The Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) is probably the best-known of the carnivorous plants, and while they mean seem tricky to grow that’s not true at all! Our venus fly trap care guide shares with you everything you need to know to care for your plants and help them live up to 20 years indoors!
They are truly fascinating plants. You have to care for them a little differently than most other plants, but they are interesting enough to be worth the effort.
Venus fly traps are perennials found along the coasts of North and South Carolina, and interestingly all wild Venus Fly Traps are found within a 75-mile radius of Wilmington, North Carolina, and nowhere else in the world.
They are considered threatened, and it is illegal to gather them from the wild. These incredible thrive in moist, acidic soils in full sun, but only survive the winter outside in Zones 8-10.
However, you can definitely grow them yourselves and this guide will explain everything there is to not just plant them yourself, but also how to do proper venus fly trap care.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to feed and care for these hungry carnivorous plants.
Spoiler Alert: You probably don’t want to put one in a terrarium.
Botanical Name: Dionaea muscipula
Common Name: Venus fly trap, Venus flytrap
Family: Droseraceae
Plant Type: Perennial
Hardiness Zones: 6a -10a (USDA)
Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
Soil Type: Sandy, moist
Soil pH: 4.9 – 5.3 (Acidic)
Height: 6 – 12 inches tall
Bloom Time: Spring, summer
Flower Color: White
Quick Guide: Planting, Growing & Caring for Venus Fly Trap
- It is hardy in zones 6a to 10a.
- They prefer to be in direct sunlight but will tolerate partial shade.
- The soil must remain moist and occasionally wet with frequent standing water.
- The inside of the traps will not be as vibrant when they are in partial sun.
- The plants lose their leaves and go dormant in the winter.
- Outside plants are very slow-growing and only get to 6-12 inches tall and 6-8 inches wide.
- They prefer sandy loam or sand that is acidic.
- It naturally grows in nutrient-poor soil.
- Growing Venus Flytraps indoors is not difficult if you make sure they have a few things.
Venus Fly Trap Care
The Venus Fly Trap is a deciduous perennial carnivorous plant. The plant’s leaves are light green. Inside the hinged leaf, the trap is green or deep red.
They are well-known for their hinged lobes at the end of each leaf, which resemble a mouth with sharp teeth. The Venus flytrap plant secretes insect-attracting nectar and patiently awaits their arrival.
The ‘jaws’ of a Venus flytrap close and trap insects inside when they come into contact with the plant’s trichomes which are hair-like projections on the inner surfaces of the lobes.
The glands of the plant then release an enzyme to facilitate digestion. With the right care, Venus flytraps can live for 20 years or longer.
White cupped flowers appear in May and June on stalks that are four to twelve inches long. These stalks keep the flowers above the traps, so pollinators do not become dinner. In June and July, the plant produces a black fruit with seeds inside it.
Contrary to popular opinion, this carnivorous plant gets most of its energy from photosynthesis. It only catches bugs to get nutrients lacking in the wet, open longleaf pine savannas it is native to.
Since poaching threatens the flytrap’s existence, always buy them from a reputable source. We sell healthy, cultivated Venus Flytraps with good, solid care and growing instructions with each plant. Follow the instructions and become another devotee of this wonderfully weird little plant.
Light
Venus Flytraps will need to be in bright, indirect light. They do better and their colors are more vivid when they get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. They can tolerate partial shade, with only 2-6 hours of sunlight, but the colors in the trap are not as vivid.
Place your Venus flytrap next to a window that gets plenty of sunlight or use a full spectrum grow light placed a6 inches above the plants to help it along if you’re growing it indoors.
Soil
Venus Fly Traps do best in sphagnum moss with sand or a few orchid bark pieces instead of potting soil. The orchid bark pieces are acidic and retain moisture for the plant while the moss quickly drains.
You can also use one part peat moss to one part perlite. The peat moss makes this mixture acidic enough for the plant. Wet the potting medium thoroughly before putting it in the pot.
