Venus Flytrap Care Instructions

Taxonomic Name: Dionaea muscipula

Sundew Family

Herbaceous Plant

No plant type provokes the imagination more than the kind that turns the tables by hunting animals--albeit tiny ones. And of all the carnivorous plant species that have evolved over millions of years, none is more popular than the famous Venus flytrap. This botanical wonder is a United States native; it grows in the Carolinas, in acidic bogs and sand barrens, where nitrogen and other essential plant nutrients are hard to come by. By developing leaves that quickly shut around unsuspecting flies, this species manages to extract from its animal victims some of the compounds it needs to survive in a very challenging environment. Most people who buy Venus flytraps on a whim and then neglect their special requirements soon find that their plants are a short-lived curiosity. But you can keep your flytrap flourishing by following the directions below.

How to Care for Your Plant:

LIGHT: Venus flytraps prefer at least some direct sunlight. They also grow and flower well in terrariums illuminated by bright, broad-spectrum grow lights.

ENVIRONMENT AND WATERING: Keep your plant either in a high-humidity terrarium (by far the best option) or in the enclosed plastic-cup container the plant was sold in. For instructions on how to set up a good mini-habitat, see the Chalet Care Sheet entitled "Making a Carnivorous-plant Terrarium." Make sure your plant's potting medium remains very moist but not quite waterlogged. When you do add extra moisture, use distilled water or rainwater. DO NOT use tap water, especially the kind treated by a water-softening system, as it contains minerals harmful to your plant.

FEEDING: While you can apply an all purpose houseplant fertilizer diluted to one-tenth its label recommendations twice a year, the best way to add nutrients is to feed your plant houseflies, ants, spiders, or other small insects or arachnids (yes, they can be dead, as long as they're clean). You can also use such pet-store items as pinhead crickets and "meal worm" larvae. DO NOT feed the plant hamburger or any other meat product. The fat content is indigestible and in fact will cause the leaf tissue to rot.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:  You may find that your plant wants to go dormant, or partially so, in the winter months. If so, the plant will either die back (sometimes completely) or it will form broader leaves with much smaller traps. Don't despair--in late winter or spring your plant should sprout new foliage and even flower for you.