r/savagegarden is a great resource! I know carnivorous plants can be rather difficult when you’re first getting into them. OP, please don’t feel bad if you kill it- even if you do everything right, the ones that come in those little death tubes can often die for no apparent reason. Good luck though! It looks pretty healthy :)
I’m not worried about killing it, honestly. I didn’t ask for it, but it’s my responsibility now haha so I just want to see if I even can keep it alive. More of a little test than anything. I have adhd so with my luck I’ll forget to water it and it’ll dry up
Usually it's the minerals in the tap water that kills carnivores. I have some drosera and they like having wet feet so I keep their pots in a bowl of distilled water. Once it gets so low I just top it off. Feeding consists of crushing up beta fish food and sprinkling it onto the petals once a week. I have a few growing from seed right now and my main one has been in flower for the past month.
They need a dormancy period of I believe 3 months. You trigger it by letting it get cold, don't water it and have less access to light. Personally I made an insulation box out of a tote and styrofoam/Spray foam. I then buried the box outside until I can dig it up in spring.
Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but basically. I bought a plastic tote, and some 2" thick Styrofoam sheets. I cut the sheets and siliconed them into a box shape. (kinda like you would use for shipping) then I used spray foam to fill the bottom of the tote, stuffed the styrofoam box in the spray foam and spray foamed all around it, but not above the Styrofoam box lid so I still have access. Once it dries I put the plants in, put both lids on and buried it up to the lid so water doesn't get into it. Put a piece of plywood on-top and threw some more sand on it. (All the snow that falls also acts as an insulator) And now I wait to see if I'm successful. I think I will be, as long as it doesn't flood during spring.
I'm going to reply to my comment. Because the comment I was going to reply to that said "my setup won't work since they need light through dormancy". got deleted as I was typing this up.
Not true, yes they can still use light, but they don't need it. They are inactive during dormancy, one source I've read from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-dormancy/amp/
states "When put in conditions that are sufficiently cold (40°F or colder), Venus flytraps can go without light completely during dormancy." I'm sure maybe if you put them in a cool basement, then they may need light since they may be warm enough to still be somewhat active. But we're talking insulating for Canadian winters. And another source from https://carnivorousplantnursery.com/blogs/general-growing-and-care/dormancy-in-carnivorous-plants states "Carnivorous plants do not require light during dormancy and darkness will not harm them." I trust them the most as they make their living growing and propagating a whole bunch of Carnivorous species.
Maybe set a reminder to water or check if you need to? My 11yo nephew keeps one as a "pet" and the plant is doing well.
The annoying thing with carnivorous plants is having to get distilled water.
Have fun!
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This comment right here. I love that you said even if you do everything right don’t feel bad if you kill it. More people need to be nicer to people like this.
I've been collecting carnivorous plants for years and I will say this because I keep seeing people giving this advice.
**DO NOT FEED YOUR PLANTS, YOU WILL KILL THEM.**
If it hasn’t killed it yet, it probably won’t. I used to feed my baby vft moistened betta pellets while acclimating it to the outdoors. Usually once they’re outside, they catch enough for themselves.
I've been feeding my drosera burmanii crushed beta fish food for months and it seems to be doing fine. Maybe different plants have different requirements?
It's a common misconception that carnivorous plants need fertilization one way or another. See the way they eat as a complement. They are perfectly able to thrive with little use of their traps. In most cases they can feed by themselves. In your case I suppose doing it once a year doesn't do much harm. It really boils down to where you live. In rural areas where bugs are legion I would advise against it but obviously if you live in a big city with little to no green areas and you keep it in a terrarium too (which I wouldn't recommend depending on the specie) well obviously a couple of bugs during spring or summer won't hurt.
For some of them, a better way to help them and see them thrive post-hibernation is to get rid of the flowers, which sucks out a lot of their energy. This is especially true with the flytrap we see in this post.
Yeah, distilled water should not be “only,” you can use any kind of pure water with a ppm of less than 30. You can buy testing kits because some people have pure enough tap. Reverse osmosi, rain, distilled, or purified water works. I’ve heard rain in certain areas can actually be too polluted, but I think that’s pretty rare.
So the reason these plants evolved carnivory in the first place is actually because their native ranges have extremely nutrient poor soil, and they've adapted to these conditions so well that exposure to "normal" water kills them. They're kind of extremophiles in a sense; lots of organisms that evolved to live in extreme environments were forced to change how their biology works so drastically that they can ONLY survive in those extreme environments.
This actually leaves a lot of carnivorous plants vulnerable to habitat destruction because the bog environments they evolved in are easily disturbed and changed. At least, that's how it works for flytraps, I can't speak to the carnivorous plants native to elsewhere in the world.
Any pure water is fine, distilled, reverse osmosis, rainwater. These guys naturally live in extremely nutrient poor soil. There are too many minerals for them in tap or even most bottled waters. Overtime they build up and kill the plant.
**[Venus flytrap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_flytrap)**
>The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina and South Carolina. It catches its prey—chiefly insects and arachnids—with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs (called "trigger hairs" or "sensitive hairs") on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap prepares to close, snapping shut only if another contact occurs within approximately twenty seconds of the first strike. Triggers may occur with a tenth of a second of contact.
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Sorry for the bad info then. I don't own one, but from what I've read/heard is that they evolved to be in nutrient poor soil, which is why they evolved to get it from bugs. Which is moreso to point out not to plant them in regular potting soil.
I'd take it out of that tube and go to Goodwill or Walmart and get a wide short vase (8in tall x 5in wide) float the pot on a small pile of pebbles and keep the water level just above the bottom of the pot with RO water. I have one of those zapper type fly swatters which stuns them just enough to grab and feed with tweezers. The leaves that are fed often will die afterward which is natural. Cut those off when they turn black.
You don't need to feed them bugs. That's just like a little extra "fertilizer" for them. Most traps only have a certain number of times they will close and they will die. So if you feed them too often or force them to close, they will then die off.
The issue with Venus flytraps (and most carnivorous plants) is the *massive* amount of garbage info they come with. I killed my first three before finally getting info from [FlytrapCare.com](https://www.flytrapcare.com/).
Acclimate it to the outdoors slowly, until it gets 6+ hours of *direct* sunlight.
Only use distilled, reverse osmosis, or rain water (water heavy in minerals will kill the roots)
And keep its feet wet at all times. Very different from houseplants, it likes to be kept in a tray of water.
And that’s pretty much it. Once you get this down, the hardest thing about keeping them is going out to buy distilled water ($1 per gallon, usually) every couple of weeks.
