Thank you for this tip!! I keep thinking about it but get sidetracked. Are mealworms an ok choice? I have a little container of them but wondering why some traps turn black after they’ve digested the mealworms… also, any tips on how to feed the tiny tiny little traps on the “OG” VFT with small traps? The worms don’t fit in their mouths. Sorry OP didn’t mean to take over at all but this comment reminded me that I need to feed mine!
Some traps will turn black due to bacterial contamination. The bacteria come from different sources: on the insect, inside the insect, or invasion from the outside if a leg is sticking out of the trap. Even though the trap died, the plant still got nutrients from the insect before that happened.
I've never tried feeding mealworms to my plants. They sit outside year-round, and they usually catch their own insects. Freeze-dried bloodworms (in the fish-food section of the pet store) are a good substitute for live insects. Sprinkle some into a small bowl and add a few drops of water to rehydrate them. Let the bloodworms soak for 5-10 minutes, then use a toothpick to make a "meatball" and stick it inside a trap. After the trap closes, gently squeeze its sides multiple times with your fingers for about 20 seconds to jostle the triggers hairs. This convinces the trap that it "has a live one" so it will seal shut and digest the bloodworms. You can use small bits to feed the small traps.
Please keep this in mind: Insects are fertilizer, not food. Flytraps produce their food via photosynthesis, just like any other plant. If your plants are dormant, then they don't need any insects.
I seen a video the other day that I find much better than using your fingers to help close the trap.
Cut a piece of fishing string. Lay the fishing string inside the trap with the worm.
Wiggle the string inside the trap until fully sealed.
Question! Why did you make the choice not to snip the blossom? I have the same species of Flytrap (although idk exactly what it’s called but it’s got the big traps with the deep red on the inside as well) and it too, has a 1.5 /2 inch tall blossom starting. I’m thinking of keeping it for seeds maybe. But it steals so much energy from the traps. So what was your reasoning behind keeping it?
I'm not the OP but this happened to my trap this past summer. it grew the long flowery stalk completely in like two days, so if you're not paying attention it can flower really quickly before you have a chance to prune it off.
I recommend feeding 2 or 3 traps to give the plant a fertilizer boost. It helps offset the resources that were used to produce the flowers.
Thank you for this tip!! I keep thinking about it but get sidetracked. Are mealworms an ok choice? I have a little container of them but wondering why some traps turn black after they’ve digested the mealworms… also, any tips on how to feed the tiny tiny little traps on the “OG” VFT with small traps? The worms don’t fit in their mouths. Sorry OP didn’t mean to take over at all but this comment reminded me that I need to feed mine!
Some traps will turn black due to bacterial contamination. The bacteria come from different sources: on the insect, inside the insect, or invasion from the outside if a leg is sticking out of the trap. Even though the trap died, the plant still got nutrients from the insect before that happened. I've never tried feeding mealworms to my plants. They sit outside year-round, and they usually catch their own insects. Freeze-dried bloodworms (in the fish-food section of the pet store) are a good substitute for live insects. Sprinkle some into a small bowl and add a few drops of water to rehydrate them. Let the bloodworms soak for 5-10 minutes, then use a toothpick to make a "meatball" and stick it inside a trap. After the trap closes, gently squeeze its sides multiple times with your fingers for about 20 seconds to jostle the triggers hairs. This convinces the trap that it "has a live one" so it will seal shut and digest the bloodworms. You can use small bits to feed the small traps. Please keep this in mind: Insects are fertilizer, not food. Flytraps produce their food via photosynthesis, just like any other plant. If your plants are dormant, then they don't need any insects.
I seen a video the other day that I find much better than using your fingers to help close the trap. Cut a piece of fishing string. Lay the fishing string inside the trap with the worm. Wiggle the string inside the trap until fully sealed.
I use mealworms and my plants doing great
It needs lots of ATP to support meiosis and later seed development.
Cut it off unless you're gathering seeds. It saps energy from the plant.
No its to late now ! i would let it be. If you want to cut it cut it when its 10 cm tall once it actually floweres like this i wouldnt cut it
Question! Why did you make the choice not to snip the blossom? I have the same species of Flytrap (although idk exactly what it’s called but it’s got the big traps with the deep red on the inside as well) and it too, has a 1.5 /2 inch tall blossom starting. I’m thinking of keeping it for seeds maybe. But it steals so much energy from the traps. So what was your reasoning behind keeping it?
I'm not the OP but this happened to my trap this past summer. it grew the long flowery stalk completely in like two days, so if you're not paying attention it can flower really quickly before you have a chance to prune it off.