food for my Venus flytrap.

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by mrbig, Jun 1, 2005.

  1. mel_dereks

    mel_dereks Member

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    feed it food not big enough so that anything sticks out as it will kill the plant ,yes flies mosquitos and baby crickets are good guess what human flesh also works.
     
  2. evil_queen_lisa

    evil_queen_lisa Member

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    it depends on the size, usually no bigger than the trap. It can feed itself, I place mine next to the fruit, in case I get fruit flys. Otherwise, if you don't get many flies, like me, I feed mine spiders that take to living in my living room ceiling corners! For the most part though, you dont need to feed it, just keep it watered, and dont trigger the traps!!!
    *EQL*
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Actually, it doesn't - it has the wrong protein and lipid (fats) profile. To be strictly honest, I don't know about this species in particular, but vertebrate animal meat in general is definitely not recommended.
     
  4. mel_dereks

    mel_dereks Member

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    actually it does eat skin... im not talkin about our meat or anything to insane, but it will devour clippings of say skin from the tips of our fingers, any reason why you think it wouldnt? i am looking for a link to prove my thread....
     
  5. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    It's not so much a matter of it being unable to digest it, but the diet being an unhealthy one - it isn't good for the long term care of the plant.
     
  6. mel_dereks

    mel_dereks Member

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    http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2180.html It is possible but ya i wouldnt go feeding it that forever just saying, i imagine because of the "little shop of horrors" people might have that on there minds so there i said it.....
     
  7. flytrap

    flytrap Active Member

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    If you guys are really adventurous, read about the guy in the UK who stuck his tongue into a flytrap... I can't remember where it was posted, but this occurred on a carnivorous plant forum a month ago.
     
  8. FiniteInfinity777

    FiniteInfinity777 Member

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    Hello everyone, I am in 11th grade, and a friend and I are doing a Science Fair project on Venus Fly-traps. We currently have 6 of the plants.
    I was wondering if any of you could give us some advice...

    First, it is obviously the 15th of November. The Science Fair is in February. I had heard that Venus Fly-traps require at least 3 months of dormancy, and that they go dormant at the end of their active growing season, which supposedly ends in October. Would it be possible to delay or completely skip their dormant season, by keeping them in warm areas?

    Second, I saw that someone mentioned having moved their plant to a terrarium and having it die or start dying soon after. Since we are doing a project, we cannot afford to have our plants dying needlessly. What are everyones' opinions on terrariums? Should we move the plants to a large tank as a group or keep them in their individual plastic boxes that they came in?

    Do we need to keep them warm in any way, or will they be fine during winter, in a window?

    If anyone has some good advice here, and possible extra advice, please email me at nerfherder23@gmail.com . The sooner, the better, because we need to start soon.
    Thanks a lot! :)
     
  9. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    Fly trap is right, let nature take its course. Don't force feed them...In nature they grow in bogs, which are predominantly low in nutrients, hence they evolved traps to supplement this. Now that they are cultivated, they are usually in good potting mix sphagnumm moss, whatever. So they don't really neeeed the flies etc. I know it is a novelty to feed them, but I lost many a VFT by force feeding them until I actually read up about them.

    Ed
     
  10. s13paul

    s13paul Member

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    From my own experiences you should:

    make the soil slightly acidic to best replicate its natural environment (apply peat moss to soil)

    it doesn't need to eat anything, it grows much like any other plant

    don't use a terrarium if growing outdoors as this will fry the plant

    water frequently, never let the soil go dry even slightly, the soil really needs to be boggy

    what others have said is true, use only rain water or if unavailable use distilled water

    I have read many growing guides stating that it needs full sunlight however in my experience it needs shade during midday

    do not fertilize, I know that it is tempting as they take ages to grow, but this is the quickest way to kill your fly trap

    there are probably many more things I could bring up, really the best advice I can give is: grab a book or a .org website (trust me, there are tonnes of websites giving horrible advice, use only .org ones) and read about the natural environment it comes from, replicating its natural environment will ensure your plants success.
     
  11. PLANT LOVER 210

    PLANT LOVER 210 Member

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    That's why it's not doing so well. You have to keep it open ir it WILL die. That's where it gets its nutrients, not the soil.
     
  12. SweetyMargie

    SweetyMargie Member

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    Named after Boris the Spider?
     
  13. trixter

    trixter Member

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    i had a venus flytrap a couple of years ago and loved it, since then i have moved to kelowna bc and im trying to find some place to buy one...... anyone have any ideas

    thanks
     
  14. Seismo

    Seismo Member

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    I bought a Venus flytrap last summer, and it's doing wonderfully! We kept it on the front porch over the summer; now that it's snowy out, it's an indoor plant. It's still doing great, but I have two questions:

    1. Now that the weather is cold out, finding live bugs is very difficult at best. What other options are there? I don't live near a store where I can buy crickets or anything like that... although I can by grubs (for fishing bait) at Wal-Mart, I think. Also, are earthworms (or parts of earthworms, if they are too big) an acceptable food source?

    2. How will I know when it is ready to go into dormancy, and what should I do to help its transition to dormancy? I was going to put it in a cooler area of our home and stop feeding it... but it's undergoing a huge growth spurt at the moment! It's got two flower stalks growing very quickly and very tall. Any suggestions on what I should do?

    Thanks in advance.

    (p.s. since people have been mentioning their plants' names, I'll just add: my daughter named the plant -- it's really hers -- "pokey".)
     
  15. Peperomia

    Peperomia Active Member

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    Can venus fly traps thrive in medium light? It's placed in a terrarium about 5 feet away from a north facing window.
     
  16. hobstrabbie

    hobstrabbie Member

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    Wow! That's an interesting plant (or pet? lol) to have. Where can you get one? :D
     

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