Venus Fly Trap - Ask Extension
I have venus fly trap seeds. Should I plant them in regular garden soil and then transplant them in a soil use tor orchids when they sprout
Knowledgebase
Venus Fly Trap #863110
Asked April 02, 2024, 10:57 AM EDT
I have venus fly trap seeds. Should I plant them in regular garden soil and then transplant them in a soil use tor orchids when they sprout
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
We recommend neither of those soil types. Instead, use mostly peat moss and perhaps some sand and/or perlite for drainage mixed in. Live sphagnum moss is another option, but much harder to find unless ordered online. Dried long-fiber sphagnum moss (which is not the same as dried, processed peat moss) is another option and is a material that some orchids are potted in. (Some orchids are potted into orchid bark, so we weren't sure which type of mix you were referring to.)
Carnivorous plants require special conditions in which to grow. In the wild they are adapted to habitats with low soil nutrients (at least, low in nitrogen) so must have a fertilizer-free potting substrate and a water source that is fairly pure. Rainwater is fine, but if impractical to collect (if you don't have a rain barrel, for example), buying or making your own distilled water (with a home distiller) is suitable. Filtered water (such as from a Brita filter) will probably not be pure enough. Tap water could eventually kill the plants, and it would also potentially kill any live moss they may be growing in (if you try that technique). Not only are the minerals found in municipal water sources harmful to these plants over time, but additives like chlorine or fluoride also might cause damage if they are sensitive to it.
Venus Fly Traps are unusual among the types of carnivorous plants people grow as houseplants because they are not really tropical indoor plants -- they are native to peat bogs in the Carolinas, where they experience winter like any other hardy perennial. Despite still being popularly sold as a houseplant, they are not suited to year-round indoor conditions and are instead best grown outside and simply sheltered a little (from the brunt of the cold, which impacts plants in pots more than those in the ground) during winter. Bright light is also key to good growth, and indoor light is usually insufficient unless the plants are put under strong grow lights or kept in a very sunny window. Outside, they can grow in full sun or a mostly-sunny exposure.
Since they are a locally-native plant there, N.C. State has a page online about growing Venus Fly Traps from seed that may be useful. Information in books about cultivating carnivorous plants (both hardy and tropical), such as The Savage Garden by author Peter D'Amato (there is a revised version released), can also be valuable for caring for this and other carnivorous plant species.
Miri
Carnivorous plants require special conditions in which to grow. In the wild they are adapted to habitats with low soil nutrients (at least, low in nitrogen) so must have a fertilizer-free potting substrate and a water source that is fairly pure. Rainwater is fine, but if impractical to collect (if you don't have a rain barrel, for example), buying or making your own distilled water (with a home distiller) is suitable. Filtered water (such as from a Brita filter) will probably not be pure enough. Tap water could eventually kill the plants, and it would also potentially kill any live moss they may be growing in (if you try that technique). Not only are the minerals found in municipal water sources harmful to these plants over time, but additives like chlorine or fluoride also might cause damage if they are sensitive to it.
Venus Fly Traps are unusual among the types of carnivorous plants people grow as houseplants because they are not really tropical indoor plants -- they are native to peat bogs in the Carolinas, where they experience winter like any other hardy perennial. Despite still being popularly sold as a houseplant, they are not suited to year-round indoor conditions and are instead best grown outside and simply sheltered a little (from the brunt of the cold, which impacts plants in pots more than those in the ground) during winter. Bright light is also key to good growth, and indoor light is usually insufficient unless the plants are put under strong grow lights or kept in a very sunny window. Outside, they can grow in full sun or a mostly-sunny exposure.
Since they are a locally-native plant there, N.C. State has a page online about growing Venus Fly Traps from seed that may be useful. Information in books about cultivating carnivorous plants (both hardy and tropical), such as The Savage Garden by author Peter D'Amato (there is a revised version released), can also be valuable for caring for this and other carnivorous plant species.
Miri
