Subject: Re: Venus Fly Trap Advice

From: [email-masked] (Joseph W. Bausch)
Date: 6 May 1995 14:53:16 GMT

Phil !!! ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I've recently been given a VFT as a present. However..
: ....there are no flies to be seen at all.
:  Can someone tell me    i) How long they can go without flies ?
:                         ii) Can I feed them anything other than flies
:                              if I fail to entice some into my room :)

:        Any other info on keeping them would be appreciated !

:              Thanks    
:                          Phil !!

	Wow, funny thing that I just found this newsgroup so that I could
post a note about my venus fly trap!
	Anyway, back to your questions, I have had a flytrap for over two
years now and it has fluorished in my apartment.  People are amazed at how well
it is doing.  It can have up to 10 baskets on it in the middle of the summer,
each being maybe the size of a penny.
	For what it is worth, here is what I do with mine.  I keep the plastic
container with the flytrap in a plastic margarine dish filled with water.  I
think they like a very moist environment.  I keep it in a windowsill where it
gets lots of indirect sun.  I am not so sure they like direct sun.  But my
apartment is very warm and I think it likes it that way.  The literature I got
with mine said to use distilled water or if you must use tap water to let it
stand open to the air for a day before adding.
	Some people think it is OK to give the trap meat as a substitute for
bugs, but I have read where this is not good.  I think the flytrap can survive
without eating bugs.  I think it photosynthesizes on its own just fine!
	I will occasionally dig up some bug outside and drop it in for a meal!
I still can't believe how quickly the trap will close.  BTW, I don't think you
want to "trick" the baskets into thinking there is a bug by agitating one of
the prickly things in the basket that will cause it too close.
	And what my post will be about is that this spring my flytrap has
flowered!  A big stalk grew up about 10 inches from the plant and has
beautiful little white flowers.

Take care,
JWB
-------

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From: [email-masked] (Austex23)
Date: 6 May 1995 18:59:24 -0400

My kids and I have raised a really spectacular flytrap . . . traps are
close to 1" long and nearly as wide.  We make sure the plant has plenty of
water and grows outside where it can catch the proper sized insects.  I
wouldn't expect to have much luck raising one "hand-fed."   Also, have
never successfully raised one indoors.

Now, does anyone here know how to propogate flytraps?  Ours has two flower
stalks, one is a foot high.

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From: [email-masked] (R Daines)
Date: 6 May 1995 23:14:41 -0400

I've recently been given a VFT as a present. However..
....there are no flies to be seen at all.

 Can someone tell me    i) How long they can go without flies ?

  QUITE A WHILE
                       
 ii) Can I feed them anything other than flies

ANTS AND OTHER SUCH BUGS OF A SIZE TO FIT INTO THE TRAPS.  DON'T OVER
FEED.

                             if I fail to entice some into my room :)

Just keep them moist and in a sunny location, they should do fine.

---

From: Phil !!! <[email-masked]>
Date: 6 May 1995 02:22:11 GMT

Any other info on keeping them would be appreciated !

             Thanks    
                         Phil !!

---

From: [email-masked] (Jeff Blackadar)
Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 15:15:07 GMT

>                              if I fail to entice some into my room :)

They seem to be able to go a long while without insects, as they are a
supplement to their diet - the new leaves and traps will be smaller though.
A good insect diet will help keep the plant healthy.
You can use other insects
than flies.  (Don't use hamburger or other meats
as they don't deal with fat well.)  I was living in a building which had
an available supply of roaches.  As well I've used ants.
    Any other info on keeping them would be appreciated ! > 

I used to keep mine in a pot filled with moss and peat moss.  I never
allowed it to dry out.  I kept the pot in a dish of water, this seemed
to work well.  I have seem other people grow them in fishbowls in order
to maintain high humidity.

They also need a dormant period in the winter as well as a temperature
drop.  I can't tell you about that as my plant began to produce and then
aborted a flower spike and then died away before I could manage its
dormancy.