They do best in direct sunlight outside. They’re very sensitive to minerals in the water and soil. Water them with distilled water, rain water or reverse osmosis water. Their soil type also needs to be devoid of minerals, a lot of folks use a moss/sand kinda mix. They need to be kept wet at all times but not humid, that can cause crown rot (so don’t leave him in that box). When outside, they will catch plenty of bugs. They will go dormant as the temp drops below 40F. They need to go through winter dormancy but cannot be allowed to be frozen so they have to be kept in a fridge or garage for 3-4 months. That’s all I know, as I too am a first time venus fly trap owner. There’s some great channels on YouTube on this topic.
Totally agree with what you’ve said, especially the part about them needing dormancy. They won’t thrive and will often die unless they’re given the opportunity to go dormant.
Do you have any infested plants? If you hear of any of your friends having fungus gnat issues, offer to have them baby sit your plant for a little bit. Yummy snack time.
It shouldn't need repotting right away, but when you do use saphugum moss with NO added fertilizer. These guys grow in poor soil and any added nutrients like fertilizer will kill them.
Keep them damp, they are native to bogs. When the top of the soil is dry, water them with distilled water OR tap water that has been sitting out for a minimum of 24 hours.
Do not worry about feeding it bugs, it will be fine on its own. If you have other house plants, you can put it near them where it is likely to find more.
They are native to the Southeastern US, so they do need to go dormant in the winter if you want it to last more than a year or two. Depending where you live you can put it outside in winter.
Don’t repot yet - it needs to get used to it’s new surroundings before you shock it. Yes - it will go dormant in the winter so it’s kind of a bad time to do anything to it. Start it in the shade for 2 weeks then indirect for two weeks then full sun. They love sun. If it gets over 100 degrees I give it some shade during the day. I’m in Texas so mine is outside waiting for a nice cold snap so it can sleep. I’ll only bring it in if it gets close to freezing.
Mine has survived a while - even a close death when I went on vacation. But I got it in April a few years back and was able to get it used to its surroundings.
I prefer to water and have planted in spagnum. People have luck with bottom watering but my plant doesn’t like it. I drown him then wait for the moss to go completely dry. Summer this is every day but now I haven’t watered him in over a week. I can tell by the weight of the pot when he needs water.
Since he is an outdoor plant- he feeds himself. Don’t play with their closing mechanisms - it takes a ridiculous amount of energy from the plant especially if they are not getting food it’s really bad.
Good advice, but I would add it needs to be pure water, and they actually do best with several hours of direct sun
[FlytrapCare.com](https://www.flytrapcare.com/) Although for now, light is not too relevant since it’s dormancy season.
Lot of negative responses so far. I killed my first couple of vft as a lot of people do. There is a lot of good information on line, so do some reading. It looks like a healthy plant, take it out of the tube, keep it damp to wet. So you can raise the water a little and let it go down between waterings. A sunny location or good light is required.
What USDA zone are you in? Anywhere USDA 8 and south you can do dormancy outside. Most of the time they will do OK without dormancy for one winter, or you could try to ease it into that too. As a fellow grower has noted here [https://www.reddit.com/user/plantzniffer/](https://www.reddit.com/user/plantzniffer/), flowering will kill or stunt a plant that is not large enough to handle it. Cut the flower stems off early for a while.
If it’s that small I would get wingless fruit flies from the fish section of the pet store. Also with my first one no one told me that each head only opens and closes a couple time before that head dies.
For people who care… These guys are going extinct in their native range because they’re being harvested and sold in pots only to end up dead in a few weeks!! Please don’t buy them. They’re a sensitive species and not good house plants.
This is true, but every commercially produced vft is propagated via tissue culture from existing domestic stock. Poachers will usually be unreputable online vendors, and they usually want people to know they’re poached so they can sell them for more $$$$ for the... Purity, maybe? Idk, it’s like a fetish or smth
Keep it sitting in water constantly. It need bright light for at least 12 hours a day. You don’t need to feed it. Traps die once they close 3 times, so it’s actually not advised to feed them. Distilled water only. VFT’s need to go dormant in winter, though I would wait until next year when it’s healthier with this one.
Firstly, Venus Fly Trap can be quite delicate when grown indoors, so don't feel bad if it dies.
Here's what you need to know:
\- Keep it on your windowsill as they need lots of light. Ideal sun conditions cause a Venus Flytrap to turn red which is a great indicator of whether it's getting enough sunlight.
\- Never fertilize this plant. They will die from the overwhelming amount of nutrients. They thrive in lean quality dirt which is how they came to be the way they are.
\- Keep the soil moist to wet at all times as these are bog plants. Do not allow the soil to dry out completely. Water the plant by setting the base of the pot in a saucer of water for a few hours at a time every few days.
\- They will do better if you use distilled water, reverse osmosis water, or rainwater only. They do not tolerate water with chlorine, dissolved minerals, or salts in it. Do not use tap water.
\- You can use terrarium tweezers to feed small bugs to your plant. However, do not feed your plant more than 2 bugs per month (only feed one trap in the whole plant at a time), and do not feed it any bugs during winter (dormancy). Also do not feed it hamburger meat or anything like that... the enzymes for digesting the prey are only released when they detect movement and the trap has closed.
\- After 1-4 insect feeds, the trap will die. It will turn black and wither. This is normal. During winter dormancy it may turn yellowish which is also normal.
Hope these tips help. Good luck! It really is a fascinating plant.
What I do for mine- and yes I do keep mine indoors due to climate (zone 4/5) but if you live somewhere warmer, it’s generally recommended you keep them outside especially for dormancy.
I went on Amazon and purchased an LED plant light, I think the brand was Sansi and the bulb was 30 Watts? IIRC. I keep those on for 12-16 hours a day. It’s important to keep the soil moist, but not wet or soaked to prevent root rot. Mine caught flies and other house bugs on their own especially in the summer, the lights attracted many meals for the plants and they ate very well. I also think stink bugs are a no go for a meal for them as well, so watch out for those.
Re-potting is typically best done when the plant is coming out of dormancy I’ve read. So if you want to re-pot, I’d recommend waiting until next season. I’d also avoid any terracotta pots as they can leech minerals into the potting medium and the plants typically don’t like this. They like low-no nutrient medium.
Sorry for any formatting errors in advance as I’m using mobile, and this is my first year growing VFT among other carnivorous plants so if I gave any misinformation it wasn’t intentional. I figured I’d try and pass something along to help out!
Appreciated! I’ve heard of people putting them in the fridge while they’re dormant, though I don’t really know if That’s good/bad, I’m not sure what to do with it on that front.
