When I was younger, I always thought that the Venus flytrap was an alien specie from a different planet. If you have watched "The Little Shop Of Horrors", you may understand where that idea came from. It was up to the point that I wouldn't even want to get near to one. Now that I've grown, I have found that these little plants are actually so fascinating. Its more like having a pet than a plant. You can sometimes see it in action. However, it is still a bit of a challenge to properly care for one. A Carnivorous Plant Collector was able to care for the same plant for over 7 years. And this is how he did it:-
"Venus flytrap thrives in poor, acidic soil that stays damp but still has good drainage. Avoid planting it in regular potting soil: A blend of one-third sand and two-thirds sphagnum peat moss provides the best drainage and moisture retention. Never add fertilizer."
He also added, "Venus flytraps do best in bright but indirect light. It's especially important to avoid placing them in direct sunlight, which may get too hot and cause the leaves to turn crispy. When grown indoors under artificial lights, keep flytraps 4-7 inches away from fluorescent lights. If your plant's traps don't show a pink interior or if the leaves look long and spindly, provide more light."
And last advise' "For best Venus flytrap care, keep the environment humid and the soil moist but don't let the plants stand constantly in water. Never give your plants what comes out of your tap; it's usually too alkaline or might have too many minerals. Instead, rely on rain or use distilled water. Good air circulation is also important in growing Venus flytrap plants, so turn a fan on in the room where you keep them."
Of course there are other growers who have their own ways to care for it. Some even advised that the plants should be given 4 hours of direct sunlight every day. Also to feed very diluted fertilizers directly once every 1 or 2 months. It just goes to show that, just like pets, maybe these plants have their own different temperaments and needs. Whichever will work for you, you have to test it out to decide. It may be the location or climate that you are in which will determine how much light it needs.
Caring for a Venus Flytrap gives me a reason to go the park to catch small grasshoppers with my kids to feed it. Though it seems like I am the only one thoroughly enjoying the whole process, we still manage to capture a few small ones and a few moths as well. A word of advise - do not catch too much. You won't know what to do with them.
Overall, I think the Venus flytraps are truly spectacular. Just make sure that you keep chemicals and minerals away and only use distilled, reverse osmosis or rain water to water your plants and it should stay fine. Use sphagnum or peat moss as the main medium to keep it well drained. As for the light, I really can't be too sure. I have been placing mine near a north facing window and its still okay. Haven't tried full sun though. One last thing I would like to add. During hot days, I had mine placed in a recycle plastic bottle which I had modified to act as a Greenhouse to maintain a more acceptable humidity level.
If you have a Venus flytrap and have any tips or tricks that you can maybe share, I would really like to hear from you. Please leave a comment so that it can benefit the community.
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