Inherited a Venus Flytrap. Help!

[Ottercave]

Just as the title says. I’ve become the owner of a Venus Flytrap.
I’ve sat her in a saucer of de-ionised water.
I’ve taken off any black traps.
Do I need to cut off the flower stalks?
Other than name her what else do I need to do?

The sundew has caught its first fungus gnat 🥳

Omg, do this!!

How are Vera and Agnes getting on?!

Thanks for asking @LoonyLois

Agnes is getting on really well considering she lives on a darkish kitchen window sill. She nearly caught her first fly yesterday. It landed on one of her traps but wasn’t big enough or moving around enough to set it off.

I’m a little bit concerned about Vera. A couple of her traps are closed with nothing in them and another couple are black around the edges. The inside of her traps aren’t as red as the inside of Agnes’s either. She’s been like that for a few weeks. It’s worrying as she’s the one who lives in perfect conditions at home.

We’re actually away on holiday at the moment and I’ve had to take them with me as I don’t trust my youngest DC to look after them properly. Every day they go outside in the sunshine. God knows what the other campers think. 😂

Mine lost an awful lot of traps and was down to 4. I was despairing. It ate a fly - I can still see the wings sticking out - and this seems to have perked it up. The trap is going black where the fly is now though.

Two other traps have closed in the night. There were a couple of traps growing slowly in the middle and there are now three and they have greened up. In fact the whole plant has greened up.

I think the sunny weather has helped too - we were struggling with cool, grey weather. I reduced the water too - I give it enough to last 2 days, then top it up again when the pot gets a little lighter so it stays damp but not sodden.

🤞

@Ottercave How are Agnes and Vera getting on?

Mine (he remains nameless) lost most of his original traps but now has loads of new ones, both very large and very tiny.

Mine (technically DH's) is looking better since I've been following the advice here and keeping her with her feet in rainwater. The newer leaves and traps are less 'wonky' than earlier in the year when I posted before.

Going back a bit to the question of peat-free compost for carnivorous plants - there are some options: https://www.thecps.org.uk/growing-carnivorous-plants-peat-free/

You can also make your own bracken compost (if you have the time and access to bracken) and mix it with sphagnum moss.

I loved mine so much then it ate a wasp and died :(

And this place has some peat-free mixes for specific species rather than just generic carnivores: www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/product-category/compost-sundries/

I catch flys and feed them to my Venus flytrap, I sort of dance them on the leaf and then it snaps.

That site looks like it might have some great Xmas present ideas E.g.

https://www.littleshopofhorrors.co.uk/product/trough-of-terror-kit/

I've bought a few plants from them - butterworts and sundews. Good quality, posted in robust packaging, and with a nice info & care card, so I think they would be good for gifts.

Hi @Melroses
Thanks for asking although if you’d had asked me a couple of weeks ago I’d have said I was worried about Vera. She’d lost a lot of her old traps but hadn’t grown any new ones then all of a sudden last week she suddenly went mad and started growing lots of new ones. Worry over. 😅
Agnes is doing ok. She doesn’t seem to have lost many but has grown done new flower stems. 👍
Both seem to like the kitchen window sill which goes against every growing guide to do with Venus Flytraps. 🙄🤦‍♀️
Perhaps the power of Mumsnet could help you name yours 🤔.
Every Flytrap deserves a name. 👍😂

Audrey3 (flytrap) is growing very well.

Audrey4 (pitcher) has them all stacked up. There are a couple of flies hanging around the pitchers of doom this evening 😬 The pitchers are covered in tiny moist droplets to lure the parched flies.......

Audrey5 (sundew) has filled the pot with little sundews and is speckled with little flies/fruit flies etc.

I expect the next problem will be dealing with the shorter, cooler days and keeping them away from the central heating. The plan is to move them to the hallway window with the radiator turned off until Halloween, then Audreys3&4 can be put in an insulated box in the greenhouse to overwinter and Audrey5, which is less hardy, will remain in the hall, alongside the usual cymbidium orchid.