Hi everyone. I got my first Fly Trap, 10 days ago. 5 days ago, I caught a tiny spider and fed it to my Trap. The trap closed, but there is now a black spot where the spider is. 5 days later, I tried to feed "Harry" another spider but none of the other heads closed on the very lively spider. One of head's cillas/concave teeth is very crooked not good enough anymore to trap. What temperature do I need to keep my Trap and how much sunlight? The package says Bright indirect light. Its too vague for me. I live in Calgary, 400 miles north of Montana, MO. Any directions would be most appreciated. Will take photos tomorrow (crappy camera dont work well when not in sunlight, its a cheap one)
Did your flytrap come with a clear plastic dome over it? I seem to recall the ones in Edmonton always came in their own little greenhouse cups. Flytraps like to be pretty humid; if yours is out in the air it might be unhappy about being so dry.... If yours didn't come with a dome, you can fake it by putting a couple of chopsticks in the pot and inverting a ziplock or other clear plastic bag over it - check out Durgan's germination methods for photos of how this is done (just search the board for Durgan, you'll find him.) It needs 6-8 hours of sunlight each day; if you're going to grow it without a humidity trap like the one I described above you need to make sure it's watered daily and has some sort of drainage system to let excess water out. Venus flytraps are bog natives; some sources say it's impossible to overwater, and indeed the plant can survive for short periods underwater. THIS IS IMPORTANT - DO NOT USE TAP WATER. Calgary water is really hard, and excess chlorine and salts will kill it dead dead dead. Use distilled. Feeding - don't give it anything bigger than 1/3 of the trap size. Don't expect the trap with the spider in it to open again; in fact it will probably seal itself shut in order to digest the spider inside. The black dot you see is the bug itself. Don't be concerned that it's not hungry so soon after it just ate. Try again in about a month.... And, when winter rolls around again, put it in a plastic back and stick it in the fridge or on the porch (if your porch is covered) for a couple of months. Venus flytraps have a mandatory dormancy period which helps them say healthy. Here is an excellent datasheet on the care, feeding, and propagation of flytraps. I hope this helps.... PS - this board is Canadian, maintained by the University of British Colombia. Of course we know where Calgary is....
VFT's grow naturally in boglands where there is little or no nutrients in the soil. They have evolved to get their nutrients from the insects. If yours is NOT in the same conditions as a bog, I wouldn't feed it. I killed many of my VFT's by constantly feeding it insects as well as feeding it fertilizer. One or the other will suffice. Enjoy Ed
I searched my supermarket, there is no Distilled water. The Spring Water though says it is pure of minerals but contains ozone. 4 days ago, My girlfriend put my VLT into a bell glass jar with a lid. It sits on glass pebbles. She says this will force the VLT to grow roots and get strong. My VLT looks much better now. It the stalks supposed to keep the trap/head in the air, not limp and trailing along the ground ? I will see if I can take good photos tomorrow and post them here.
Wow, no distilled in Calgary? Safeway used to offer it in Edmonton, but if the Spring Water is low-dissolved solids it's probably OK. Airborne is healthier than trailing; be sure to let the lid off of the jar once a day to replenish the oxygen supply for the plant. Looking forward to photos!