In the middle of the potting medium, make a small nest. Place the Venus Fly Trap in the nest and ring it with the potting medium. Venus Fly Traps must have nutrient-free, mineral-free soil with good drainage.
Water
Never water a Venus Fly Trap from above. Watering these plants from above can leave them vulnerable to leaf disease. The ideal way to water a Venus Fly Trap is to put about an inch of water in the plant’s saucer.
The moss and bark will absorb some of the water and make it available to the plant. Keep the plant moist but not soggy.
Venus Fly Traps grow in very pure water. They will not do well with tap water since it contains minerals that can harm the plant over time. Use distilled water, rainwater, or reverse osmosis water instead. Remember, the nutrients they need come from their prey, not the water.
Temperature and Humidity
If you are comfortable with the temperature, odds are the Venus flytrap will be comfortable as well. It requires temperatures between 70-95F (21-32C) in the summer and down to 40F (4C) during the winter.
Closely linked to temperature is humidity. The higher the temperature, the more humidity the plant requires. The plant needs at least 50% humidity.
If your house is dry, find a saucer that is big enough to put the flytrap and its saucer in. Fill the large saucer with pebbles. Put enough water to almost cover the pebbles. Set the flytrap in the big saucer, with a pot saucer, and all.
A microclimate high in humidity is created as water evaporates. Don’t forget to fill the pebble saucer with water when it gets low.
Fertilizer
Venus fly traps should not be fertilized. They thrive in low-nutrient soil, much like their native bog environment.
Overwintering
Venus fly traps must go through dormancy to survive. Their leaves will blacken and fall off, making the plant appear dead. It is not dead, but merely resting.
Place your Venus Flytrap in a cool place, around 40F (4C), with little light in the winter months. The dormancy period needs to be around three months.
The plant should be damp during this time, but not wet, or it will rot the roots. It needs a little light during dormancy.
If you use a basement or garage, place a light dusting of sulfur on the plant to keep fungus from growing on it. Check the plant frequently and make sure it doesn’t have fungus on it.
If you find fungus, it usually means there is excess humidity. Treat the plant by manually removing the mold, repotting the plant or bright light exposure to balance out the moisture level.
After the 3-4 month dormancy period, gradually warm up the flytrap and expose it to more light. Plunging it immediately into hot temperatures and direct sunlight will harm it.
What and How to Feed Venus Fly Trap
Venus flytraps, if grown outside, can sustain themselves on the prey they trap themselves. You can provide your houseplants with live insects as a food source, but you should wait to do so until you’ve met all of their other growing needs.
To prevent the plant from expending unnecessary energy on digesting anything other than prey, the trigger hairs on a Venus Flytrap must be stimulated after the trap has closed.
After placing an insect inside a trap, you can activate the trigger hairs by gently massaging the sides of the trap with a toothpick or by stimulating the trigger hairs with your fingers.
Overfeeding will make your flytrap sick. So will raw meat. Many people will trap bugs, and capture insects, mealworms, flies, spiders, beetles, caterpillars, or gnats. Whatever you feed your flytrap, it shouldn’t be more than a third the size of the trap.
The prey has to be alive or the plant will not close on it. As mentioned above, you don’t need to fertilize the Venus flytrap. The insects supply all the nutrients it needs. Only feed your flytrap one to two live insects per month.
Varieties of Venus Flytraps
All Venus flytraps are the same species (Dionaea muscipula). However, people have developed cultivars of that species that look a little different than the wild flytraps. Most of them are cultivated because they have different colors, sizes, or mutations.
Some mutations are incompatible with life, but others are very interesting. The International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) designated the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS) as the International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for carnivorous plants, including Venus flytraps, in 1978. In late 2021, there are 130 cultivars listed.
Here are a few of the better-known cultivars and their descriptions:
Dionaea ‘Akai Ryu’
Registered by Ron Gagliardo This cultivar name means “Red Dragon” and the leaf, petiole, and trap are maroon or burgundy.
