I just want to know for when Winter’s over.
@@xTwilightWolvesx I got mine from a local Plant Nursery, I phoned around a few places. Amazon and ebay sell it. Irish Moss Peat.
@@robbo6554 Ah! Thank you. I found it there, I was worried that it mattered whether it was Sphagnum Peat Moss or if any kind of peat moss would do.
thanks
Other than water monitoring, I ignore my venus flytraps and they've thrived. They stayed outside all winter with minimal attention, summer time they were really healthy.
Yes, less is more
Great vid!! thanks!
Thank you!
Cool, very informative.
Glad it was helpful!
Also can a pitcher plant live with a flytrap because I have both of them.
There are two types of pitcher plants, nepenthes and sarracenia. Sarracenia can live with VFT, but nepenthes can not.
Is water bottle water good for Venus fly traps? Most water bottle water (like nestle pure life which is what I use) is made through reverse osmosis... but does it have too many minerals? Also I saw someone else say to feed them once a month... should we just let them catch their own food? What if we can’t have them live outside?
Bottled water is generally not recommended, as they add extra minerals and salts into the water as you said. If you can find the TDS on the water bottle, and it's less than 50, then use it, but I would still be cautious and not recommend it. Distilled water is easy to get from most stores anyway :) It's best to let them catch their own food. If you can't leave them outside, and they wont catch food in their other position, then it's best to feed them once a month as you said, maximum once a week, which is still not very necessary. I hope this helps :) please feel free to message me if you have any more questions.
I like in southern californa and summers approching so every say will be 95F+ degrees. Im keeping a tiny one inside i got from a locol garden shop, with an artifical light timer for 6hrs a day. Also a humidifier. Is this good enough to keep the plant growing and alive?
Your plant would probably do much better outside. My plant has survived in 46°c here in Australia with 15% humidity. It’ll be ok if you adhere to the care it needs
So I just got my flytrap on vacation in florida. While it was 80 degrees down there, it's about 50 degrees here in Massachusetts. I'm worried about the process of the dormancy period. Since it is significantly cooler here in MA, when should I expect to start seeing the plant go dormant? It is beautiful and healthy right now with 9 fully developed "mouths" and 3 or 4 realllly tiny baby heads growing underneath. If it stayed in Florida where it constantly hot and moist, would it never go through this dormancy period? Also, how often should I be watering? Sorry for the essay lol. Just a concerned plant mom!!
Meghan Orlando haha don’t worry about essays! The more info, the better 😊
Generally, in a sub tropical/tropical climate such as in Florida, the VFT goes dormant much later on in the season. The biggest contributor to dormancy is a decrease in the amount of sunlight between the two seasons (a decreased photoperiod).
So to answer the questions, yes it will go dormant but much later in the winter season (if it stayed in FL), and seeing as you are further north, you should see the VFT going dormant within the next week or two. Furthermore, you should water the VFT less in winter, say about a half inch to an inch of water (max) in the tray, and allowing the tray to dry out in between watering (ensure the plant itself does not dry out, only the watering tray) and then fill it back up to ~1 inch of water as soon as you see it has dried out.
Every grower has a different way to grow their plants, so the original provider of your VFT may have left their VFT outside year round, whereas another grower in FL may have put their VFT into the fridge for dormancy, so it’s quite different in how some people would induce a dormancy in a tropical climate. It may be best to contact the provider just to ask how they induce dormancy for their VFT so we know what your new VFT has received in the past?😊
What I suggest you do, is to acclimate your new VFT to the environment you have. If it’s 50°F during the night time, then I would suggest putting the plant outside. If it is 50°F max during the day time, I would keep the plants inside by an unheated windowsill to allow it to acclimate to the cooler temperatures and decreased light exposure before moving it outside.
I am unsure on the climate of MA, but I don’t think the area receives temperatures below freezing (30°F) for months on end? And snow? VFT are native to the Carolinas, which do experience cold winters but not long periods of freezes. Let me know if your area experiences these freezes and snows, and I can advise you further. 😊
I recently just got my VFT and I potted it with the right stuff and water but it’s starting to have black spots on the leaves and VFT what’s happening?
Hi. Sounds like the plant might be experiencing some sort of mold or stress. Would you be able to send me a picture of it on Instagram? That way I can much easier see the whole plant and help you 😊
rhizome
[ˈrīˌzōm]
NOUN
rhizomes (plural noun)
a continuously growing horizontal underground stem which puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals.