When you plant gets large, It may produce some plantlets off the side of
its bulb. 

Regards,
	Jeff   

   

   

--
Jeff Blackadar   - [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (ANNA HE BAIK)
Date: 10 May 1995 14:13:20 +0100

In article <[email-masked]>,
>: I've recently been given a VFT as a present. However..
<snip!>

>stand open to the air for a day before adding.

If you're in a hard water area, you might want to try collecting rainwater
for your flytrap - they live in acid peat bogs, so limey water will not make
them happy.  I have a vague memory of being told not to use water that's been
filtered with a particular kind of filter (ion-exchange?) cos it has salts in
it that also makes your flytrap unhappy. (Oh, this also means you need to rinse
any soap you use to clean water trays off thoroughly). 

I managed to really confuse the builders across the street this winter by
running around collecting snow to melt for my sundews! (I don't have a flytrap
btw, just my sundews & bladderworts - they're such pretty plants - so all I 
say here is what I got out of books!).

>without eating bugs.  I think it photosynthesizes on its own just fine!
Yep, I've read that it can make the trap rot off.... (If you can find a book
by Adrian Slack on growing insectivorous plants, have a look at it). 

Oh, and ditto the advice about poking the traps to make them close. They
can only close their traps about three times before the trap dies, so if 
they're constantly being triggered off, the traps die off without having 
caught a meal, & this weakens the plant (if you do it enough it'll kill it
I think). Also, don't feed the plant with fertiliser of any kind, cos this
will make the roots rot off.

swsus,
yon
p.s. About propagating - I'd advise folks to take a look at Adrian Slack's
"Growing Carnivorous Plants" (at least, I think that's what it's called).
p.p.s. If anyone knows the British address of the Carnivorous Plants Society,
please tell me!

---

From: Ben Levin <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 19:43:48 -0400

First of all,  feeding the plants has NOTHIND to do with photosynthesis.  
PS involves the incorporation of carbon in the form of atmospheric CO2 
and feeding/insect trapping supplies the plant with primarily nitrogen,  
in addition to other nutrients,  which are usually deficient in the soil 
where these plants are found.  Thus,  these plants have little tolerance 
for fertilizers,  which kill their roots.  Tap water also contains 
harmful salts which have the same effect;  using an ion exchanger will 
only exchange one detrimental cation (Mg2+) for another (Na+).

VFT's can take,  and flourish in,  abundant and bright light.  I grow 
mine outside,  where they can get the occasional rain,  in full sunlight 
in the growing season.  I bring them in after the first few frosts and 
put them out in the end of May (I haven't put them out yet this year).  I 
am growing the VFT in a deep pot (about 8 in.) placed in a bowl.  In the 
summer I make sure there is always water in the bowl,  in  winter I let 
the bowl go dry and only water when the growing media (peat moss) looks dry.

As far as feeding goes,  you don't have to,  but many people,  including 
yours truly,   claim,  quite rightfully so,  that this will increase your 
plant's growth.  If you do feed,  use lean meat like cooked chicken and 
make sure to use a big enough piece (not TOO big) to keep the hairs 
stimulated after the trap closes to ensure that it remains so.  Another 
way to make sure it stays closed is to LIGHTLY squeeze the trap so the 
hairs are stimulated against the piece of food inside.  Y'see,  if you 
don't do this post feeding stimulation the trap may open up,  energy 
wasted,  without having digested the food.

WHen the plant is in it's dormant stage feeding is unneccessary as well 
as impossible,  if it entered dormancy,  since the winter traps are much 
less responsive than the traps produced in the remainder of the year.  
And in the summer,  if the plant is kept outside feeding is also 
unneccessary since it should take care of itself with insects.

If anyone is interested in joining a carnivorous plant group,  you can do 
so by sending the message "SUBSCRIBE CP <NAME>" to: [email-masked]

Hope this helps
Ben,  self proclaimed phytocarnivologist