you should grow your seedlings under artificial lights for now. atleast 16 hours daily under lights should be way enough, With the lights 6" inches above the seedlings. Always use the watering tray method and never allow their soil to dry out.

Sarracenia seeds take time to germinate, did you stratified them first before planting them?

thanks very much I'm quite new to this an i've done plenty of research its was just that my girl friend bought me some seeds and i got carried away an planted them straight away but i did cold stratify the sarrecina seeds but not the vft but that is the one that germinated first, wierd!

Hi there,

I am new to growing carnivorous plant. I have just bought a green venus flytraps and it has produced flowers. I am a newbie so if i ask a newbie questions, please guide me.

How do i germinate it and get seedling's from it? I do not want to buy new seeds so i want to harvest the seeds from my existing plant so i can breed new batches.

Hey rezan,

if you want your new plant to produce lots of seeds, make sure to grow it outside in the sun. or under very bright artificial lights for 16 hours per day.
Keep in mind that flytraps use lots of energy making that flower stalk. so it needs lots of light, specially because it's winter.

just make sure your plant gets enough light during the day:

1)Natural Sunlight - 4 to 6 Hours of direct sunlight.

2)Artificial Lighting - 16 Hours daily.

****************************************************

You may pollinate your plant's flower with a small paint Artists' brush. Venus' flytrap flowers are small and white.

The flowers has a small Nub in the middle, this is the stigma. then it has other small anthers around the stigma. These carry the POllen.

Please Note - the small nub in the middle of the flowers/Stigma, must be split or "hairy" before it accepts Pollen. You may cross pollen with your same flowers that your plant will give.

If it's timed right, the flowers will shrivel and form a seed pod. Just wait until the seedpod splits Open and reveals the seeds on their own, then harvest the seeds/
Flytrap seeds are VERY tiny, so becareful when you harvest them, use a white paper towel if necessary, not to lose them.

******************************************************
Flytrap seeds do not need stratification. You may plant them right away.

Germinating the flytrap seeds is very simple. After harvesting the seeds, Simple have a small 3" inch pot with moisten media ready. After that, simply sprinkle the seeds
Upon the media, do not burry them.

After they are on top of the moisten peatmoss, give them a last spray with small sprinkles of purified water. Then use the watering tray method to water your seeds for now on.

Do not overhead water them, they will spread all over the place.

after planting & watering your seeds, whatever you do, give them good Lighting. Do not cover your seeds with a plastic wrap or anything. grow your seeds as if you would grow a mature plant.

what i do is this: i put my seeds planted in the 3"inch pots in my sunny windowsill, they begin to germinate after 3 or 4 weeks. They get about 5 hours of bright/sunny light in my windowsill.

if you do not have a sunny window. you may grow them under artificial lights. give them about 16 hours daily if you grow them under artificial lights.

whatever you do, just be patient. flytrap seedlings take forever to turn into mature plants.

as for the "all green" trait, some seedlings may get them :) or all.. Good LUCK

NEVER allow the soil to dry out when you are growing flytraps from seeds!! :O always keep the soil moisten at all times.

thanks very much xymox got a relativly cheap murcury tungston bulb will this be good enough it is 160 watts and is very bright but does throw out a lot of heat (it melted part of the lamp that i had fitted it to!!) thou i have made sure that it is not scorching any of my plants especially the vft seedling thanks

Get a 40 Watt Lightbulb Instead, Heat transmission can be very bad for your lamp and even more for the plant. a 40 Watt lightbulb can be placed 6" inches above of your plant, this way it can get enough lighting for now.

Venus' flytraps go through dormancy in winters but since you bearly bought yours, it may skip its Dormancy period this winter. After 2007 spring arrives, it's best to grow your plant outdoors once weather raises and days become longer.

ok will a standard 40 watt bulb be alright it doesn't need to be a special bulb or any thing? because i thought that they didn't really produce the right sort of light that the plant uses for growth.

Focuse on Wattage. Although i never used "grow lights" before, Some tend to have the wrong light spectrum. But i mainly focuse on Watts when i grow a Single plant under lights.

I tried other type of lightbulbs before, but some were too hot(The heat burnt the plant's leaves)

And some lightbulbs weren't bright enough(and this caused weak growth)

A standard 40 Watt lightbulb for 16 hours daily is sufficient. I grew a venus' flytrap under lights in 2004 throughout the whole winter since i bought it a bit off-season and it did fine, i ended up cutting the flower stalk, though, Having a feeling that it would had grown more vigorously by doing such(which it did)

it's easier turning on the lightbulb around 7 AM and turning off around 10 PM or 10:30sh.

