Venus Fly Trap (also known as Dionaea Muscipula, Tippitiwitchet, or Meadow Clam) is native to coastal North and South Carolina. It has also been naturalized to portions of Florida and New Jersey. This well-known insectivorous perennial is under endangered species act review and cannot be collected from the wild. Venus Fly Trap can be propagated and is offered by reliable greenhouses. Clam-shaped foliage closes around prey when the hairs on one of the leaves are repeatedly disturbed; over 4-10 days, the trapped insect dies and Venus Fly Trap digests it, then the leaf opens and resets for another trap. Each set of leaves will trap, digest, and reset about three times before dying. Venus Fly Trap offers more than its insect-eating party trick, though; it also blooms in May and June with small white flowers on 12 inch high stems. The foliage grows to about 6 inches. Venus Fly Trap naturally grows in bogs and is typically grown in a bog-like environment in sandy soil. Rain gardens and terrariums work well in zones 7-10 and in zones 5 and 6 with overwinter protection. In the wild, Venus Fly Trap can live as many as 20 years.
Venus Fly Trap Selling Tips
Sell Venus Fly Trap to your customers who want to establish or add to a bog garden, or who want a plant that's a conversation piece. This plant will thrive in a bog garden, which is the re-creation of its natural habitat. It will also do well in a container outdoors and it can be grown in a terrarium. With plenty of water in a mild climate, this plant is a fascinating, low-maintenance addition to patios, water-feature gardens, and rain gardens. It will succeed in full sun to partial shade and does not need to be fertilized or pruned. Venus Fly Trap offers unique foliage and small white flowers in May and June.
1. Plant in moist, sandy soil in partial shade or full sun. Do not allow the soil to dry out at all. For containers, maintain a saucer of clean water beneath the container at all times.
2. Do not manually trigger the traps, as this stimulation will eventually cause the leaves to die prematurely.
3. Do not prune or fertilize Venus Fly Trap. For indoor plants, maintain a nighttime temperature of 40-50 degrees over winter while the plant is dormant. For outdoor containers, either overwinter indoors on a sunny windowsill with a nighttime temperature of 40-50 degrees or bury the container to the rim in soil outdoors and mulch. It can be removed in spring. For outdoor plants in a bog garden, put down a heavy winter mulch of leaves or pine needles to protect roots.
General Growing Tips For Your Rooted Cutting Liner
For best results with Venus Fly Trap, use moist, sandy soil in mostly sun and high humidity with no fertilizer and a pH of 5.0. Plant one starter plant per 4-inch container. These plants should maintain a moist, bog-like environment, so they can be grown with minimal spacing and airflow. This plant is not susceptible to any insects or diseases. Keep the soil moist at all times.
Flowering
Venus Fly Trap flowers in May and June.
Pinching
This plant does not require pinching.
Spacing
This plant can be grown with minimal spacing.
Height Control
This plant does not require chemical growth regulators.
Pests
No major pests affect Venus Fly Trap. It eats pests for breakfast.
Disease
No major diseases affect this plant.
Planting Venus Fly Trap Liners
Plant one starter plant per 4-inch container in moist, sandy soil. We recommend spaghnum moss or a mixture of peat moss and vermiculite.
Rooted Cuttings
Cuttings vary in size between different plant families. These rooted starter plants will arrive ready to be transplanted in to your final container. If they are to be used in a landscape application, you will need to establish them in a 4 inch pot or an 1801 before planting outside.
Venus Fly Trap Quick Reference Guide
4 Inch crop time | 6-8 Weeks |
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Bloom Period | May-June |
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Habit | Upright |
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Height | 6-12 inches |
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Light | Full Sun/ Partial Shade |
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Minimum Temp | 50-60 |
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Perennial Zone | 5-10 |
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Water Needs | Heavy |
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Patented Plant | No |
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