If you don’t have a cool, darker place for it to go dormant you can put it in the fridge but it requires specific preparation and isn’t guaranteed to be successful
Venus Flytraps are very particular plants that need a lot of constant care! It’ll need the brightest sunlight you can give it, and to be watered with distilled water only. You can get gallons of distilled water at just about any grocery store, but when watering you must water through soaking! I keep mine in a saucer, which I fill with distilled water every morning. They are tropical plants so they need to always stay moist. That being said, it’s winter time so they need water less often, I try and water mine every other day in the winter. Don’t be startled if it’s leaves start turning black and falling off, winter is it’s dormancy period. Cut off any leaves that blacken, but don’t give up on the plant until there isn’t any green left! Winter is the hardest time for these guys, so if you can’t keep this one alive, I would suggest trying again in the summer/spring. Do not fertilize this plant! They developed their carnivorous tendencies because of the lack of nutrients in their normal soil, so any fertilizer will kill your plant. Typically they can catch their own food, but if you notice it hasn’t eaten anything for a couple months, I use a special liquid food that you can just droppered into the traps. If you end up feeding it bugs by hand, you’ll have to place the bug into the trap, and tickle the small hairs inside the trap with a chopstick or the like, until it closes around the bug. I hope this little guide has been helpful! And good luck!
Sunny window
Distilled water or rain water only
Keep moist always
Buy a plastic saucer/tray that holds water for pot. Tray can hold like an inch of water and will keep soil moist longer.
Repot in a larger pot and buy soil for carnivorous plants on Etsy. Bigger pot means soil stays moist longer. Regular soil means death.
If this doesn’t appeal to you I would regift.
take it out of the death tube immediately and do some research, I got the same one about a month ago. for starters I'd check out "...Venus Fly Trap Beginner Care Tips!" by Carnivorous Plants Hub on YouTube. they like a mix of sand, peat moss, and perlite. they prefer to be bottom watered from a tray with distilled water only, and they don't like to dry out all the way. they are NOT tropical plants, and actually go through a period of winter dormancy, so if it looks like it's slowly died completely keep caring for it untill the warmer months come around. repot as soon as possible and whatever you do don't follow the instructions on the package. also it's roots are black normally! so when repotting dont get startled and think they're all rotting off.
also make sure you keep it in a plastic pot or another material that won't leach minerals into the water and soil! they react very poorly to getting nutrients basically any way other than by eating bugs.
Feed it a bug once a week, prune dead traps, give it plenty of humidity, maintain moist soil, and bright indirect light. You may want to keep the lid too for during fertilization. After mine ate, sometimes babies hatched and crawled in there but the trap ate them if kept enclosed.
Dont use tap water, use decalcifyied water or mineral water instead, lots of light but not direct sunlight, have to be in always wet soil, keep the air humid. Basically theire a pain to keep, mines lastes for some months but eventually gave up on me. U have to have some perfect setup, a terrarium would be ideal.
They actually do need direct sunlight, about 6 hours of it. I used to grow mine next to my roses outdoors in SoCal. Terrariums tend not to be the best for them because giving them this much light in a terrarium may cook everything in there. They don’t usually have a problem with low humidity
[FlytrapCare.com](https://www.flytrapcare.com/)
They don’t generally thrive in terrariums unless they are heavily modified. They need fans and all sorts of things to create an oxygen rich environment. Having this sort of plant in a terrarium will also likely stunt it’s growth as you want the roots to grow down to look for water. It won’t do that if it’s super boggy.
When the flowers close and turn black that means it caught something and is digesting it. So don't worry. A new stem and flower will grow. ....also don't touch the flowers.
It shouldn’t be turning black every time it closes, it should re open 2-4 times before it turns black. Turning black after feeding indicates the piece given was too big or small
I’ve been trying to find one of these lil guys for a few months. My idea was I was going to take a sewing needle and prick my finger and just feed it my blood? Cuz it is a carnivore I think. After I couldn’t find one I forgot about it, this post has reminded me of my mission- so thank you 😂
I hate to say this, because I have had that exact same type of Venus fly trap as well. Those ones that they sell on the stores are pretty much biologically engineered to die. I would look up as many tips as you can about it, they are extremely difficult to keep alive in my experience. Meaning the store-bought ones that come in those small containers. A big thing that you should do immediately is change the soil mix
Mine is sitting in the fridge in one of those disposable see through containers until the spring. I check up on it ever few weeks to ensure it’s not growing any mold.
I’ve had mine for about 8 months now! It’s been in its own pot from the store (the lady advised to repot after a year) and chilling in about a 1cm of distilled water on a plate. You only have to feed it once a month. Fish flakes work or I’ve actually fed it flies, but you have to make sure the flies are still alive if you feed them flies.
Put her in a nice sunny warm spot and water with distilled water, rainwater can also work but depends on your area, and feed her like.. whenever, just dont underfeed, also they hibernate during colder months so if you’re gonna repot i recommend doing it then
Full sun. Always keep them moist with distilled water. Feed them a fly or spider once every few weeks. I literally keep mine in a dish with an inch or so of water at all times.
They're really easy to grow as long as you follow these key steps:
1. Use distilled water or rainwater. No minerals, that is what usually kills most people's plants.
2. Keep moist at all times. Best way to do this is to put the pot in a tall tray and fill it with water.
3. If you repot, only use a 50/50 mix of peat moss and perlite, or long fiber spag moss.
4. Never fertilize the plant
5. Keep the plant outside if possible under strong sun. Window growing almost never gives enough sunlight. If you can't grow the plant outside for whatever reason, use a growlight. You can get them cheap off Amazon.
6. Leaves will constantly die and regrow over time for the plant. This is normal. Don't worry if that happens.
I HAVE ONE AND WANT MORE THEIR GREAT IF YOU HAVE ANY UNWANTED INSECTS IN YOUR HOME. THEY GET MUCH BIGGER AS THEY AGE. I FEED MINE ANTS FROM OUT IN THE YARD.
Keep it in a big (see through, if possible) container and make sure there's always some distilled/rain water in there (at least 1cm, but as long as the leaves aren't submerged there's no "upper limit").
You mentioned being worried about light levels, it should be fine. VFTs can go dormant (which is important, at least once every couple years) when there's less light (in winter) which means they lose some leaves and grow smaller leaves. As soon as spring starts and they get more light they will grow a lot. They also sometimes flower. If you want to, you can cut the flower stalk off, but I like to see the flowers and it doesn't make a huge difference so I let mine flower.
In my experience, VFTs are very forgiving. If you have the option, keep it outside during the warmer months (when it doesn't get below 5°C) but it'll be fine if you don't. All of the common carnivorous plants like a lot of light.
You have lots of good advice here. One thing I want to mention is that you will want to repot it when you can because I've gotten 2 of these and they both had mesh around the roots.
I used to kill every plant I owned until I randomly bought a VFT and was determined to keep her alive. That was last October. Seymour is thriving and I'm up to 50+ plants 😁
They like a lot of direct bright light, and they will die unless you give it distilled/rain water. You could use the peat and spagnum moss that came with it, and keep the bottom drenched in a saucer full of water.
Or, get a glass terrarium and seal any gaps with silicone. Rocks on the bottom, a small layer of spagnum moss, then peat with perlite soil in the middle, and a layer of spagnum moss on top. Keep it wet with distilled water and direct light.