And since it's only one venus' flytrap under the lights, the light will only be focused on your flytrap :) so don't worry about lighting, Focus on wattage more than anything.
Much luck with your new flytrap, i am pretty sure it will thrive soon

ok thanks very much, the light is also benifiting the other plants that i have on my window sill which are tropical such as my mimosa (or ticklish plant) and I'm in the process of germinating some other carnivorous plants seed such as sarracinia and cobra pitchers, i also already have an adult vft which i got the seeds from for the seedling i am in the process of starting a collection as i have always been facinated by them, and i was wondering which of the high land nepenthes species is easiest to grow?

From my experience Nepenthes Sanguinea is one of the fastest & easiest growers that need no little attention, they can be grown in a bright Window. and it's great for Nepenthes beginners. I'm pretty sure there are easy nepenthes to grow but i myself haven't tried them yet.

just stick to nepenthes sanguinea. Happy growing.

ok thanks very much dont think i will get it right away gonna wait untill i have grown the seeds i have already but thanks very much all the same i was asking as they would proved some interest over the winter months as most other cp's go dormant

To xymox and the others,

thanks for the info. This forum is very helpful. I will try xymox method and if it works, i will post some photo's here.

Hi there,

I am back with a few questions of keeping my vft healthy and germinating it. I have taken some photo's so the members here can help me.

Firstly, my vft has some dead traps . Should i cut them away or just leave them there to rot. It looks gross.

http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/~rezanshk/carni%20web/2.html
click vft3.jpg

2. To germinate them according to xymox, i need to harvest the seeds . My plant flower has shrivelled and it looks like this. Is it ok to cut off the shrivelled flower ?

http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/~rezanshk/carni%20web/img8.jpg

Is the above link the seedpod or do I have to wait for it to dry? Does anyone have a picture of how the seedpod should looks like.

3. I also opted to buy some vft and pitcher plant seeds and try to grow them from the seeds. I must say the seeds are very small and I am amazed this small seed can grown into this beautiful plant.

I was told by the shop staff to use a seed mixture which is a mixture of peat moss and other things. They told me to plant the seeds on the surface and bury it a little. Then put the pot in a bucket of water until the top layer of the soil becomes wet. When that happens, i can remove the pot from the bucket and just use a water dish. They told me to fill the water dish whenever it runs dry. I am using distilled water . I have done all of this. Is this a correct way to grow the vft and pitcher plant?

If I put under direct sun light for 4-6 hours as xymox mentioned, can be intense sun light or soft light under a shade?

http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/~rezanshk/carni%20web/img19.jpg

http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/~rezanshk/carni%20web/img13.jpg

I also wanted to know, is there any natural peat moss I can get dig myself instead of buying it from the gardening shop?

Any good books for beginners like me to buy as i plan to increase my carnivorous plant collection and would like to know some tips and advice on growing each.

Appreciate any info.

Here is a link that might be useful: photo's of my vft

To rezan I'm far from an expert but the vft seeds look small black and tear shaped and you should usually wait untill the seed head and most of the stem have gone black and withered before planting the seeds which is what i did and my seds are growing fine (thou vft seeds are easy to grow). you should never bury the seeds just leave them on the surface providing they have good contact with the soil. As far as i've heard the savage garden is a very good book but it only focuses on what is good for the person who wrote it but this can be modified for your own needs

Rezan,

I have to admit, you have a really nice VFT there in your pics.

I saw your plant's flower, just leave it alone for now, allow the seedpod to Swell and the seeds will be revealed on their own after the flowerpod withers completely.

Your flytraps' dead leaves are best to be trimmed off. this will help it not to get any fungus or any type of rotting infestation around the base of the plant.

Natural peat is a bit hard to obtain, unless you have permission or live in a place where has Acidic Bogs.

Flytrap's Soil media is usually "peat moss mixed with Perlite"

You can obtain Peat moss & Perlite at Local garden Centers or at Walmart. After you obtain these medias, mix them 50% peatmoss + 50% perlite.

Make sure it's not "African violet soil" or "Potting soil" These type of soil usually contain hidden fertilizers which can kill carnivorous plants quickly, so avoid them.

