Venus fly traps - tips and tricks from Kew Gardens

These popular carnivorous plants from the Carolinas are not difficult to grow at home, but there is a secret to success. Kew Gardens' expert unveils the secret to keeping them in excellent condition.

Category:

Science & Technology

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• venus
• fly
• traps
• carnivorous
• kew
• gardens
• botanic
• seeds
• plants
• botany
• conservation
• kew gardens
• venus fly trap
• growing
• tips
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[Tetraodontiformes]

It isn't recommended that you keep the flowers unless you are really good at greowing them. In the wild, where conditions are 100% favourable, the plants quickly recover the energy lost from flowering. However, in the standard household, there are hardly any of these plants that are actually grown in favourable conditions. As a result, many plants take a long time to recover or may not recover at all.

The most important thing is that venus flytrap MUST be kept in 3-4 hours+ of direct sunlight.

[kidcrazy991]

you could keep the flower stalks on if u want seeds to grow another one

[guzotak]

@Bryallen Yes but not the plant, the pot! The plant is going to "suck out" just about enough water so that it can live happy and healthy! Don't you dare drown that flower :D

[wimpykid768]

Cool I just got some two days ago =)

[Bryallen]

But.. But.. I bought my venus fly trap from Kew and the label said to always keep it in 0.5cm of water!

[4rafko4]

I love this video :)

[acarnivorous]

Love your posting and great info. I'm in Texas here it is Hot and Dry, so in my 50+ years of growing this odd plants, I have found that Terrarium is the best way to go! As you can check out in my posting, my Terrarium look GREAT, and have been with me for 10+ in this one Terrarium I am showing off! Thanks

[TheFlamedust]

is it normal that my venus fly trap has got so many traps so that they eat themselves? (started with 5 now 1 1/2 years later it has got about 42) i water it like hell like a morass.

[intergalacticpirate8]

i gave my venus fly trap a beetle, ten days later that trap has turned black and looks like it is rotting. should i remove that trap? it's like it has plant gangrene! i guess that type of beetle was poisonous.

[seansy59]

@Rswipeable I beleive each "Mouth" on the fly trap can open/close 3-5 times before that mouth dies. So i would resisit feeding them, and let them do it on its own. But if you do, roly poly's, are fine, and spiders(They can be dead when you touch them:) LOL. I wouldnt (me) feed them anything that you dont know what it is, in case it is poisen, it may kill it. Think of it as a child. Would you feed it any blueberry that you found outside, if your not sure if its the edible kind.