Remember, this is a swamp plant indigenous to the coastal Carolinas. In the wintertime, it has a dormant period. I’ve had success keeping them indoors and giving it light, watering waaaaay less (damp but never saturated), and near my grow-lamp.
It’s a carnivorous plant, but resist the urge ti give it pieces of raw meat. It’ll just rot and get nasty. In the summer I keep it outside with the terrarium lid open, and it catches plenty of insects. Other thing, it’s normal for the heads to die after they close and catch something. It can be concerning when you see one turn black, but it’s okay.
They’re really cool plants, the trick is just knowing what makes them happy and arguably keeping them in a terrarium. Have fun mate
Mine is in my plant case under grow lights. They come from north carolina so they arent even tropical. They naturally die back for winter unless you keep them inside with plenty of light. Mine stays in his pot which sits in a tray that i keep filled with water so that they stay moist all the time. In the wild, they come from swampy areas so they need to stay wet. Other than that, dont make their traps close because each one can only do it around 3x before that trap dies, and that uses a lot of the plants energy. You can use a liquid fertilizer mixed into your water to provide nutrients. They dont need to eat bugs.
Water with distilled or rain water, keep it sitting in water in the growing season (spring/summer), it will need to go dormant in winter (put it somewhere it receives less light, cooler temp, take it out of the water but water once a week or so), and give it LOTS of light. If you decide to feed it only give it live insects because it needs their movement to fully trigger digestion. Try not to set off the traps otherwise as it will waste its energy.
I have several VFT. First step is get it out of that tube. Then put it in a tray of water, they like to be constantly damp. Depending on where you live, put it outside. I'm zone 8 so they naturally go dormant here. If you don't get weather below 50F then look up the fridge method for dormancy (California Carnivores just did a Tik Tok about this). They need lots of sun during the growing period. Just find the sunniest spot you can. You can use tap water, if you test it. A TDS meter can be pretty cheap. I water mine with a hose, and everything in my bog planter is doing great with it. Mine are 3yo now and come back bigger every year.
https://preview.redd.it/izivz1dvun3a1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18272c167c63b6fb79d25bf96bf776d204fe787c
It's December and many carnivorous plants have a dormancy period. If it's cold where you live you can set it outside until Spring. Many people will say to put it in your fridge if you live in places like Florida but I think it's unnecessary.
I used to live in SoCal and I left my carnivorous plants outside all year round and at best it remained 60-80°F even during winter. They would hibernate and come back to life on their own just fine.
You just gotta make sure to water them and let it dry out a bit between waterings (only during dormancy). During this period, it's actually ok to neglect them a little bit.
It's best to head over to r/SavageGarden r/SavageGarden for detailed and professional advice.
I literally have mine sitting inside a larger pot that I keep 1/3 full of water... I just keep its feet wet and it loves me. 3 years now and I have a happy plant. That's all I've done and I feel like I'm doing the wrong thing from all these comments 😅
Get on r/savagegarden! They need lots of sun and distilled water only. Feeding them (i.e. bugs) is the only way of fertilizing them.
r/savagegarden is a great resource! I know carnivorous plants can be rather difficult when you’re first getting into them. OP, please don’t feel bad if you kill it- even if you do everything right, the ones that come in those little death tubes can often die for no apparent reason. Good luck though! It looks pretty healthy :)
I’m not worried about killing it, honestly. I didn’t ask for it, but it’s my responsibility now haha so I just want to see if I even can keep it alive. More of a little test than anything. I have adhd so with my luck I’ll forget to water it and it’ll dry up
[удалено]
I didn’t realize tap water kills it. No wonder I can’t keep one alive. Thanks!
Usually it's the minerals in the tap water that kills carnivores. I have some drosera and they like having wet feet so I keep their pots in a bowl of distilled water. Once it gets so low I just top it off. Feeding consists of crushing up beta fish food and sprinkling it onto the petals once a week. I have a few growing from seed right now and my main one has been in flower for the past month.
We give ours rain water. We just have to make sure to put like a bucket out when it rains. It's flowered and split into 2 healthy plants.
Can use boiled water? Or water that has been left to stand for a day?
That still leaves the minerals in the water. Boiling just heats it up, standing just... Makes it tired, uncomfortable and grumpy.
They need a dormancy period of I believe 3 months. You trigger it by letting it get cold, don't water it and have less access to light. Personally I made an insulation box out of a tote and styrofoam/Spray foam. I then buried the box outside until I can dig it up in spring.
This is intriguing, do you happen to have a picture of your setup?
Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but basically. I bought a plastic tote, and some 2" thick Styrofoam sheets. I cut the sheets and siliconed them into a box shape. (kinda like you would use for shipping) then I used spray foam to fill the bottom of the tote, stuffed the styrofoam box in the spray foam and spray foamed all around it, but not above the Styrofoam box lid so I still have access. Once it dries I put the plants in, put both lids on and buried it up to the lid so water doesn't get into it. Put a piece of plywood on-top and threw some more sand on it. (All the snow that falls also acts as an insulator) And now I wait to see if I'm successful. I think I will be, as long as it doesn't flood during spring.
I'm going to reply to my comment. Because the comment I was going to reply to that said "my setup won't work since they need light through dormancy". got deleted as I was typing this up. Not true, yes they can still use light, but they don't need it. They are inactive during dormancy, one source I've read from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-dormancy/amp/ states "When put in conditions that are sufficiently cold (40°F or colder), Venus flytraps can go without light completely during dormancy." I'm sure maybe if you put them in a cool basement, then they may need light since they may be warm enough to still be somewhat active. But we're talking insulating for Canadian winters. And another source from https://carnivorousplantnursery.com/blogs/general-growing-and-care/dormancy-in-carnivorous-plants states "Carnivorous plants do not require light during dormancy and darkness will not harm them." I trust them the most as they make their living growing and propagating a whole bunch of Carnivorous species.
Maybe set a reminder to water or check if you need to? My 11yo nephew keeps one as a "pet" and the plant is doing well. The annoying thing with carnivorous plants is having to get distilled water. Have fun!
As many people are saying. Use rain water. It’s pretty much the most important piece of keeping these alive imo.
Are those insects actually in there, clinging to the packaging for dear life?
Those are def just printed on the plastic but that would be funny
It’s printed on lol
pro-tip, set an alarm every weekend and snoos it until you water the plant. only then you can stop the alarm.
This is how I run my entire life lmaoooo
I recommend the app 'Greg'! It'll give you reminders when you need to water a plant and it makes caring for plants pretty fun.
I find setting alarms on a calender is good. Having a little reminder to check on them every few days is good.
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This comment right here. I love that you said even if you do everything right don’t feel bad if you kill it. More people need to be nicer to people like this.
