New Venus Fly Trap--Basic ??'s

17 years ago

Hello~ I just purchased a VFT from Lowes... From research on the internet I have found that from Halloween to Valentines Day it should be sort of hibernating and that much of its growth should have died back and you don't need to feed it. Well, it still looks very much green to me! What should I do?

I also found that hamburger is a big NO-NO. I'm not sure where to find mini sized flies in the middle of winter (assuming I still have to feed it at all). Is there any other easy to obtain household food that would work? Or are all too high in fat?

& if there is no alternative to bugs, where to purchase the bugs? The traps are around a cm big, so those are some pretty tiny crickets, flies etc.

How often to spray/water? It is in a little container 5'' tall by 3'' wide.

& what the heck to the websites mean when they say "bright" but not "direct" sunlight? How about an east facing window that gets around a couple hours bright light and med. light the rest of the day?

Any other tips you may have would be greatly appreciated!

And I know this is a lot of questions, I just don't want my little bargain plant to die right away =) Any tips appreciated, Thanks. Cydney.

Comments (4)

lindaflower
17 years ago
Hi - You came to the right place!
1. Your plant may not go dormant this winter. Don't worry about it.
2. Keep it very wet and use distilled water or rain water only. Do not use spring or tap water. The plants can't handle the minerals.
3. Very bright light is optimal. Just make sure it isn't going to get real hot where you put it.
4. Do not put it in a terrarium, make sure it has air flow around it.
5. You don't need to feed it. They can survive a long time without bugs and it is probably stressed right now and the trap would just die anyway. It will catch bugs on its own in the Spring.

These plants grow in bogs, which means they stay very wet, have plenty of fresh air and full sun (trees can't grow in bogs). Since you're in Colorado, a south facing window would work fine... lots of sun!

Have fun!
cydneyn
Original Author
17 years ago
If it is not in a terrarium though, won't it dry out since it is such a dry climate? & it's traps are quite small, will it be able to catch flies or other bugs just by sitting in the house?

Everything else you said is going to be a great help! Thanks!!
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nepenthesfreak_2007
17 years ago
As long as you mist it twice a day, and make sure the soil doesn't dry out for more than a minute, humidity shouldn't be much of a problem. If the plant gets a few hours of light every day, light shouldn't be a problem either. About dormancy, maybe you should put it in a cool place until easter - around 50 degrees. This shouldn't kill the plant, as these plants always survive winters in the carolinas where thay are native. It may look as though its dying, but it should come back when you bring it out, around easter. However, if your plant isnt showing signs of dormancy, it might be too young! I wouldn't worry about it too much, despite the fact that I just typed a huge paragraph about it!
bonsai_knight
17 years ago
Here's a good tip: keep it in about half an inch of water.
This has kept mine alive and eating household pests for about two or three months. And don't feed it dead
bugs-it'll spit 'em out, and it wears out the trap.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cool VFT info