Venus Fly Trap Plant Introduction

Plants will finally have there revenge so look out bugs the Venus Flytrap is coming for you! A family favourite, the Venus Flytrap is about as iconic as plants come with it’s teethy jaws that crunch down on anything that enters its ‘mouth.’ Although inexpensive the Dionaea muscipula or Venus Flytrap is also often a high casualty with plant parents often badly misunderstood with it’s care requirements. So we’re here to help, to lay down the law so your Venus Flytrap can keep snapping his jaws, happily and for years to come! The good news is once you understand its requirements it actually is quite an easy plant to care for.

Venus Fly Trap Plant Lighting & Position

The first mistake people make is not giving the Venus Flytrap enough light. During the growing season from spring to autumn, place the pot in a spot that receives 12 hours or as much light as possible each day. Place in bright direct sunlight for at least 4 hours.

Venus Fly Trap Plant Soil

Venus flytraps will usually come in their pot and probably won’t need potting up for some time but if required choose nutrient-free soil that is well-drained and aerated. Use a standard soil mix of 1 part peat moss and 1 part perlite. Never use potting soil, compost or fertilizer. These ingredients will kill your plants.

Venus Fly Trap Plant Watering

The second most common mistake people make with Venus Flytraps is underwatering. Always keep the pot in standing water. Do not let the soil dry out completely. Venus flytraps prefer mineral-free water. Bottled distilled water, water that has been passed through a reverse osmosis system, or collected rainwater works best.

If you grow your plant in a pond or fountain, keep the water level no higher than halfway up the pot. Avoid drowning the crown of the plant.

Venus Fly Trap Plant Temperatures and Dormancy

Venus flytraps can be sensitive to cold so ideally keep above 10C. Venus Flytraps do go Dormant over the Cooler Months often for 3 to 5 months. This is perfectly natural and will allow the plant to thrive for many more years to come. So don’t panic, don’t throw out your Venus flytrap, it won’t look pretty over the Dormancy period but with patience it will bounce back and be snapping again at bugs in no time!

Venus Fly Trap Plant Fertiliser

You should not fertilize the soil of your Venus flytrap. The soil of its natural habitat is low in nutrients and fertilizers will slowly kill your plant. The plant will receive energy from the sun and capturing insects.

We recommend using our Plant Food available here. 

Venus Fly Trap Plant Extra Tips

Will playing with and closing all of it’s traps harmful to the plant?
Venus flytraps captures insects to provide energy for growth. It uses energy to close its traps and it can take some time for them to reopen, all time that can create missed opportunities for the plant to catch some prey. It is fun and of course kids will love it, so either do just 1 or 2 at a time if you can’t resist the temptation or even better, find a few dead insects to drop in!

Are Venus Flytraps effective for controlling pests?
Of course, Venus Flytraps will do their mighty best to eat as many bugs as they can but being a small plant with perhaps 5 to 7 traps it might do well to eat 12 bugs a month. So Venus Flytraps are a contributor and can help but in larger pest infestations they can be easily overwhelmed. To really keep on top of pests Venus Flytraps will likely need backup such as Nepenthe Pitcher Plants that can consume much larger bugs.

Venus Fly Trap Plant Design Tips

Carnivorous plants are some of the most whimsical plants around and when together this is only exaggerated. Venus Flytraps and Sundews are awesome little groundcovers to Sarracenia Trumpet Plants, so why not create a little Carnivorous pot garden. Their bright colours and striking patterns can look amazing against a dark charcoal or black pot or if you want more colour blue can also work well with their loud colours.