Plant Care Venus Fly Trap

Venus Fly Trap

4.4 out of 5 (149 experiences)

Venus Fly Trap has a Survivor plant personality Survivor
Venus Fly Trap has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower

About Venus Fly Trap

The Venus Flytrap is a carnivorous plant native to North and South Carolina. They typically grow in swampy regions which are low in nitrogen (and essential nutrient for plant growth) and evolved carnivory as a clever solution. Their traps are triggered by small hairs and the closing of their traps is one of the fastest momevents among all plants! Their traps often die off after trapping and digesting prey, so be careful not to trigger them — leave those traps for the bugs 🐜!

Taxonomy

Dionaea muscipula
Dionaea
Droseraceae
Caryophyllales

Also known as

Red Piranha and Meadow Clams

How to care for Venus Fly Trap

💦 Water

How often to water your Venus Fly Trap

Water needs for Venus Fly Trap
0.5 cups
every 7

Venus Fly Trap needs 0.5 cups of water every 7 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Venus Fly Trap

Water 0.5 cups every
7

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Venus Fly Trap in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Venus Fly Trap: 1ft from a window
1ft or less from
a window

Venus Fly Trap love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.

Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Venus Fly Trap does not tolerate low-light 🚫.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Venus Fly Trap in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Venus Fly Trap

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Venus Fly Trap: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Venus Fly Trap after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #VenusFlyTrap
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Venus Fly Trap can be challenging to care for, according to some plant parents. Check out the reviews down below to learn from their experiences!

How to Grow Venus Fly Trap →

Benefits of Growing Venus Fly Trap →

Common Venus Fly Trap Problems →

Indoor Care Guide for Venus Fly Trap →

Outdoor Care Guide for Venus Fly Trap →


💦 Water Needs

Venus Fly Trap is sensitive to dry soil and should be watered frequently. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Venus Fly Trap Water Frequency →

Venus Fly Trap Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Venus Fly Trap requires abundant, bright and direct light. Place it less than one foot from a window to ensure it receives enough light to survive 💪. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Venus Fly Trap Light Requirements →

Venus Fly Trap Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Venus Fly Trap is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.

Is Venus Fly Trap Edible? →

Venus Fly Trap Toxicity to Cats →

Venus Fly Trap Toxicity to Dogs →

Venus Fly Trap Toxicity to Humans →


💨 Humidity

Venus Fly Trap enjoys lots of humidity. Provide humidity for your plant by watering regularly and thoroughly, since plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves. They may also benefit from being placed next to a humidifier.

Venus Fly Trap Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Venus Fly Trap does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

Best Soil Mix for Venus Fly Trap →

Best Pots for Venus Fly Trap →

When and How to Successfully Repot Venus Fly Trap →

What Are Healthy Venus Fly Trap Roots →


💩 Fertilizer

Venus Fly Trap grows very slowly and doesn’t require added fertilizer. Replacing your plant’s potting soil once a year should provide them with more than enough nutrition. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!

How Much and When to Fertilize Venus Fly Trap →


❄️ Dormancy

It’s common for Venus Fly Trap to go dormant in the wintertime and you may notice their growth slow down. Waterings should be spaced out more during this time.


🌎 Native Region

Venus Fly Trap is native to the Carolinas.


🌸 Flowers
⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Venus Fly Trap is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.

Venus Fly Trap Lifecycle →

Venus Fly Trap Size Guide →

How and When to Prune Venus Fly Trap →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors
🌱 Propagation

Venus Fly Trap can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

How to Propagate Venus Fly Trap →


🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant retiring old leaves.

If it seems like there’s a problem, the most likely cause of yellow leaves in Venus Fly Trap is underwatering. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Yellow leaves can less often be caused by overwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Give your plant a good drink and it should perk back up and download Greg to make sure your plant never goes thirsty again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Venus Fly Trap

Venus Fly Trap

Venus Fly Trap


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 7 days

Placement

< 1ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Venus Fly Trap has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 60
Venus Fly Trap has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 51
Venus Fly Trap has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 41
Venus Fly Trap has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 37
Venus Fly Trap has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 17
Venus Fly Trap has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 9
Venus Fly Trap has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 4
@samanthawilliams avatar
@@samanthawilliams
leaf-1 31 Plants
xp 1,673 XP
globe Mortlake, Victoria
02/19/2022

Not the easiest plant to take care of. Needs lots of attention and water.