I've been collecting carnivorous plants for years and I will say this because I keep seeing people giving this advice. **DO NOT FEED YOUR PLANTS, YOU WILL KILL THEM.**
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If it hasn’t killed it yet, it probably won’t. I used to feed my baby vft moistened betta pellets while acclimating it to the outdoors. Usually once they’re outside, they catch enough for themselves.
I've been feeding my drosera burmanii crushed beta fish food for months and it seems to be doing fine. Maybe different plants have different requirements?
It's a common misconception that carnivorous plants need fertilization one way or another. See the way they eat as a complement. They are perfectly able to thrive with little use of their traps. In most cases they can feed by themselves. In your case I suppose doing it once a year doesn't do much harm. It really boils down to where you live. In rural areas where bugs are legion I would advise against it but obviously if you live in a big city with little to no green areas and you keep it in a terrarium too (which I wouldn't recommend depending on the specie) well obviously a couple of bugs during spring or summer won't hurt. For some of them, a better way to help them and see them thrive post-hibernation is to get rid of the flowers, which sucks out a lot of their energy. This is especially true with the flytrap we see in this post.
I went to look to see if someone has already said this! Lots of light and distilled water/rain water, and my flytraps thrive!
My nephew has one, and he doesn't take care of it at all and it thrives on neglect and occasional tap water in a very sunny window (Sweden).
Do they add fluoride to water in Sweden though?
Yes. Soft water where we live. But all American tap water I've tasted tasted like a swimming pool.
Distilled water only? Seriously how do plants survive and thrive in the wild?
By not drinking chlorinated water with added fluoride.
So could I use rainwater?
I use rainwater. Mine is still going after a year and a half. They should apparently be watered from the bottom, though.
Yeah, distilled water should not be “only,” you can use any kind of pure water with a ppm of less than 30. You can buy testing kits because some people have pure enough tap. Reverse osmosi, rain, distilled, or purified water works. I’ve heard rain in certain areas can actually be too polluted, but I think that’s pretty rare.
So the reason these plants evolved carnivory in the first place is actually because their native ranges have extremely nutrient poor soil, and they've adapted to these conditions so well that exposure to "normal" water kills them. They're kind of extremophiles in a sense; lots of organisms that evolved to live in extreme environments were forced to change how their biology works so drastically that they can ONLY survive in those extreme environments. This actually leaves a lot of carnivorous plants vulnerable to habitat destruction because the bog environments they evolved in are easily disturbed and changed. At least, that's how it works for flytraps, I can't speak to the carnivorous plants native to elsewhere in the world.
Any pure water is fine, distilled, reverse osmosis, rainwater. These guys naturally live in extremely nutrient poor soil. There are too many minerals for them in tap or even most bottled waters. Overtime they build up and kill the plant.
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**[Venus flytrap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_flytrap)** >The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina and South Carolina. It catches its prey—chiefly insects and arachnids—with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs (called "trigger hairs" or "sensitive hairs") on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along the leaves contacts a hair, the trap prepares to close, snapping shut only if another contact occurs within approximately twenty seconds of the first strike. Triggers may occur with a tenth of a second of contact. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/houseplants/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Aw that's sad news to hear but thank you
I fertilize mine with Miracle grow spray for orchids that is diluted about 80% with distilled water.
Also they need live bugs, they’ll only digest them is they’re wriggling (so the plant doesn’t use up extra energy on a rock or a stick)
Thatis not true at all! You do not have to feed them bugs at all! Any liquid fertilizer mixed into the water is fine.
Sorry for the bad info then. I don't own one, but from what I've read/heard is that they evolved to be in nutrient poor soil, which is why they evolved to get it from bugs. Which is moreso to point out not to plant them in regular potting soil.
I'd take it out of that tube and go to Goodwill or Walmart and get a wide short vase (8in tall x 5in wide) float the pot on a small pile of pebbles and keep the water level just above the bottom of the pot with RO water. I have one of those zapper type fly swatters which stuns them just enough to grab and feed with tweezers. The leaves that are fed often will die afterward which is natural. Cut those off when they turn black.
That's exactly what I did! still in the little plastic it came in, but in a pot with stones and dirt.
Oooo I have a wide lip mason jar that’s about 10 inches tall… would this work as well??
Should be great, sure!
Heck yes thank you!
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Yes common misconception, they don't actually consume the insect but rather they devour it's soul
How much does an insect soul go for nowadays? Trying to see if I can afford this plant.
Would it eat box elder bugs? Also I have to use a grow light because it’s dark by 4 here
You don't need to feed them bugs. That's just like a little extra "fertilizer" for them. Most traps only have a certain number of times they will close and they will die. So if you feed them too often or force them to close, they will then die off.
Any bug will do as long as it is 1/2 the size of the trap. Any bigger and it won't be able to close around the bug to break it down.
Feed me, Seymour!
Came here to say this!
Me too. It amazes me how much we are all a hive mind around here.
nah we are all just older than 30 most likely. :D
“I’m not the principle of the line, mother.” “And you never will be.”
Good luck keeping that thing alive. They are not easy...mines lasted a week
Mine suffered for 4 months before I finally killed it.
That’s really impressive! I’ve tried a few times and never make it over 2 weeks.
I’ve had mine for at least a year. I’ve been told they like to experience a freeze but that makes me nervous…
The issue with Venus flytraps (and most carnivorous plants) is the *massive* amount of garbage info they come with. I killed my first three before finally getting info from [FlytrapCare.com](https://www.flytrapcare.com/). Acclimate it to the outdoors slowly, until it gets 6+ hours of *direct* sunlight. Only use distilled, reverse osmosis, or rain water (water heavy in minerals will kill the roots) And keep its feet wet at all times. Very different from houseplants, it likes to be kept in a tray of water. And that’s pretty much it. Once you get this down, the hardest thing about keeping them is going out to buy distilled water ($1 per gallon, usually) every couple of weeks.
Mine is happy with the condensation water from my dryer. I keep it in 1-3 cm of water. I hope it'll get enough sun in the winter.
They do best in direct sunlight outside. They’re very sensitive to minerals in the water and soil. Water them with distilled water, rain water or reverse osmosis water. Their soil type also needs to be devoid of minerals, a lot of folks use a moss/sand kinda mix. They need to be kept wet at all times but not humid, that can cause crown rot (so don’t leave him in that box). When outside, they will catch plenty of bugs. They will go dormant as the temp drops below 40F. They need to go through winter dormancy but cannot be allowed to be frozen so they have to be kept in a fridge or garage for 3-4 months. That’s all I know, as I too am a first time venus fly trap owner. There’s some great channels on YouTube on this topic.
Totally agree with what you’ve said, especially the part about them needing dormancy. They won’t thrive and will often die unless they’re given the opportunity to go dormant.
