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Can any one offer advise for my trap? pic

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  • 02-02-2010 9:55am
    #1
    cowhands
    Registered Users Posts: 572 ✭✭✭


    Morning all,

    Im not very good at gardening...infact the only thing I can seem to grow is mould...however, I took it upon myself to purchase a venus fly trap last Summer from a local garden centre, purely out of interest but so far so good.

    I keep it on the kitchen window sill and water it with rain water as often as possible. I dont force feed it but it has caught numerous insects and flies over the last few months.

    Over Christmas some of the traps died off and became black (thought it was going to go into a dormancy period with the really cold weather we had) but alot of the traps stayed green and some even grew.

    Now it has a massive long stem growing from the middle of the plant and what looks like a flower developing....and...well....Im not sure what to do.

    I presume since we are entring into the Spring its trying to pollinate or something...please tell me if Im wrong...but Im stuck as to what to do with it now???

    Any advice please?

    Also should I cut off the dead and blackened traps to save the plant energy?
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    #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,466 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Yay! thats amazing! You can gently pull off the blackened bits (or cut them if they do not pull off) but it will not make any difference to the plant's energy. Otherwise just watch, wait and enjoy :)


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    #3
    Velvet shank
    Registered Users Posts: 133 ✭✭Velvet shank


    that's a flower stem right enough - will produce a number of small white flowers at the top - not unattractive, although people often choose to cut flower stems at the base as soon as they appear, in order to concentrate the plants energies on leaf production. Plant looks fairly healthy, so flower and seed production shouldn't take too much whack out of it, if you want to let flowers develop. You may even want to collect seed and attempt germination, although mature healthy specimens regularly produce offsets that can be potted up separately to produce new plants.


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    #4
    mackey087
    Closed Accounts Posts: 142 ✭✭mackey087


    i've just ordered some of these as seeds from ebay. just wondering could i use a spare lizard tank with heat lamp to plant the seeds. the tank is waterproof and i'm thinking it would be like a growing room for the seeds. humidity, temp etc. or just stick em in a pot and wait. what size do they grow to? cheers


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    #5
    cowhands
    Registered Users Posts: 572 ✭✭✭cowhands


    Morning, I dont claim to know alot about Venus Fly traps but from what I have learnt so far I will pass on. I did not grow mine from seed but I seem to be doing something right!

    As far as I have read the general advice for growing from seed is to not bury the seed in soil..rather sprinkle the soil over the plant.

    Keep the soil moist with rain water...try using a spray bottle or something to that effect.

    Keep it warm- your tank sounds great, you will get fast results from that I reckon, but make sure if theres a lid you lift it twice a day or so to keep the air fresh.

    Dont give up seeds can look "dead" for up to three weeks or more before they germinate just keep the soil warm moist and be patient.

    Im planning of repotting my trap this week...just have to figure out the right soil type and find the time!


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