Akai Ryu Venus Fly Trap Plant
Dionaea ‘Justina Davis’
Registered by Barry Rice This cultivar stays bright green even in full sun. There are no other colors on the plant, even inside the trap.
Justina Davis Venus Fly Trap
Dionaea ‘B52′
Registered by: Barry Rice, developed by Henning von Schmeling This is considered the largest Venus flytrap, with traps over 2 inches.
Dionaea ‘Bohemian Garnet’
Registered by: Miroslav Srba This plant is half the size of a typical Venus flytrap.
How to Plant and Grow Venus Fly Trap Plants
Repotting
The first thing you will need to do to care for a healthy fly trap is to repot it. These carnivorous plants require a 4-5 inch pot with drainage holes and a saucer. Venus Fly Traps grow long roots, so get a tall pot.
Venus flytraps should be repotted every one to two years to prevent fungus and rotting issues. The growing medium wears out as it decomposes and no longer meets the plant’s needs.
If the flytrap has grown significantly, it will need a new, bigger pot. If it has not grown much, you can reuse the pot you have and just remove the old medium with new potting soil. Repotting is an excellent time to divide the plant, as discussed below.
Propagation
Venus flytraps are a little like popcorn, you can’t have just one. Ethical propagating means using flytraps that have never lived in the wild. Commercially grown plants are often grown from tissue cultures. That requires special equipment and knowledge. There are three ways the rest of us have to get new plants.
Seed
When the Venus flytrap plant is mature, after about two years, it will start having flowers. If you let the flowers stay on the plant, you will end up with black fruits with seeds in them.
Let the seeds dry out before harvesting them. You will need to start the seeds in a peat and sand mix. Keep the mix damp and cover it with a clear bag or plastic wrap to keep the humidity in.
The Venus flytrap is slow to germinate so do not expect anything for several weeks. Once the seeds germinate, remove the plastic. The little Venus flytraps should be left for a year before transplanting.
Cutting
You can take a leaf cutting from a mature Venus flytrap and grow it into a new plant. This is best done in the early summer after the leaves are growing well. Remove a leaf from the rhizome. Place it in a damp peat/sand mixture and put a bag over it.
Keep in partial shade until the leaf produces roots. Remove the bag over it. Slowly acclimate the plant to the sunlight and humidity it will be living in. It will take two years to get a mature plant from your cutting.
Division
Venus flytraps grow out of a rhizome, similar to a bulb. After they are mature (at about 2 years of age), they start putting out side shoots. These are the plant babies.
To divide the plant, remove it from the pot. Cut off the side shoots along with some roots. Plant these in their own pots. Return the mother plant to its pot. Give it a new potting medium and discard the old stuff.
You can put the used potting medium on your compost pile if the plant is healthy. It is best to divide Venus flytraps in late winter or early spring.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases Venus Fly Traps
Aphids and fungus gnats occasionally bother Venus fly trap, which may surprise you given that it is a plant that feeds on insects. Unfortunately, these pests are too small for the plant to catch and consume.
If you have a severe aphid infestation, you can get some relief and control by using horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. For an all-natural solution to the problem of fungus gnats, try using Bacillus thuringiensis (BTI).
Frequently Asked Questions About Venus Fly Trap Care
Do Venus Flytraps Need to be in a Terrarium?
Many people try to grow Venus Fly Traps in a terrarium or aquarium. This usually results in plant death as the temperature gets too high for them. At best, the plant will only barely survive. Leaving the top off the terrarium keeps the temperature low enough for the plants while the glass walls hold in the humidity that the plant needs.
Is it Illegal to Grow a Venus Fly Trap?
It is not illegal to have a Venus fly trap. It is illegal to gather one from the wild or buy one from someone who has done so. Venus fly traps are threatened in their native range and poachers are a big problem. Buy from reputable nurseries or growers that have propagated the new Venus fly trap from older, cultivated flytraps.
Can a Venus Flytrap Hurt a Person?