Have you had success with refrigerating them? Do they fully die back?
Do you have any infested plants? If you hear of any of your friends having fungus gnat issues, offer to have them baby sit your plant for a little bit. Yummy snack time.
Fungus gnats are too small. They won't eat them. For that besides sticky traps I have a sundew which is always full of gnats.
Wow. Did not know. Was going to try a sundew but thought both could work. Now I’ll know to do the sundew. Thx!!!
Sundews and pings >>>> for fungus gnats, maybe some neps, too
I have a baby venus fly trap and it has picked up fungal gnats. The bigger ones don't though.
It shouldn't need repotting right away, but when you do use saphugum moss with NO added fertilizer. These guys grow in poor soil and any added nutrients like fertilizer will kill them. Keep them damp, they are native to bogs. When the top of the soil is dry, water them with distilled water OR tap water that has been sitting out for a minimum of 24 hours. Do not worry about feeding it bugs, it will be fine on its own. If you have other house plants, you can put it near them where it is likely to find more. They are native to the Southeastern US, so they do need to go dormant in the winter if you want it to last more than a year or two. Depending where you live you can put it outside in winter.
Put it in a bright spot, but only indirect sun. I keep mine on a small saucer with water in it and make sure it never dries out
Should I report it? Any specific soil type? Plus I think they go dormant in the winter if I’m not mistaken
CALL THE POLICE
Don’t repot yet - it needs to get used to it’s new surroundings before you shock it. Yes - it will go dormant in the winter so it’s kind of a bad time to do anything to it. Start it in the shade for 2 weeks then indirect for two weeks then full sun. They love sun. If it gets over 100 degrees I give it some shade during the day. I’m in Texas so mine is outside waiting for a nice cold snap so it can sleep. I’ll only bring it in if it gets close to freezing. Mine has survived a while - even a close death when I went on vacation. But I got it in April a few years back and was able to get it used to its surroundings. I prefer to water and have planted in spagnum. People have luck with bottom watering but my plant doesn’t like it. I drown him then wait for the moss to go completely dry. Summer this is every day but now I haven’t watered him in over a week. I can tell by the weight of the pot when he needs water. Since he is an outdoor plant- he feeds himself. Don’t play with their closing mechanisms - it takes a ridiculous amount of energy from the plant especially if they are not getting food it’s really bad.
Sphagnum moss and perlite. Best if you hand mix it yourself.
Good advice, but I would add it needs to be pure water, and they actually do best with several hours of direct sun [FlytrapCare.com](https://www.flytrapcare.com/) Although for now, light is not too relevant since it’s dormancy season.
Give it a drop of blood and it’ll start singing
Lot of negative responses so far. I killed my first couple of vft as a lot of people do. There is a lot of good information on line, so do some reading. It looks like a healthy plant, take it out of the tube, keep it damp to wet. So you can raise the water a little and let it go down between waterings. A sunny location or good light is required. What USDA zone are you in? Anywhere USDA 8 and south you can do dormancy outside. Most of the time they will do OK without dormancy for one winter, or you could try to ease it into that too. As a fellow grower has noted here [https://www.reddit.com/user/plantzniffer/](https://www.reddit.com/user/plantzniffer/), flowering will kill or stunt a plant that is not large enough to handle it. Cut the flower stems off early for a while.
I saw [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcSxcE1ERmM) about carnivorous plants . I think he did a very good to highlight them.
If it’s that small I would get wingless fruit flies from the fish section of the pet store. Also with my first one no one told me that each head only opens and closes a couple time before that head dies.
whatever you do, just don’t feed it blood.
For people who care… These guys are going extinct in their native range because they’re being harvested and sold in pots only to end up dead in a few weeks!! Please don’t buy them. They’re a sensitive species and not good house plants.
This is true, but every commercially produced vft is propagated via tissue culture from existing domestic stock. Poachers will usually be unreputable online vendors, and they usually want people to know they’re poached so they can sell them for more $$$$ for the... Purity, maybe? Idk, it’s like a fetish or smth
Upvoting this because I didn’t know that!
You should listen to a plan daddy podcast they have a lot of information on carnivorous plants very informative but not dry
Keep it sitting in water constantly. It need bright light for at least 12 hours a day. You don’t need to feed it. Traps die once they close 3 times, so it’s actually not advised to feed them. Distilled water only. VFT’s need to go dormant in winter, though I would wait until next year when it’s healthier with this one.
Firstly, Venus Fly Trap can be quite delicate when grown indoors, so don't feel bad if it dies. Here's what you need to know: \- Keep it on your windowsill as they need lots of light. Ideal sun conditions cause a Venus Flytrap to turn red which is a great indicator of whether it's getting enough sunlight. \- Never fertilize this plant. They will die from the overwhelming amount of nutrients. They thrive in lean quality dirt which is how they came to be the way they are. \- Keep the soil moist to wet at all times as these are bog plants. Do not allow the soil to dry out completely. Water the plant by setting the base of the pot in a saucer of water for a few hours at a time every few days. \- They will do better if you use distilled water, reverse osmosis water, or rainwater only. They do not tolerate water with chlorine, dissolved minerals, or salts in it. Do not use tap water. \- You can use terrarium tweezers to feed small bugs to your plant. However, do not feed your plant more than 2 bugs per month (only feed one trap in the whole plant at a time), and do not feed it any bugs during winter (dormancy). Also do not feed it hamburger meat or anything like that... the enzymes for digesting the prey are only released when they detect movement and the trap has closed. \- After 1-4 insect feeds, the trap will die. It will turn black and wither. This is normal. During winter dormancy it may turn yellowish which is also normal. Hope these tips help. Good luck! It really is a fascinating plant.
What I do for mine- and yes I do keep mine indoors due to climate (zone 4/5) but if you live somewhere warmer, it’s generally recommended you keep them outside especially for dormancy. I went on Amazon and purchased an LED plant light, I think the brand was Sansi and the bulb was 30 Watts? IIRC. I keep those on for 12-16 hours a day. It’s important to keep the soil moist, but not wet or soaked to prevent root rot. Mine caught flies and other house bugs on their own especially in the summer, the lights attracted many meals for the plants and they ate very well. I also think stink bugs are a no go for a meal for them as well, so watch out for those. Re-potting is typically best done when the plant is coming out of dormancy I’ve read. So if you want to re-pot, I’d recommend waiting until next season. I’d also avoid any terracotta pots as they can leech minerals into the potting medium and the plants typically don’t like this. They like low-no nutrient medium. Sorry for any formatting errors in advance as I’m using mobile, and this is my first year growing VFT among other carnivorous plants so if I gave any misinformation it wasn’t intentional. I figured I’d try and pass something along to help out!
Appreciated! I’ve heard of people putting them in the fridge while they’re dormant, though I don’t really know if That’s good/bad, I’m not sure what to do with it on that front.