Yep👍🏼
Maybe I’m misunderstanding. In another video (don’t let your fly trap rot away) you said you recommend letting Venus flytraps sitting in water, to let the tray run out of water then filling it back up (something about oxygen in the soil) and not keeping it filled. You said advanced growers could just let it stay moist not wet. Here you say to keep the water level the same all summer long… so which is it?
For advanced growers, if you are able to keep it moist it’s good. However, you can keep them wet all summer long. It depends on your experience level, the basic care is to let it just sit in water 24/7 which is perfectly fine. If you’re an advanced grower, you can let it dry out for a day or 2 between watering. At the end of the day, either method will be good :)
@@TheFlytrapGarden got it. Thanks!
Since they go dormant in the winter, Would u suggest waiting until spring to get one? I’m in 7 b USA. Pretty much the same as the Carolina’s
You can get one now, they’ll still be growing for about a month or 2 but will then go dormant. It’s your own choice. I would get one at any time as I understand their dormancy and won’t think its dead :)
Really nice video, you have my whole appreciation. Though I've got a question. I got interested in carnivorous plants because I have a fly issue in my house and I'd love to get one or two not only but also for this purpose. The problem is that I'd like to keep it on the windowsill but it doesn't get direct sunlight, only from reflective surfaces which are not reflective enough. I thought about putting some metal plates with hight reflection to accurately calculate 6-7 hours of sunlight and allow me to keep it inside where the temperature is just about what it needs to be. Would the metal plates idea work?
It would, in theory, but that would be quite difficult. Look at nepenthes, they need less light and eat more bugs! And they’re beautiful.
Plant centres in my country sell them, but I'm not sure if our summer is hot enough for them. Our summers are usually around 22-30°c
That’s a perfect range
thanks! dude for enlighten me as a beginners of this new hobby, keep up the good work. new subscriber here from Philippines :), I will watch your other videos too.
Hi Julian! Thank you. I appreciate your support! I hope you enjoy the videos :)
@@TheFlytrapGarden yes! happy growing :)
Can you keep them in a windowsill? I am moving into a small room, but with a lot of direct sunlight. I will keep a bowl outside for rainwater, but I won't be home very often... Any tips to keep my 'pet' alive? :)
I don’t recommend you keep them on a windowsill, but if that is all you have, then a south facing windowsill (if you live in the northern hemisphere) would be best. You can also get a growlight to supplement it, but I am not good with growlights (I always use sunlight outdoors in the sun)
Should I do something if a bug didn’t get completely inside the trap? He’s got half a mosquito. I’m afraid the other half will rot before he digests. I have pics if that helps
Also, if we’re in a heat wave, how long should I leave them in the sun per day? I just got mine last week and have been trying to keep him in the sun. Should it be x hours in sun then moved into the shade?
If it naturally caught that bug, don’t worry! They do this often. The bug may rot away or the trap if it’s a big bug, but this is completely normal and not an issue as long as the plant is developing new traps just fine!
This depends on the temperatures. 100 Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) or more, then keep them in bright shade until the heat has passed. Otherwise, full sun and a lot of water! They’ll be happy like that. They get lots of heat and humidity in the Carolinas and a lot of sunlight (where they’re native to)
The Flytrap Garden thank you for replying. With the bug, he actually opened yesterday after I wrote you and what was left was blown out. Seems more happy with little ants.
Will keep an eye on the temp. We’ve been going through a wicked heat wave. I’ll probably end up getting a little thermometer to go on his set up.
Thanks again 😁
No problem! Sounds like your plant is quite the savage ready for more food 😂 I always recommend a thermometer but don’t keep it in direct sun, this will affect the readings. Keep it close to the plant but shaded
The Flytrap Garden Will do. Thank you for all your help ☺️
I've reported my gift and cut off the flowers,the leaves seem to have wilted where have I gone wrong
Hi! I live in South Carolina and just bought my first plant. If I keep the plant on a ledge next to a window that gets about 8 hours of sunlight do you think that will be enough for the plant? The house temperature next to the window is somewhere between 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
If you can’t put it outside that window, then that window would be the next best thing. They always do better outside (unless you have a super technical set up with grow lights etc). You should really aim to have them somewhere where they can have as many hours of light as possible with 8 hours of direct light bring their minimum 😊👍🏼
Hello, what are the chunky brown particles in the water your using to fill the tub?
This is a real old video but it may just be some algae or peat, I don’t purposefully add anything
What's an alternative to the USA peat that you listed? I can't get the one you listed on Amazon 😭😭
Take a look at TEEM peat. They are from Canada and I’m sure they provide in the USA