No, they cannot hurt a person. The biggest trap is only around two inches long and is not strong enough to keep you from pulling away. You can hurt the Venus flytrap by triggering it to close, though. Closing takes a lot of energy that the plant needs to put toward growing. The traps can only close a few times before the leaf dies, so false alarms can kill that leaf.
Can a Venus flytrap Survive Without Bugs?
A Venus flytrap can survive without bugs, but it will be slow-growing and weak. A bug twice a month will help it have all the nutrients it needs to grow big and strong.
Can a Venus Flytrap Survive without Sunlight?
No, every plant needs some sunlight. Venus flytraps need bright sun to grow their best. Even when dormant, they need some sun.
How Long Can Venus flytraps Live Indoors?
Venus flytraps that are well cared for can live approximately 20 years. They must be allowed to go dormant each winter to keep them that long.
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25 Responses to “Venus Fly Trap Care – Everything You Need To Know”
hi my brother, John, just got a venus fly trap barly yesterday and he really needs help to take care of it. Could you possibly send me an email of some advice I could tell my brother. My brother’s age is 12 and I am 16. And I dont know that much about venus fly traps and not really any wabsite is giving me any advice. My brother’s venus fly trap is just a baby. So thank you and i will keep in touch with this website.:]
And i am so sorry about your venus fly traps. I know how you feel. It happened to me once. I was going to the store to buy some dinner for my family. My family were coming home from work and school and when i got home the door was open and all my venus fly traps were gone. I was so angry. I got them from my great grand mother right before she died and those were the only things i got from her. Now i have nothing of hers to remember.
You know what probably happened, the cleaning people or someone else might have thought it was a dead plant and threw it away! I’m sorry for your loss, I know how you feel, I adore my VFT.
i am growing a vft right now they are way harder to grow then regular plants. They’re pretty needy. little spoiled brats.
Could you grow it inside your fresh water fish tank?
Because of the booming interest in “carnivora” extract for supposed health benefits all over the Internet, Venus Fly Traps apparently fetch a pretty penny these days. That may be why it was stolen. “Poaching for profit” is now a big problem.
Here’s more on the issue:
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20130530/ARTICLES/130539991
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/19/us-usa-north-carolina-flytrap-idUSKBN0HE00L20140919
http://www.wect.com/story/23547895/10k-worth-of
http://www.wral.com/house-makes-venus-flytrap-theft-felony/13748387/
http://abcnews.go.com/US/endangered-venus-flytrap-poached-profit/story?id=15444075
I am growing a pet TickleMe Plant. It won’t hurt a fly but it will close its leaves like crazy when you tickle it.
Jani, that’s very bad for the health of your plant. If you think it’s mean for a plant to eat bugs, don’t buy a plant that Needs to Eat Bugs to Survive. You might prefer a soft feathery plant that feels really nice when you tickle it. 🙂
I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but your venus flytrap really does need to eat insects to stay healthy, and I know you just want to tickle your plant, but when you touch it and it closes, and it doesn’t have food inside, it uses up energy which can kill your plant if you do it too much. It’s like teasing your plant or pet. It thinks it’s getting a meal, but you’re not giving it a meal. It will eventually die of starvation and sadness, if you continue to tease it and make it be something it was not born to be. The best way to LOVE your venus flytrap, is to never tease it, never tickle it, because that actually hurts it when it closes without food. And feed it with insects.
If you just can’t feed it bugs, and you just can’t stop tickling it, I think you should give it to a better home where someone can take care of it properly. And you might like to have a fern or some baby’s breath, or even a nice moss patch. 🙂
I hope you have a VERY fun and cool day today! Thanks for sharing your neat story about tickling your plant, but I really do hope you learn something from what I shared and it helps. 🙂 Later dude!!
Jani doesn’t have a venue fly trap. They said they were growing a tickle me plant, which is a completely different that responds to being touched, so no need for the long lecture.