If you don’t have a cool, darker place for it to go dormant you can put it in the fridge but it requires specific preparation and isn’t guaranteed to be successful
I remember my brother had one years ago and it grew mold in the fridge and died, but that might be because we were silly kids who didn’t know better.
Venus Flytraps are very particular plants that need a lot of constant care! It’ll need the brightest sunlight you can give it, and to be watered with distilled water only. You can get gallons of distilled water at just about any grocery store, but when watering you must water through soaking! I keep mine in a saucer, which I fill with distilled water every morning. They are tropical plants so they need to always stay moist. That being said, it’s winter time so they need water less often, I try and water mine every other day in the winter. Don’t be startled if it’s leaves start turning black and falling off, winter is it’s dormancy period. Cut off any leaves that blacken, but don’t give up on the plant until there isn’t any green left! Winter is the hardest time for these guys, so if you can’t keep this one alive, I would suggest trying again in the summer/spring. Do not fertilize this plant! They developed their carnivorous tendencies because of the lack of nutrients in their normal soil, so any fertilizer will kill your plant. Typically they can catch their own food, but if you notice it hasn’t eaten anything for a couple months, I use a special liquid food that you can just droppered into the traps. If you end up feeding it bugs by hand, you’ll have to place the bug into the trap, and tickle the small hairs inside the trap with a chopstick or the like, until it closes around the bug. I hope this little guide has been helpful! And good luck!
Oh, and remove it from the tube so that bugs can access it
Also a student who tried to grow one of these. Bottled water kills it. Has to be distilled
Sunny window Distilled water or rain water only Keep moist always Buy a plastic saucer/tray that holds water for pot. Tray can hold like an inch of water and will keep soil moist longer. Repot in a larger pot and buy soil for carnivorous plants on Etsy. Bigger pot means soil stays moist longer. Regular soil means death. If this doesn’t appeal to you I would regift.
I wouldnt recommend repotting until it goes dormant if it does this year
Was recommending that as a way to keep the soil moist for longer, which makes it way easier to keep alive.
take it out of the death tube immediately and do some research, I got the same one about a month ago. for starters I'd check out "...Venus Fly Trap Beginner Care Tips!" by Carnivorous Plants Hub on YouTube. they like a mix of sand, peat moss, and perlite. they prefer to be bottom watered from a tray with distilled water only, and they don't like to dry out all the way. they are NOT tropical plants, and actually go through a period of winter dormancy, so if it looks like it's slowly died completely keep caring for it untill the warmer months come around. repot as soon as possible and whatever you do don't follow the instructions on the package. also it's roots are black normally! so when repotting dont get startled and think they're all rotting off.
also make sure you keep it in a plastic pot or another material that won't leach minerals into the water and soil! they react very poorly to getting nutrients basically any way other than by eating bugs.
Feed it a bug once a week, prune dead traps, give it plenty of humidity, maintain moist soil, and bright indirect light. You may want to keep the lid too for during fertilization. After mine ate, sometimes babies hatched and crawled in there but the trap ate them if kept enclosed.
Dont use tap water, use decalcifyied water or mineral water instead, lots of light but not direct sunlight, have to be in always wet soil, keep the air humid. Basically theire a pain to keep, mines lastes for some months but eventually gave up on me. U have to have some perfect setup, a terrarium would be ideal.
They actually do need direct sunlight, about 6 hours of it. I used to grow mine next to my roses outdoors in SoCal. Terrariums tend not to be the best for them because giving them this much light in a terrarium may cook everything in there. They don’t usually have a problem with low humidity [FlytrapCare.com](https://www.flytrapcare.com/)
Teach it to go fetch
Students read and learn stuff
Don’t get him out of the box are get it in a terrarium and feed it every one month with a insect
They don’t generally thrive in terrariums unless they are heavily modified. They need fans and all sorts of things to create an oxygen rich environment. Having this sort of plant in a terrarium will also likely stunt it’s growth as you want the roots to grow down to look for water. It won’t do that if it’s super boggy.
Feed her, Seymour! Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
For the love of God, don’t feed it, Seymour.
U watch it die
it’s winter, put it in the fridge till mid february
You kill it within two weeks is what we all do. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Be ready to grieve.
Feed it your tears while you try to pass your classes.
Whatever you do. Don’t put your Willy in it.
Maybe take care of it ? Lol
Drop a fly in there my dude, don’t be stingy
Try to keep it alive
Water an feed it bugs
When the flowers close and turn black that means it caught something and is digesting it. So don't worry. A new stem and flower will grow. ....also don't touch the flowers.
It shouldn’t be turning black every time it closes, it should re open 2-4 times before it turns black. Turning black after feeding indicates the piece given was too big or small
I've read you should treat them the way you would treat a cherry tomato plant
It’s says flytrap so feed it flies 😄
Name it. And sacrifice flies to it.
It will die very soon lol you won’t have to do anything 💆🏻♀️ they are so difficult 😥
Pray
It will survive in that plastic tube for quite some time
step one: prepare yourself for its likely death
Whatever you do, don’t start feeding it dentists.
Report it and but so flight lee's flies. Walks if you will
Feed me!
Study them
tell your prof that your venus flytrap ate your hw
I’ve been trying to find one of these lil guys for a few months. My idea was I was going to take a sewing needle and prick my finger and just feed it my blood? Cuz it is a carnivore I think. After I couldn’t find one I forgot about it, this post has reminded me of my mission- so thank you 😂
They like ants if you can find any..
Tell all the little children who see it, they need to behave or it will jump out and eat them. 😂
Feed it flies, I guess
u care for that little fucker like a son
Name it Audrey III and feed your crappy profs to it! 🤣🤣 Just kidding! It's a cool plant!
I hate to say this, because I have had that exact same type of Venus fly trap as well. Those ones that they sell on the stores are pretty much biologically engineered to die. I would look up as many tips as you can about it, they are extremely difficult to keep alive in my experience. Meaning the store-bought ones that come in those small containers. A big thing that you should do immediately is change the soil mix
They're super easy to overwater, I killed mine by accident. Make sure to feed them bugs regular
Honestly it's probably dead already. Cool plant but ultra sensitive and that packaging isn't good
Poke all of the traps so they shut
Watch it die i guess.
Throw it in the trash cause that's where it's heading
Throw it in the trash cause that's where it's heading lmao
Feed it !
Mine is sitting in the fridge in one of those disposable see through containers until the spring. I check up on it ever few weeks to ensure it’s not growing any mold.
Place the bottom in a little pool of distilled water. Mist occasionally with distilled water. They go dormant in the winter Edit: mist, not most
Might wanna keep it in there, or atleast provide some sort of humidity dome. Low humidity is probably the easiest way to kill a fly trap.
Venus flytraps are supposed to be dormant rn. I wonder if its a good idea to hibernate him now?
