Venus’s-Flytrap
Dionaea muscipula. DROSERACEAE.
Planting and Growing Venus’s-Flytrap
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow Venus’s-flytrap in the accompanying table’s tabs:
-
- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of Venus’s-flytrap
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for Venus’s-flytrap
- Season of bloom and planting time for Venus’s-flytrap
- When, how deep, and where to plant Venus’s-flytrap
- How to plant Venus’s-flytrap
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of Venus’s-flytrap
- Landscape and container uses of Venus’s-flytrap
- Comments about Venus’s-flytrap and its features
Growing Venus’s-Flytrap
Single species of low, spreading, carnivorous, short-lived, deciduous perennial herbs, to 14 in. (36 cm) tall, 8 in. (20 cm) wide.
Specialized, light green stems bear bright pink, hinged, fly-trapping lobes, to 5 in. (13 cm) long, forming a circular, radiating base.
Each lobe trap, fringed with guard hairs, bears 3 trigger hairs that cause the trap to close around visiting insects drawn to color and sweet nectar fragrance.
Semi-dormant in winter.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
With sufficient protein from captured prey, produces white flowers, to 3/4-in. (19-mm) wide, in late spring–early summer.
Best Climates
Tender. Zones 8–10. Best in cool, humid climates or terrariums
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained sphagnum moss mixed with sand. Fertility: Average. 6.0–8.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun, 10 in. (25 cm) apart.
Proper Care
Challenging. Keep constantly moist; reduce water when plant growth slows. Tolerates temperatures just above freezing. Pinch new flowers and spent traps to stimulate new trap growth. Propagate by seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for water feature margins, natural boggy soil in natural gardens and in indoor terrariums. Interesting and educational for children. Slug, snail and botrytis susceptible.