Get (sphagnum)Peatmoss and Perlite.

Your Sarracenia Pitcher plant seeds will need a cold stratification period before planting them.

cold stratification is a stimulation for some carnivorous plant seeds. They need to get cold, moist periods during the winter period.

This can be done in two ways:

1) Fridge Method - Moisten a paper towel with purified water. Squeeze the excess of water off the paper Towel. Then wrap your Sarracenia pitcher plant seeds with the moisten paper towel.
After this, put your wrapped Sarracenia seeds inside a ziplock bag inside the Fridge(not freezer) for about 5 weeks. Inspect them every week if mold or fungus has grown.
Many growers spray fungicide to their seeds before storing them inside the fridge. After those 5 weeks of coldness, you may lay your seeds upon a mixture of 50% peatmoss+50% perlite outside in full sun. the seeds should sprout in 4 weeks.

2) Natural Stratification - If you live in a State where winters are very cold, You may plant your Sarracenia Pitcher plant seeds upon 50% peatmoss+50% Perlite Mix.
make sure the seeds are not burried or covered by the media.
After planting them, sprinkle them with drops of purified water a bit to adjust them to the media, After this, use the water tray method, Never allow the soil to dry out.

**Since you would live in a place with cold winters, your seeds will get the cold stratification Outdoors, then when spring arrives, the days willbecome warmer and longer.The seeds will sprout on their own.

******************************************************

Try either stratification technique. whatever works best for you, give it a try.

Flytrap seeds do not need a cold stratification and they may be layed upon moisten peatmoss right away and be placed in a sunny/bright location. never allow their soil to dry out.. in 4 weeks you should see small little flytraps.

thanks xymox and gingerpyro for your advice and tips.

I have been growing my vft seeds in the seed mixture for nearly 2 weeks and i cannot see a single sign of a sprout popping out from the soil.

Does it takes this long for a small sprout to grow from the soil? I am suspecting the soil mixtre sold to me by the garden shop is not suitable for the vft and the pitcher plant.

As for the seedpods from the flower , i am still confused how it would look like. I have taken a photo of what i think is a seed pod from the flower, please correct me if i am wrong? The black spherical looking thing is what i think is the seedpod

http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/~rezanshk/carni%20web/flowering/img2.jpg

If any member here have a photo from a live vft which has the seedpod intact, it would be helpful to me so i know what i am looking for.

At the moment, i have 4 flowers dying, should i wait until they become really dried up so i can harvest the seed.

For the pitcher plant i have, do i have to do the cold stratification for it to grow? I am living in australia and it is summer now and our winter here are not very cold. The weather has been good and i am getting good direct sunlight(12hours) and temperature around 25-35C daily.

Once again, this forum is so helpful for newbie vft grower like myself. I like doing some research on my vft. I have zero experiance in gardening and i just got into it because i saw this beautiful vft. I wanted to know are there any scientific experiments I can do with my vft like keep measurements of soil ph and etc so to know my vft is growing in good health. could use some advice.

What type of Soil did you get for your VFT seeds and Sarracenia seeds? it has to be sphagnum peatmoss & perlite.

Avoid all potting soils for regular house plants.

As for your flowers, the picture is too small, i do see the flowerpod dark brownish. Don't bother to inspect it, the seedpod must Swell and then it will reveal the seeds on its own(the seeds won't fall or anything. just harvest them if you see them)

Your VFT seeds must be layed upon 50% Sphagnum peatmoss + 50% Perlite Mixture. It can take up to 4 weeks in order for your seeds to germinate. if you are growing your seeds in a sunny Window or Under lights, just be patient.
Just keep the compost moist at all times. and water your seeds with the "tray method"

This is an example how i water my VFTS or seeds, There's always a small tray below their pots/containers. When i water my Vfts or seeds, i pour water in their trays, not upon the plants or seeds.

{{gwi:545230}}
Well, on mature plants you can over-head water them, On seeds it's best to pour water in their trays, then sumerge their pot/container above the water and let the pot/container sink. this way, the soil will always be moisten, Never allow the Media to dry out.

Your Sarracenia seeds most likely will need to cold-stratification Period.

To xymox:

"What type of Soil did you get for your VFT seeds and Sarracenia seeds?"

