15 year old venus flytraps

Discussion in 'Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs' started by Dr. Gonzo, Jul 12, 2007.

  1. Dr. Gonzo

    Dr. Gonzo Member

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    right now i have a couple pots containing a number of venus flytraps, and they're all around 15 years old and doing great. my understanding is that these things tend to not live more than a few years, but the original plants have just kept on growing all this time, and there's a lot of food around even if we don't give it to them, so they're doing pretty good

    my question is why this is happening. we pinch off the flowers and think that might be the reason, but i'd rather get the insight of people who know more about botany than i do
     
  2. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I don't really know much about the plant. Websearch for their lifespan seemed to indicate that they live a long time if they don't "eat", but die after making a few captures. Now I am even more curious.
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I'd always understood it was the individual leaves that died after making a few captures, not the whole plant.
     
  4. Dr. Gonzo

    Dr. Gonzo Member

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    the traps die off after a little while, but they put out new ones (the traps are the most identifying feature on em)

    i know the plant's perennial, but i always thought they just lived for a couple years. they get around though. i forgot how many we had initially, but we have a quite a few now. i've even tried taking off parts of the plants along with some peat just because we have so many plants and so little room
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 13, 2007
  5. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Sorry, I was about to leave for the day and did not read carefully enough. It is the traps that die after a few captures.
     

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