I want to start growing a Venus Fly Trap and grow it with amazing care. So when I research its disappointing to see no good facts or tips (in detail) how to grow the Venus Fly traps indoor as well as recreating their environment. So please I would love an extensive response on how to grow them correctly.
Hi Brandon there is a good article online that will help you. depending where you are located in the world will determine if you can grow your plant successfully. You will also need to purchase your self some Peat mix soil for optimum growth.
I bought a venus fly trap plant last week and was wondering if I don’t have a place for them where a lot of insects are, would I be able to buy some meal worms from the pet store to feed them??
I have fed my baby venus fly trap soaked meal worms and it’s doing great, only about once a week it needs food though!! Good luck!!
Hi, I just got my son a VFT. He loves it, but the question we have is, can the VFT be affected by smells…like febreze or candles? He keeps the VFT called Carnage in his bedroom next to a window that he opens for at least 4 hours a day to give Carnage sunlight…and feeds it tiny crickets…are we on the right track?
Feed weekly. Maybe 1-2 crickets or bugs will do.
My husband has a VFT and it is doing great. It has produces 3 lovely long stemmed multi head flowers, is this usual, and what does he do with the flower stems when the flowers are over?
People tell me to cut it off as the plant puts most of its energy in that flower, if you don’t plan on making seeds and more fly traps just cut it off. Cutting it off will stop it from spending more energy on something you don’t want.
What should you do as far as growing them from seeds?
My flytrap put out a long stem with 6 little flytraps on it like a flower. Can I cut and pot it? And how? It bloomed 3 times last summer so I have seeds too. Please advise, thanks!
Here is what I do for my very successful Venus Flytrap that I have had about 10 years and it has spread to hundreds of plants (I can’t give them away fast enough – I could probably open up a Venus Flytrap store).
1. It (really, it is about 100 plants in one large pot) is growing in sphagnum moss only. Home Depot carries it.
2. It is in a deep pot with a plastic, deep pan, wider than the pot, to hold water.
3. It is outside, in full sun.
4. I keep it wet with either rain water or distilled water – nothing else. If water gets too low, I add more water. I never let it get dry.
5. I pinch off the seed flowers on all but 4 or 5 of my plants.
6. I bring it indoors in October, put it in a plastic bag, put in my fridge and leave it until April. I never touch it.
7. In April, I pull it out, put it outside in a semi-sunny location.
8. After about a week or so, I put it into its permanent sunny spot where it sits all summer.
9. Trust me, your plant will spread and make multiple Venus Flytraps to give away to friends if you do the above!
9. I never touch the traps. I let it free feed on bugs.
I forgot to say that I prune the plants regularly by pinching off the black traps – constantly – all summer.
I have grown venus fly traps for years. I live in the UK. They are ridiculously easy to grow. I potted them into peat and perlite (about 2:1 mix), sat them in a dish of rainwater outside (about 1/3 the way up the side of the pot) in full sunshine and that’s it. Occasionally I will divide them just before they emerge from dormancy to stop overcrowding and water them with distilled water if the rainwater dries out, but that is literally all the care they need. They stay outside in all weathers, all seasons (they have survived temperatures of -10oC for periods of up to a week and came back smiling, they often flood and are completely submerged, and I just leave them to get on with things). I let them flower freely, despite the advice to the contrary and they set seed quite happily and come back just as strong the following year. They are very efficient at trapping prey and will usually have all traps full without any help from me. They tend to catch a lot of harvestman spiders more than anything else. Essentially, they are growing in my garden as they would in the wild, and doing very well. They don’t need a lot of care. The only problem that I have had in the past is that birds like to pull them up when searching for bugs in the compost during the winter. I have lost the odd one to this, but usually I will find the plant halfway across the garden and just plonk it back in its compost. Good as new.
Are Venus Fly Traps harmful to pets? I have a cat.
My Venus Flytrap will open up after feeding. There is what appears to be a carcass left inside. Is there anything to be done with the leftovers?
The exoskeleton of the bug will eventually fall away. Don’t try to remove it as you can damage the trap.