Venus Flytrap Care

How do you care for a Venus flytrap?

Venus flytraps, or Dinoaea muscipula are easy to care for if given the proper conditions. Follow these simple instructions to grow the iconic carnivorous plant!

How much light does a Venus flytrap need?

Venus flytraps thrive in full sun, requiring bright, direct sunlight or intense grow lights. During the growing season, they need a photoperiod of 14-16 hours, which can be reduced to 10-12 hours during dormancy. Insufficient light causes pale green, elongated, and weak leaves. Under grow lights, ensure they provide at least 32 watts per square foot.

What is a photoperiod?
A photoperiod is the duration of time that a plant or animal is exposed to light within a 24-hour period.

Venus Flytrap Temperature

Venus flytraps can withstand temperatures as low as 20°F in colder seasons if protected from harsh winds and ice. In warmer seasons, they can tolerate temperatures up to 100°F, provided their soil remains moist.

Venus Flytrap Humidity

Venus flytrap plants do not require excess humidity, but will suffer in desert climates.

How much water does a Venus flytrap need?

Venus flytraps require pure water from distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water. We recommend using the tray method to keep them consistently moist, as they are bog plants. Fill a tray with 1 to 2 inches of water and allow it to dry out before adding more. Keep the soil moist but avoid waterlogging the plant.

What soil does a Venus flytrap need?

Venus flytrap soil must be poor in nutrients and hold water adequately. Make sure that all ingredients lack added fertilizers or nutrients. We recommend using a ratio of 2:1 perlite to peat moss. See our soil mixing guide for more information.

How to Repot Venus Flytrap

Wait to repot Venus flytraps until their roots are growing out of the bottom or there's no more room for growth. To repot, turn the pot upside down, gently shake the plant loose, and remove excess soil from the roots. Transfer the plant to a larger pot filled with Venus flytrap soil. You can also split the plant during repotting if desired.

What to Feed a Venus Flytrap

Feed a couple of traps with bugs (dead or alive) or foliar feed with Maxsea at 400 ppm once a month.

How to Feed a Venus Flytrap

When feeding a Venus flytrap, use tweezers to place insects into their traps. If the trap doesn't close immediately, gently move the insect around inside the trap or try another trap.

What is foliar feeding?

Foliar feeding is a method of applying fertilizer by mixing water-soluble fertilizer with water before spraying the plant with the solution. Not recommended for beginners.

Venus Flytrap Dormancy

As winter arrives with colder, shorter days, Venus flytraps enter dormancy to conserve energy, adapting to lower light levels during the cooler season.

What does a dormant Venus flytrap look like?

Dormant Venus flytraps will grow much slower and many of the active traps will die back to help conserve energy. Here’s a photo of a dormant flytrap:

Dormant Venus Flytrap Care

During dormancy, adjust the photoperiod for Venus flytraps to 10-12 hours daily for at least two months. Decrease watering frequency to prevent rot. If outdoors, relocate to a sheltered area away from ice; if temperatures drop below 20F, bring them into an unheated room.

Why do venus flytraps eat insects?

Venus flytraps naturally thrive in nutrient-poor soils and have limited photosynthetic capabilities. As a survival strategy, they evolved carnivory to supplement their nutrient intake.

Do Venus flytraps have brains?

Venus flytraps, being plants and not animals, lack brains.

How do Venus flytraps move?

Inside the traps contain tiny hairs called trichomes, which trigger closure when touched twice, a plant response known as thigmonasty.

Why do Venus flytraps turn black?

Once traps have fulfilled their function, they naturally wither. The plant recycles nutrients from these traps to generate new ones, a vital part of its life cycle. These blackened traps can be pruned off without concern.

Why do Venus flytraps flower?

Venus flytraps naturally bloom as part of their life cycle. Flowering is typically not harmful if the plant is otherwise healthy. You can choose to trim the flowers or leave them as they are without worry.

Venus Flytrap Roots

If your Venus flytrap arrives with black roots, there is no cause for concern. Flytrap roots tend to look different than typical roots. Black, stringy, fragile roots are completely normal and healthy for a carnivorous plant.

Need more information? See our growing tips and care guides.