The Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula)
The Venus Fly Trap is an awesome plant famous for its carnivorous diet. It uses its nectar to lure bugs into its traps, which then close and digest the bug.
Seriously. A vicious, meat-eating plant. You can feel yourself longing to join this club already, can't you?
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And that's about all we need to know. Except- wait!
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Do you have a Venus Fly Trap?:
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If you said yes a long time ago, thanks for joining!
Now for some cool Venus Fly Trap stuff! Sit back and enjoy!
Venus Fly Trap Care
Have a Fly Trap, but don't know where to go from here? Here's what to do!
- If it's not already in one, put your Trap in a pot with "bad" dirt in it- high quality dirt is bad for the Trap. Use peat moss and perlite, or buy ready-made Venus Fly Trap dirt. Don't fertilize your plant.
- Next step is water. The Trap is highly sensitive to chemicals- don't use tap water. Rainwater is best, but distilled water will work. Keep the dirt wet at all times but don't let the plant be in standing water. (correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that during the dormancy period you should just keep watering it as usual? Edit: Thank you Lonin, who says that Traps should be kept drier in the cold)
- Now light. Traps need as much light as you can get them during their growing period. 12 to 14 hours if possible. Placing your plant at a south-facing window is best.
- Humidity next. Venus Fly Traps thrive in climates with 50% + humidity. If you don't live in a place that humid, fill a evenly tray with pebbles, then fill the tray with water to the point where the top of the pebbles are just out of the water. Then put your plant on top of these pebbles.
- Finally, what we've all been waiting for, food. Venus Fly Traps catch their own food, so no need to worry. They eat about 2 or 3 bugs a month, and that is all they need. Their traps will remain closed several days (? Is it days or weeks? I'm forgetting) to digest the bug, then open again.
Venus Fly Trap Don'ts
- Don't tease the traps but triggering them falsely. While highly amusing, it takes a lot of energy to snap those traps closed, and the poor plant will die if you exercise it without letting it eat.
- Don't feed it raw meat. The plant will rot.
- When in the fall, you see it dying, don't throw it away, it's merely entering its dormancy cycle. See FAQ below.
- Don't tease the traps but triggering them falsely. While highly amusing, it takes a lot of energy to snap those traps closed, and the poor plant will die if you exercise it without letting it eat.
- Don't feed it raw meat. The plant will rot.
- When in the fall, you see it dying, don't throw it away, it's merely entering its dormancy cycle. See FAQ below.
Venus Fly Trap Photos
A healthy Venus Fly Trap. Note the good red color. The redder the inside of a Venus Fly Trap, the healthier the Trap (usually).
A Venus Fly Trap entering its dormancy stage. Notice the black ends.
A Venus Fly Trap eating. *evil cackle*
A Venus Fly Trap flower. Some plants flower in the spring. If you see these flowers, it is best to clips them off, because they drain the plant's energy to grow.
A healthy Venus Fly Trap. Note the good red color. The redder the inside of a Venus Fly Trap, the healthier the Trap (usually).
A Venus Fly Trap entering its dormancy stage. Notice the black ends.
A Venus Fly Trap eating. *evil cackle*
A Venus Fly Trap flower. Some plants flower in the spring. If you see these flowers, it is best to clips them off, because they drain the plant's energy to grow.
Venus Fly Trap FAQ
Q: My Venus Fly Trap is turning brown/black and appears to be dying. Why?
A: Traps have a dormant cycle during the winter, and all or most of their foliage and traps die. Keep the plant in a cool place during this cycle, and after three or four months it will begin growing a bit. You can resume its normal care when it hits this point.
Q: My climate doesn't suite Venus Fly Traps. Does this mean I shouldn't own one?
A: Not at all. You can create the ideal climate with the right materials. Temperature can be controlled by putting the plant in a certain room where it is warmer or cooler, the humidity can be replicated in the fashion I described up in "Venus Fly Trap Care", and since Traps are indoor plants, you don't have to worry about the weather.
Q: Where can I buy a Venus Fly Trap?
A: Online (Amazon.com) or at an exotic plant store. Some regular stores have them, too (I saw them at a Home Depot). I got mine at Nick's Garden Center.
Venus Fly Trap Funny Stuff!
Nothing yet! This is terrible! It must be fixed! Post your funny Venus Fly Trap jokes/pictures so I can put them up here!
Nothing yet! This is terrible! It must be fixed! Post your funny Venus Fly Trap jokes/pictures so I can put them up here!
Join the Venus Fly Trap Club and have fun with fellow Venus Fly Trap owners or lovers! Ask advice or just chat!
Members:
[] folle [] (creator and topic police- not that we'll need one, hopefully!)
Idiocy (helped create the club)
Camo, The Creeper
Lonin
Laura87751
Members:
[] folle [] (creator and topic police- not that we'll need one, hopefully!)
Idiocy (helped create the club)
Camo, The Creeper
Lonin
Laura87751
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You forgot something! (Post what I should add to the front page!)
You should add:
(Sarracenia, drosera, utricularia, pinguicula)