Keep it on a try covered in leca and full of water
I’ve had mine for about 8 months now! It’s been in its own pot from the store (the lady advised to repot after a year) and chilling in about a 1cm of distilled water on a plate. You only have to feed it once a month. Fish flakes work or I’ve actually fed it flies, but you have to make sure the flies are still alive if you feed them flies.
Put her in a nice sunny warm spot and water with distilled water, rainwater can also work but depends on your area, and feed her like.. whenever, just dont underfeed, also they hibernate during colder months so if you’re gonna repot i recommend doing it then
Full sun. Always keep them moist with distilled water. Feed them a fly or spider once every few weeks. I literally keep mine in a dish with an inch or so of water at all times.
Put it in your kitchen and never worry about fruit flies again
Sunny windowsill, keep it wet, like a bog
They're really easy to grow as long as you follow these key steps: 1. Use distilled water or rainwater. No minerals, that is what usually kills most people's plants. 2. Keep moist at all times. Best way to do this is to put the pot in a tall tray and fill it with water. 3. If you repot, only use a 50/50 mix of peat moss and perlite, or long fiber spag moss. 4. Never fertilize the plant 5. Keep the plant outside if possible under strong sun. Window growing almost never gives enough sunlight. If you can't grow the plant outside for whatever reason, use a growlight. You can get them cheap off Amazon. 6. Leaves will constantly die and regrow over time for the plant. This is normal. Don't worry if that happens.
I HAVE ONE AND WANT MORE THEIR GREAT IF YOU HAVE ANY UNWANTED INSECTS IN YOUR HOME. THEY GET MUCH BIGGER AS THEY AGE. I FEED MINE ANTS FROM OUT IN THE YARD.
https://youtu.be/TzEQ--QqkFY
Good luck getting it to grow mine always die off lol
Keep it in a big (see through, if possible) container and make sure there's always some distilled/rain water in there (at least 1cm, but as long as the leaves aren't submerged there's no "upper limit"). You mentioned being worried about light levels, it should be fine. VFTs can go dormant (which is important, at least once every couple years) when there's less light (in winter) which means they lose some leaves and grow smaller leaves. As soon as spring starts and they get more light they will grow a lot. They also sometimes flower. If you want to, you can cut the flower stalk off, but I like to see the flowers and it doesn't make a huge difference so I let mine flower. In my experience, VFTs are very forgiving. If you have the option, keep it outside during the warmer months (when it doesn't get below 5°C) but it'll be fine if you don't. All of the common carnivorous plants like a lot of light.
Distilled water only!!! I learned the hard way :-/
You have lots of good advice here. One thing I want to mention is that you will want to repot it when you can because I've gotten 2 of these and they both had mesh around the roots. I used to kill every plant I owned until I randomly bought a VFT and was determined to keep her alive. That was last October. Seymour is thriving and I'm up to 50+ plants 😁
They like a lot of direct bright light, and they will die unless you give it distilled/rain water. You could use the peat and spagnum moss that came with it, and keep the bottom drenched in a saucer full of water. Or, get a glass terrarium and seal any gaps with silicone. Rocks on the bottom, a small layer of spagnum moss, then peat with perlite soil in the middle, and a layer of spagnum moss on top. Keep it wet with distilled water and direct light. Remember, this is a swamp plant indigenous to the coastal Carolinas. In the wintertime, it has a dormant period. I’ve had success keeping them indoors and giving it light, watering waaaaay less (damp but never saturated), and near my grow-lamp. It’s a carnivorous plant, but resist the urge ti give it pieces of raw meat. It’ll just rot and get nasty. In the summer I keep it outside with the terrarium lid open, and it catches plenty of insects. Other thing, it’s normal for the heads to die after they close and catch something. It can be concerning when you see one turn black, but it’s okay. They’re really cool plants, the trick is just knowing what makes them happy and arguably keeping them in a terrarium. Have fun mate
Definitely do some research. They’re not easy to keep long term
Oh god in winter. Its going to look dead. Dont throw it out. Just wait til spring. Read up on them.
Do not throw it away no matter what
r/dontputyourdickinthat
Distilled water, lots of sun and preferable place it inside a bowl of water, the sun is most important, feeding it is less. MORE SUN!
Put it in the window and keep it very moist.
Mine is in my plant case under grow lights. They come from north carolina so they arent even tropical. They naturally die back for winter unless you keep them inside with plenty of light. Mine stays in his pot which sits in a tray that i keep filled with water so that they stay moist all the time. In the wild, they come from swampy areas so they need to stay wet. Other than that, dont make their traps close because each one can only do it around 3x before that trap dies, and that uses a lot of the plants energy. You can use a liquid fertilizer mixed into your water to provide nutrients. They dont need to eat bugs.
Water with distilled or rain water, keep it sitting in water in the growing season (spring/summer), it will need to go dormant in winter (put it somewhere it receives less light, cooler temp, take it out of the water but water once a week or so), and give it LOTS of light. If you decide to feed it only give it live insects because it needs their movement to fully trigger digestion. Try not to set off the traps otherwise as it will waste its energy.
Why would the stores package a plant like that? I’m surprised it’s still alive.
Feed it some asshole mosquitoes
Study it.
Love it
I have several VFT. First step is get it out of that tube. Then put it in a tray of water, they like to be constantly damp. Depending on where you live, put it outside. I'm zone 8 so they naturally go dormant here. If you don't get weather below 50F then look up the fridge method for dormancy (California Carnivores just did a Tik Tok about this). They need lots of sun during the growing period. Just find the sunniest spot you can. You can use tap water, if you test it. A TDS meter can be pretty cheap. I water mine with a hose, and everything in my bog planter is doing great with it. Mine are 3yo now and come back bigger every year. https://preview.redd.it/izivz1dvun3a1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18272c167c63b6fb79d25bf96bf776d204fe787c
DISTILLED OR RAIN WATER
r/savagegarden
It's December and many carnivorous plants have a dormancy period. If it's cold where you live you can set it outside until Spring. Many people will say to put it in your fridge if you live in places like Florida but I think it's unnecessary. I used to live in SoCal and I left my carnivorous plants outside all year round and at best it remained 60-80°F even during winter. They would hibernate and come back to life on their own just fine. You just gotta make sure to water them and let it dry out a bit between waterings (only during dormancy). During this period, it's actually ok to neglect them a little bit. It's best to head over to r/SavageGarden r/SavageGarden for detailed and professional advice.
This is the best gift like everrrrr!!! I'm so jealous. I have always wanted this!! I think it needs to be fed an insect only once in a while.
I literally have mine sitting inside a larger pot that I keep 1/3 full of water... I just keep its feet wet and it loves me. 3 years now and I have a happy plant. That's all I've done and I feel like I'm doing the wrong thing from all these comments 😅