I bought a soil mixture at the garden shop where the sales person0 said is was a mixture of peat moss and sand. here's a photo of it below. I suspect the soil mixture isn't 50% peat moss+ pearlite. Is there a way to test the soil to see if it is the correct type to use?

http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/~rezanshk/carni%20web/img19.jpg

"It can take up to 4 weeks in order for your seeds to germinate."

just to clarify, if it takes 4 weeks to germinate, will i see any sign the seed is growing like tiny sprouts or some tell tale sign to know my seed is growing properly. I just want to know this seed is doing well in the soil.

thanks for the picture, i am keeping my pot as your picture but my pot is a bit big and that could be a problem why the seed is growing slowly.

"Your Sarracenia seeds most likely will need to cold-stratification Period. "
I will do this for my pitcher plant seed.

Xymox your advice has been very helpful and valuable to my understanding of this vft.

Rezan,

Buy a bag of sphagnum peat moss and a bag of perlite. That soil you bought probably won't do well on carnivorous plants.

a small plastic 3" inch pot is ideal to germinate seeds, because you won't be using much water on them. and it will be easier to keep their soil very moist all the times.

Yes,it takes about 4 weeks for the seeds to germinate.
No, i do not have any type of pictures to show how seedlings look like after sprouting. try using www.google.com on images.

I do have this pic, though:
{{gwi:546058}}

see ya.

xymox,

thanks for the picture. It's very cool, so many baby vft in one pot. You must be an expert at growing vft.

I think you are right on the soil. I was thinking to test the soil for its pH today and if turns out alkaline, i will throw it out and get some peat moss + pearlite. Can i adjust my soil pH by adding some sulfur to make it more acid? Will that make it conducive for my vft?

Just curious, how do you paste a photo in between the text in this forum? i have no clue how to do that.

For the pitcher plant, is there a way to speed up the cold stratification. I posted some questions on the herbs forum on growing parsley.

One of the member there said to put the parsley seed in the fridge for 6 weeks or 1 week in the freezer to bring the parsley seed out of its winter dormancy. Can i do the same thing with the pitcher plant , say put it 1 week in the freezer to fool it to think it was in the fridge for 5 weeks?

Any tips to speed up the growth of vft from seeds to tiny sprouts like in your picture?

Rezan,

there was about 100s of vft seedlings in that container. Many of them have grown out now on days.

About the PH on the soil, i never tried sulfur acid.
Carnivorous plants live naturally in bogs in the Carolinas. The easiest way to keep your plant's Soil acidic all of the time is to water it with clean water.

That's why carnivorous plants die if you water them with regular tap water. Tap water contains Salts, chlorine and other crap that is Harsh on VFTs roots.

Use only reverse osmosis water, rain water, purified water without sodium.

I get water from those bending machines for 25 cents at the store, easy as that.

Never tried the stratification in the freezer for Sarracenia seeds before. Simply wrap the seeds in a moisten paper Towel, then put your seeds inside a ziplock bag, and store them in the fridge for 5 weeks. If you store them in the freezer your seeds will most likely freeze and lose vitality to germinate. It may work for parsley but a Sarracenia is different. patience is required..

The only way to speed up VFT seedlings to grow faster is to grow them in a bright location, so avoid any type of fertilizer; it will burn the plantet's roots and kill them off.

My tip for you is: after your VFT seeds germinate, either grow them in a sunny windowsill or under artificial lighting for 16 hours daily.

*********************************************************

To paste pictures in the forum. Simply do this:

1)Make an account at www.photobucket.com

2)Upload your pictures in that Site.

3)There will be different Url Links below each picture, Copy the link that says "Tag"

4)Then Simply paste the "Tag" url link here in the Comments.

Easy as that :)

Hi xymox,

My vft flowers have all shrivel and died. I took some photo's of it. My question, do i have to wait 6 weeks until it is really dried up or can i pluck the seeds out from it now to plant it?

http://www.materials.unsw.edu.au/~rezanshk/carni%20web/dying%20flowers/dying%20flowers2.html

From my photo, i see white seeds and i can't seem to locate the black seed pods. Can i just cut the whole dead flower and plant it since the seedpod is in it and it should grow from there?

My old soil mixture had a 7.0 pH. I bought sphagnum peat moss and pearlite and made a 50/50 mixture. Should there be mixed evenly or should the moss be on top of the pearlite? When i have some time, i will post a photo of how i mix it.

rez

Here is a link that might be useful: dead vft flowers

Rezan,

I saw your pictures of your plant's shriveled flowers. The reason why you found green/white seeds it's because you inspected them too soon. You were about to get seed but you disturbed the flower pods. Don't worry, allow the other green flower pods to reveal the seeds ON THEIR OWN. don't disturb them at all. I doubt you can get any seedlings out of the immature white/green seeds. Just be patient until the flower pods Ripe.

