venus flytrap help?

Question

can someone help with my vft i want it to flower but it keeps catching bugs and these little things are growing that i don't know if you could answer these both i would be very grateful.

Answer 1

I recently got into venus flytraps last year and did alot of research on them. Firstly, I don't know what you mean in the second part of your question about little things, but I don't think you want your VFT to flower. From everything that I've heard they die when they flower, because it's such a big drain on the plant which doesn't get alot of nutrients and I had one grow a flower stalk and it died even before it flowered, but to help you out I'll tell you the things that I've learned and you can try them. I bought another VFT at the beggining of the summer and it's done well and actually grew three little VFT's that I seperated tonight. Well, here goes.

1. VFT's like poor, acidic soil. 1/2 peat moss and 1/2 perilite works well. Don't use any potting soil. It's too rich and will kill the plant.
2. They like damp soil, but will rot if it's wet all the time. I water thouroughly and the top of the soil becomes all most black and stays that way for a day or two. When it turns brown(because the top dried off) I check it more frequently, and when it's just moist around a centimiter or two down I water it again.
3. Never use anything but plain water, chlorine in tap water will kill it, but if you let it sit in an open container for 24hrs. it should be fine. Never use any kind of fertilizer, like mircal grow water. If it touches the roots it will kill the plant.
4. I bought mine from walmart where it was under dim light. If you got yours from a similar situation you should aclimatize it to the outdoors, because it does best outside. Put it in a shady spot for a week or so with some bright light and then you can move it into full sun where it will do best.
5. When a trap which is a modified leaf, not a flower, starts to turn black then cut it off as close to the base as possible, because it's just using resources.
6. Don't close the traps unneccasarily. It'll stress and kill them and stress the plant. It can catch it's own bugs while outside and you can feed it the OCASSIONAL SOFT bodied insect. NEVER feed it anything besides insects.
7. I read somewhere and tried this. It didn't hurt, but I'm not sure it helped. You can fix mirical grow liquid fertilizer and dip a q-tip in the water. Shake off the excess so it doesn't drip and brush, preferably the bottom, of no more that three leaves. Like I said above if it drips down to the roots it will kill the plant.
8. Flower start out as a stem that at first looks like just another leaf coming out, but it doesn't unfold and the part that looks like the trap turns into a knob. The stalk grows taller and thicker. I assume that it flowers after that, but as I said mine died before getting that far.

I know I'm probably forgetting something, but that should set you on the right path and if you have a specific question you can e-mail me and I'll try to answer it, but I would suggest you do what I do and do alot off internet research whenever you get a new plant. Good Luck!

Answer 2

VFTs produce flowers in the spring. They will need to be winterized or they will not reemerge in the Spring. I don't know what zone you are in, but if you live in a zone where winter temps do not drop below 20 degrees then you can keep your VFT outside for the winter. If you do drop below 20 then you will need to move it into a unheated garage or garden shed. If you live in a zone where you do not freeze at all then you will need to refrigerate your VFT in order to let it hibernate and then after a few months slowly bring it out and start giving it sun and distilled water. Your plants will begin to grow and hopefully you will get a flower scape shortly thereafter.

Good Luck

Here are some sites that you should find very helpful in raising your VFTs.
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/carnivorousplants?starvote=2&pid=153840
http://www.the-venus-flytrap.com/venus-flytrap-help.html
http://www.expertvillage.com/videos/pitcher-feeding.htm
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/terrariums-selecting.htm
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/carnivorous-plant-propagation-division.htm

VFT (carnivorous plant) NO NOs:
No fertilizer of any kind...EVER (Plant in peat and perlite only)
No straight tap water...Use aged tap, distilled, or rain water
No meat or fat products of any kind

Answer 3

Venus flytraps should be kept in pots on a patio, deck or position in the garden that receives at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day. In areas of lower humidity, it is best to place plants in very wide water trays in an attempt to increase humidity levels. Better still, grow Venus flytraps in a greenhouse which often leads to healthy, vigorous and colourful plants. The colour of the trap leaves may be used as an indicator of sufficient light. In appropriate conditions the inside of each trap should be bright red in color for most varieties. In insufficient light the inside of the traps turn light green. Low light also causes etiolation and makes plants more susceptible to diseases.

Venus flytraps are best grown in mixtures of sphagnum peat moss and/or peat often with the addition of sand, perlite or other inert salt free material. Soil pH should be in the range of 3.9 to 4.8.

Venus Flytraps ideally should not be watered with tap water as accumulated salts in tap water may kill carnivorous plants. Soft water with TDS of 100 ppm or less yields good growth, both distilled water or clean rain water are ideal. The soil should be kept constantly moist by placing the pot in a tray full of water, with the root bulb of the plant allowed to be above the level of the water at least part of the time, to prevent root rot in stagnant water. There is no danger of over-watering. Venus flytraps can survive short periods of immersion underwater.

Answer 4

Its suppose to catch bugs thats why its a venus fly trap and it will grow flowers once it gets enough food from the bugs

Answer 5

ok, those "traps" that it grows are the flowers. They trap a bug and then turn black and fall off. Then new ones grow. It only needs a little water, not alot.

Answer 6

try wrapping it on something transparent like plastic wrap or a clear plastic container. Poke holes to let the air escape and water it occasionally.

Answer 7

Also, they don't need fertilizer - they get all the nutrients they need from the insects.

Answer 8

explain a little more lol

Answer 9

Idk
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