How do I get my Venus fly trap to eat? 🪴

[Chloefairydust]

Random question … How do you look after a Venus fly trap plant?

I can’t seem to get mine to eat. I read they can eat fish food, so I tried feeding mine a fish flake and it closed the trap around the food however the next day the traps open again and it hasn’t eaten the food. Does it not like the food?? What should I feed it? And how often?

Any advice appreciated 🙂

If it didn’t go dormant then it’s basically sleep deprived! Move it to somewhere cold but frost free like an unheated greenhouse where its leaves can completely die off for the winter. Keep it sitting in rainwater though, don’t let it dry out, and it will come back refreshed in the spring.

If you don’t have a greenhouse will a cold windowsill do?

@VenusClapTrap thank you! need to figure out where to put it 🤔 does it need to be light or dark? Hopefully it will survive!

Chloe - Cold windowsill is fine if it’s an unheated room - if there’s central heating it won’t fully die back.

Srx - Light

Ok. Reading this mine needs a cold spot. We have a garage with a window. I'll pop her in there for in winter! Hopefully Audrey can hibernate nicely.

Audrey 😂

I actually have a dd named Audrey. I called her that having no idea it was the plant in the film!

Yeah, I'm also a Little Shop of Horrors fan 🤣

When you say cold spot... how cold? Our little downstairs toilet which is next to the front door is cold all winter - I could put the plant on the window sill in there?

Or.... should I be putting her on a shelf in the shed? Next to the window covered in bloody webs?

I'm automatically referring the plant as a her....
I also need a name, though I'm swaying towards Venus haha!

Try the downstairs loo and if it keeps producing leaves and doesn’t die back, move it to the shed.

So name wise I'm stuck between Venus and Ranha - short for piranha plant (super Mario)

and @VenusClapTrap thank you :) I'll try there first and move her if needed! I've had the email from dpd - she's coming tomorrow!!

Look who has arrived!! I was scared unwrapping incase I lost a finger haha!!!

Off we go to the garage for winter.

Ooh that’s a nice red one 🙂

Lovely specimens!

Oooo I love the red ones. I might need a new addition in the spring 😍Congratulations Checo.

Yours looks plump and healthy, Roach. Mine is going to get lots of TLC to see if I can get him looking his best. He's off to the cold porch for winter today.

This thread is so helpful! Thank you 😊

You lot'll be sorry when your "lovely" plants grow moving roots, sting you in the middle of the night, choke you to death and then feed on your rotting corpses...

Ill be so proud of her 🤣

😂

I’m loving this thread.

Mine sits on the windowsill, drinks tap water and eats house flies and it’s grown like mad, appears to be doing really well. In fact it’s seemingly the only plant I’m able to keep alive so I had no idea I was doing it wrong. Funny things aren’t they!

Well this is the thing with plants. Sometimes you do everything right, and they cark it; sometimes you do everything wrong, and they thrive! They’re living things and like my cat, they can be contrary.

Can I ask another question please, Venus. Can they sit in a large reservoir of water? I'm worried my porch isn't cold enough (there is a radiator that takes the chill off) so I'm thinking the shed windowsill might be better. But I'm worried he'll dry out if I put him somewhere I can't see him. Can I put him in a largish tray of water so it doesn't matter if I don't visit daily?

Mine are all ready to go to the porch. Fly trap and a few sundews. I’m wondering if I should wait til the last flower stalk dies, or if I should chop them off and do it now. Think I’m gonna miss them! And also a bit worried that the gnats might come back.

Yes, absolutely. They are more than happy in deep water. When I go on holiday I fill their trays right up and it lasts for a week or more. You can even submerge them - if they get aphids this is the only way to deal with them; submerge for a few days to drown the pests.