Yup, you may mix the sphagnum peat moss and the perlite. but just wait until the seeds are revealed by the plant on its own.

The peat moss must be mixed very well with the perlite so the media can have a very good drainage to water your seeds when you plant them.
Cheers. :)

Hi xymox,

thanks for your reply. Below is a picture of the 50/50 mixture of pearlite+ moss i am using. I tried mixing evenly, does this mixture looks ok?

{{gwi:567976}}

I notice the moss get very dried up under the aussie sun within a day, should i keep wetting it and making it moist?

I am thinking of buying a ph meter? Can you recommend a good one? I look through ebay and found the following ones. Can you tell me which is a good buy?

1. PH METER SOIL TESTER/SEEDS/VEGETABLES/GREENHOUSE/PLANTS

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=008&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=180058388130&rd=1&rd=1

2. NEW Plant & Garden Nutrient Soil PH and Moisture Meter

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-Plant-Garden-Nutrient-Soil-PH-and-Moisture-Meter_W0QQitemZ290064034385QQihZ019QQcategoryZ29517QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

3. 4 WAY SOIL ANALYZER pH Light Moisture Fertility Meter

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/4-WAY-SOIL-ANALYZER-pH-Light-Moisture-Fertility-Meter_W0QQitemZ130059895460QQihZ003QQcategoryZ75670QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Sorry for the delayed reply.
is your mixture looks fine. is it long fiber sphagnum moss?

I wouldn't spend so much for a PH meter if you know that your media is already acidic.

hi xymox ,

thanks for your reply.I check my peat moss, it is called long spaghnum peat moss from new zealand. i am still waiting for my cold stratification period for my saracenia to finish so i have not planted anything yet in it. Even the vft seed pods are not dried out yet and haven't revelead themselves. i have ordered some vft seeds and i was wondering it is possible to plant vft and saracenia in the same pot?

I notice the moss get very dried up in the australian sun so i water it with distilled water daily and whenever it rains, i let it soak out to absord the rain water.

Have you ever use those self watering crystals they sell at the garden shop. They said it will release water slowly and i do not need to water the plants that often. it is good when someone is leaving the garden over a holiday.

As for the pH meter, i will not get it as i think i won't be using it that often.

Do you know any amateur science projects we can run with the vft and saracenia? I am just guessing, like measuring soil or water activity? I am a science major and would like to those things on my plants.

Hi everyone,

Just got my delivery on vft seeds and my cold strafication period for my saracenia is over. I planted the vft in a 50% peat moss+pearlite media and needed some info? I moistened the media with distilled water and put the pot on a saucer with that water.

Some instructions that came with the vft seeds said i should cover the pot top with a transparent glass or plastic to make sure the conditions for the seed to grow is ideal. That is the seed needs high humidity, heat and sunlight. Is this right?

I am placing the media outside under the sun and the saucer get dried up really quickly so i am usually filling up the saucer on a daily basis. please add any other tips to grow this saracenia and vft seeds properly.

rezan,

you don't have to cover the seeds if you are growing them outside in the sun. Humidity isn't a big of a deal. Keep the soil wet/moisten all the times. and grow your seeds in a sunny location without covering them with anything. Don't burry them in the soil either, just sprinkle them evenly across the soil.. water them, and keep them in a really bright location.

in 3 - 4 weeks you should see vft seedlings and sarracenia seedlings. good luck.

Make sure to always use a tray method to water your seeds By pouring water into a saucer, then slowly summerging the pot with your seeds already planted.

never allow their soils to dry out. Don't cover your seeds when grown outside in full sun, you will cook them under the hot sun. just water your seeds everyday.. and grow them outside or in a sunny windowsill. no fertilizers.. be patient..

Personally, I would not recommend trying to germinate them in full sun. I would put the entire Pot into a plastic bag and keep it in about 50 % shade. After the seeds germinate slowly introduce them to partial sun. These are babies after all they usually germinate in the shade of the parent plant.
Some people grow them under light 24/7 and indoors until they are 2 years old.
So many differnet ways to come to the same conclusion
Gr8 growin'
Lois