VENUS FLY TRAP CARE
I’ve had a few questions about how I’ve kept my venus fly trap alive so I thought I’d make a post on how I care for my plant in my conditions. here are the basics of venus fly trap care:
SUNLIGHT: Venus fly traps need a lot of light. I keep mine in full, direct sunlight for as many hours a day as possible, and it seems to greatly benefit my plant. I live in Australia which has fairly harsh sun, and I leave mine on the porch where it’s protected from the wind but is still able to get as much light as possible. if your flytrap is not used to direct sun, acclimatise it slowly as you would any other plant to prevent sunburn. if your plant has elongated leaves and no colour inside its traps, it probably isn’t getting enough sunlight and is growing long and leggy in it’s attempt to get more.Â
WATERING: never, ever let your flytrap dry out. in the winter months I water it just enough to keep the soil moist, and in summer (when it’s actively growing) I keep it standing in a tray of water. another important point is the type of water – flytraps are extremely sensitive to minerals in water as they naturally grow in nutrient-deprived peat bogs, so only use distilled or rain water.Â
SOIL: I potted my flytrap in a mix of perlite and peat moss. once again, whatever you pot it in needs to be inert and nutrient poor to mimic the flytrap’s native habitat. these plants also like to be on the slightly acidic side, so keep any alkaline materials out of the mix. rich soils will kill it, but ensure that the materials you use are sustainably sourced!
FEEDING: I keep my flytrap outside, so it catches bugs all on its own, like it has evolved to do. don’t give your flytraps any fertilisers – they evolved this bug eating habit to make up for the nutrients their native soils lack, so fertiliser will likely overwhelm the plant and kill it. if your plant is healthy, it will catch bugs all on its own!
TEMPERATURE: I live in quite a hot climate, so this is not an issue for me. however, I have read that flytraps can tolerate light frosts but must be protected in extended freezes. flytraps go dormant in winter, so do your research and work out the best options for you.
OTHER POINTS: don’t stress about black traps, they’re normal! these plants can be a handful, but once you learn how to care for it they’re a lot of fun to have. most importantly, don’t play with the traps (they can only close a few times and it takes a lot of energy for them to do so), and make sure you’re getting your flytraps from a sustainable seller, so we can enjoy these wonderfully awesome plants for years to come.Â
DISCLAIMER: this post is general care based on my own research and experiences as a plant owner. not everything will work for everyone, but trial and error is how we learn. be sure to ask any questions you have or offer any advice if you have experience growing these, I would love to hear it!
