How to Plant Venus Fly Trap Plants

Overview

The Venus Flytrap is a carnivorous plant that feeds itself by capturing insects that land between its jaws. They are easy to grow when planted in the proper conditions, and can be beneficial to a garden or home by getting rid of insect pests, like flies and slugs. They are endangered because humans collect them so often, so it can be a pleasure to grow them as well in order to preserve their species. Their active growing season is from May through October. The main requirements for these plants is that they need to have damp roots, full sunlight, lots of humidity, and poor quality soil.

Step 1

Buy the Venus Flytrap as a rhizome. You can also buy a trap seedling from a nursery and transplant it.

Step 2

Decide if you want to grow your fly trap indoors or outdoors. It is best to plant in a humid environment, such as a terrarium or a glass bowl. If you place the glass bowl or aquarium outdoors, the flytrap will get a sufficient amount of food. Keep in mind that flytraps can survive in temperatures from 45 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures require ventilation, and lower temperatures require the plant to be brought inside. During the winter, they need a three-month dormant period where the vegetation will die back. During this time, it needs to be in an area that is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3

Prepare the soil for the Venus Fly Trap. Use a potting mixture that is poor soil, and include a mixture of 70 percent peat moss and 30 percent coarse pumice.

Step 4

Plant the bulb root side down so the top of it is even with the soil, or if transplanting it, carefully place it in soil, covering the roots. Do not not add fertilizer. Make sure the soil stays damp constantly.

Step 5

Make sure if the plant is outside during the optimum growing season, it gets about 10 hours of direct sunlight, but make sure to watch it in the summer so the trap doesn't wilt. In the summer it may only need about two hours of sunlight because of the heat. If kept inside, keep it in a sunny window for as many hours of the as you can unless you notice it starting to wilt. The general rule is that the more sun it gets, the healthier it will be.

Step 6

Water the plant regularly with distilled or rain water, that has a low amount of minerals.

Step 7

Feed the Venus Flytrap yourself if it is kept inside. A couple fresh dead flies or live slugs per month should do the trick. If the plant is outside, it will be supplied with food on its own.

Step 8

Trim back dead leaves or heads to prevent infection. Transplant the plant to new soil every couple years for optimum growth.