The Venus Fly Trap is an amazing plant. You probably already know that it is carnivorous which means it eats meat for nutrition rather than derive its nutrition from the soil. This page is a tutorial all about the flytraps, where to get them and how to care for them. They can be tricky to take care of but are a real breeze if you just know and follow a few simple rules.

Here are some Quick Rules of Thumb for Care

• Give them lots of Sunlight 12 hours a day if possible
• Never plant in potting soil
• Use only distilled water (or rain water)
• Keep the planting material moist/ tray with water is best
• Never trigger the traps (this stresses the plant)
• They need to die back in the winter season so don't worry!
• Feed them baby crickets or ants (alive or freshly killed)
• Never feed them human food
• Chemicals in water, fertilizers in soil will kill them
• Feed them a minimum of 2-3 times a month
• They need high humidity and will do well in a terrarium
• Don't transplant it right away - when you first receive it you should just let it be for a week, water it and leave it in its container so it can adjust.

Transplanting Your Venus Fly Trap

You can plant your flytrap in a typical gardening container. They also tend to do very well in a semi closed container like the one shown in the picture here. The shape of the bowl keeps the humidity elevated and the glass of course lets lots of sunlight in.

About the Planting Medium

It is very important that you do not plant them in potting soil. The chemicals, nutrient and fertilizer will kill the plants. They do not derive their sustenance from the soil. They derive it from the insects. The planting medium is a way for them to root and stay firmly in place.

Mix a half and half mixture of Spaghnum Peat Moss and Perlite. This is the medium you should plant them in. And when buying it be sure that there are no chemicals or fertilizers added. Read the bag.

Transplant the Venus Flytrap

Remove it from its pot and peel away most of the peat moss. You will come to a white section that looks like celery. This is the rhizome or the underground plant stem. This white part is what gets buried in soil. Poke a hole in your peat moss and place the plant in it. Do this carefully and gently. Then pat it down so it is firm.

You may also find offshoots for smaller plants. You should separate and plant these too.

In the previous picture I had removed a flytrap from its pot and separated it out. I found a smaller venus flytrap in there so I transplanted it. You can see that baby flytrap in this picture here.

This picture shows the rhizome of the flytrap. This light colored part is the part that you put into the soil.

UPDATE ON THE VENUS FLYTRAPS

These two pictures are taken about a month after I got the Flytraps and made the terrarium. You can see a large stem and flower bud has emerged from the flytraps. I have read some stuff about this and they are going to be blooming into flowers. Typical advice is that I should trim these off because it takes a lot of energy away from the plant. But I am not going to do this. I will just let them bloom.

Here is a picture of the flytrap having flowered. Beautiful!

A Note from Will: This first venus fly trap is the exact one that I ordered from Amazon.com but they have a wide selection of them. I wanted small ones and you can get larger ones too. I bought six. More Venus Fly Traps and Carnivorous Plants right here on amazon.com

Venus Fly Trap Plant - CARNIVOROUS - Dionaea - 2" pot"

This one is very popular on amazon with lots of great ratings. From Hirtz gardens which I have bought from many times. They are very reputable.

Red Dragon Venus Fly Trap Plant - Dionaea - Akai Ryu

Nature provides this remarkable plant with "traps" to lure and capture its food. The traps are covered inside by tiny hairs and a sticky sweet smelling substance attractive to insects. When an insect touches the trigger hair, the trap is activated and closes around its victim. After digestion of its meal (whick takes several days), the trap will open again for a new catch.

Large Venus Fly Trap Plant - CARNIVOROUS-Dionaea-3 pot

Hungry Plants

This book offers readers a bug's-eye view into the strange and fascinating world of carnivorous plants. From the "jaws" of the Venus flytrap to the pretty sundew plant whose delicate tentacles entrap its prey, the unique anatomy and behaviors of meat-eating plants are detailed with clear, engaging text and art.

The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants - In addition to the familiar Venus flytrap, there are several hundred species of carnivorous plants on our planet. Most can be grown in the amateur gardener's backyard or even in a window box. Full-color photos show the plants at work and at rest and tell you everything you need to successfully grow your own--little garden of horrors. Full-color throughout.

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