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Carnivorous Plants/Dionaea (Venus Flytrap)

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Expert: - 4/24/2008


Question
Hi Chris.
I have several Dionaea and in the morning they receive sunlight via an eastern facing window. Around 1 PM I move them to a South facing window in-order for them to get 3 more hours of sunlight. My question is do venus flytraps  not like being moved around too much? I've read that dionaea need a stable environment that they can slowly get used to over several weeks.I've also read that the shock of moving them around constantly will eventually sicken and even kill them.Is this true? Thank you sir and have a nice day! Conrad.

Answer
Hello Conrad,

If the humidity and temperature the plants experience from room to room is different, it can weaken the plants over time. This is usually the case when moving plants inside and outside a lot, but if each room gets different levels of air conditioning it could also create a shock to the plants each time they are moved. It is often best to leave them in one place that has all the elements of survival they need. A south window generally will get a good dose of sunlight all morning, noon, and afternoon. Your Flytraps would be even better of outside where they can get full sunlight since windows cut down on the intensity of light that comes through them. If this is not possible, make sure to add florescrent shop lights or compact florescent bulbs to give your plants a supplemental source of light.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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