Tips for my new VFT?
I got a #VenusFlyTrap last week and since this is my first #CarnivorousPlants I was looking for some advice!! Anything and everything is appreciated!
(As a note, he usually sits on my Western windowsill where he gets roughly 6hrs of direct sun, but is currently elsewhere in the house as a few flies have been popping up here and there)
#HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #CarnivorousClub
(As a note, he usually sits on my Western windowsill where he gets roughly 6hrs of direct sun, but is currently elsewhere in the house as a few flies have been popping up here and there)
#HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #CarnivorousClub
4” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 days ago
9
@reese.rae should I keep him in a saucer of water then? I know that generally it’s a big no no but you would recommend it for VFTs?
@PiousWaterfern I would for sure, that’s how I have two of my VFTs aswell and they’re also in similar lighting to yours, and they thrive well in these conditions.
Beautiful plant. As mentioned before, make sure you use distilled water, or water with no sodium. Venus flytraps grow in soil with no nutrient value to it (hence why they trap insects for their nutrients) so make sure the medium it grows in is specific for carnivore plants, some places you can get specific Venus flytrap mixes. For a trap to live for a long time you have to honour its dormancy period come winter, or else they only last a few years at most. They are native to N&S Carolina, which is why they need it to survive. I keep mine in a tray of water, and fill it when it empties. Giving it a day or so before I do it to try and mimic the rise and fall of water in their natural environment. If you want more information about insectivorous plants, I highly recommend The Savage Garden by Peter D’Amato.
@Bethabuck thanks for all the help!! How do you go about repotting it though..? I don’t have to yet but when the time comes, I don’t wanna trigger all of its traps!!
@PiousWaterfern I haven’t actually done repotting yet for mine personally, I probably should honestly because it’s growing like crazy and in its small little nursery pot still and had time to adjust to my house. When i do it, it would just be gentle, as long as you don’t touch any of the trigger hairs in the traps themselves you will be fine. You may lose a few. I’d gently squeeze it out of the pot, carefully take the soil away from it, just trying to handle the rhizome underneath the most. I think most people do it just as it is coming out of dormancy. Your looks like it still is, because the traps are tightly compacted and short. It should get longer leaves and traps as it goes out of it.
@Bethabuck thank you! I didn’t realise mine was in dormancy, I still have some googling to do about that!’
@PiousWaterfern I don’t think it’s in the throes of dormancy, to me it just looks like it is coming out of it. When they are dormant they very much look dead sometimes hahaha. But unless yours is a specific cultivar that has shorter leaves I’d say it’s probably coming out of dormancy because when they get close to dormancy, or they are coming out of it they grow in a tight rosette like that.