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
@BlobfishMaster avatar
@@BlobfishMaster
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 2,658 XP
02/19/2022

I love him all the other ones came from him and I also managed to get him to get a flower

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Blooms easily Blooms easily
@BlobfishMaster avatar
@@BlobfishMaster
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 2,658 XP
02/19/2022

I love him all the other ones came from him and I also managed to get him to get a flower

Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Blooms easily Blooms easily
@dylan1stokes avatar
@@dylan1stokes
leaf-1 36 Plants
xp 3,495 XP
globe Witham, England
01/10/2022

Venus fly traps like to stay moist but not water logged. They love the bright light, south facing is best but mine is doing fine in my east facing window. Not allowing them to dry out is best as they prefer soil that is slight moist. These plants are incredible and look amazing

Pest magnet Pest magnet
@Uniqueplantlove avatar
@@Uniqueplantlove
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 1,433 XP
01/02/2022

Awesome air planst

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
@ZanyBasil avatar
@@ZanyBasil
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 33 XP
globe Ringling, OK
12/31/2021

Um they eat bugs

Pest magnet Pest magnet
@DrplantzX avatar
@@DrplantzX
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 33 XP
globe Dover, PA
12/30/2021

It is very hard

Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
Pest magnet Pest magnet
@Luvjones avatar
@@Luvjones
leaf-1 10 Plants
xp 162 XP
globe New Orleans, LA
11/13/2021

Cut the brown ones off so the healthiest ones can grow big. I love them.

@KimG1604user9e75a72b avatar
@@KimG1604user9e75a72b
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 35 XP
globe Geismar, LA
11/08/2021

Do NOT use Anything besides perlite and peat moss.
Also do NOT use the brand “Miracle Grow” for your perlite or pest moss because it will have fertilizer in it & that WILL kill your Venus Fly Trap!!!
Most plant nurseries will have organic peat moss with nothing added.

Survivor Survivor
@Amberollie avatar
@@Amberollie
leaf-1 44 Plants
xp 728 XP
globe Bell Buckle, TN
11/04/2021

I love my carnivorous plants, but this one is one of my neediest plants. It needs constant moisture and constant water.
It also needs to eat. But if whatever you feed it doesn’t fit in it’s little mouths, it will cause the head to die. Make sure when they are small you only give them house flys and make sure the mouth is closed completely around it. 😊

Browns easily Browns easily
Pest magnet Pest magnet
Fast grower Fast grower
Kane avatar
@Kane
leaf-1 0 Plants
xp 100 XP
globe Superior, WI
09/24/2021

Spaghnom moss is a must

Fast grower Fast grower
@DivineTreasures avatar
@@DivineTreasures
leaf-1 8 Plants
xp 1,895 XP
globe Lebanon, TN
09/18/2021

Honestly this is for my son. He love carnivorous plants. Let’s hope we can keep him alive.

Survivor Survivor
@emilymeagan avatar
@@emilymeagan
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 105 XP
globe Kingsport, TN
09/01/2021

it’s hard to find a happy medium for this one, sometimes it’s super healthy and other times it dies back like it is now :( i started them from seeds so i’m not giving up!

Browns easily Browns easily
@Wildlog avatar
@@Wildlog
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 182 XP
08/17/2021

You should set them outside where there are a lot of bugs. I set it on my front porch where I get a lot of bugs. Very easy to care for! All you gotta do it just give it bugs and water it and it will be happy :))

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@psychomosi avatar
@@psychomosi
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 158 XP
globe Ridgeland, SC
08/16/2021

Very hard to keep alive..

Browns easily Browns easily
@Plantpower123 avatar
@@Plantpower123
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 133 XP
globe Invergordon, Scotland
08/08/2021

Use rain water

Fast grower Fast grower
@birdbeebug avatar
@@birdbeebug
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 69 XP
08/06/2021

Home environments aren't ideal, unless you have a very bright window and can give the plants a lot of attention. :)) <3

Conman avatar
@Conman
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 41 XP
08/05/2021

Be ready for a lot handle. If one closes and you think it is dead because the tips are becoming brown don’t pinch it off!! It probably has a bug so wait till the WHOLE trap is black

Pest magnet Pest magnet
Eleanor avatar
@Eleanor
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 66 XP
globe Danby Wiske, England
07/29/2021

only use distilled,de-ionsised or rain water, do not use tap water! Keep it say in water

Fast grower Fast grower
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
@Serena.thornton avatar
@@Serena.thornton
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 31 XP
07/27/2021

Hard to care for - dies easily

Browns easily Browns easily
Pest magnet Pest magnet

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