Expert: Christopher Littrell - 4/12/2008

Question
I AM A RETIRED AUCTIONEER AND HAVE BECOME INTERESTED IN CARNIVOROUS PLANTS.I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW AND WHEN TO HARVEST SEEDS FOR VENUS FLY TRAPS.I WINTERED A FEW AND THEY CAME BACK HEALTHY FROM LAST WINTER.I ALSO HAVE A PURPLE PITCHER PLANT THANKS JIM.

Answer
Hello Jim,

Glad to hear that you are having success with caring for your plants.

Venus Flytraps will begin to send up flower scapes soon after coming out of dormancy. Within a month or two you will notice a long stalk with several small globes attached... usually around 6-12 small white flowers will be produced. Each flower will open one at a time and usually stay open for a couple days before closing and blackening. Once a flower blackens, it is generally not dead, but is ripening tiny, pear shaped black seeds. Cross pollination often produces more seeds, but is not essential. Cross-pollination can be done manually with a paint brush or cotton swab by lightly rubbing the fluff or bristles inside one flower and transfering the pollen to a different flower, preferably on a different plant. If you leave the flowers alone, they will usually self-pollinate (lightly tapping or shaking the flower can help with self-pollination).

After the entire cluster of flowers has blackened (the scape will often begin to die back at this time as well) it usually takes several weeks to a month for them to dry out and begin to split open. Leave the scape there and keep a watch on them. Once you see the pods splitting open and peeling back, you will often see the tiny seeds glinting within. That is the right time to harvest the pods and crush them with your fingers over a white piece of paper. The tiny seeds will fall out on the paper and can then be easily separated from the bits of dead flower. Collect the seeds and then use the paper as a funnel to place them in whatever dry container you wish. If you want to wait for next year, after winter, to plant them, you can refrigerate them in a plastic container in the butter shelf in your fridge. This is not necessary as Flytrap seeds are ready to begin sprouting immediately and can survive overwintering as well as the adults. Some people do prefer to bring the seeds inside and place them in a small pot for the first year or so under florescent light or in a south window until they are big enough to disinterest birds and survive heavy rainfall. In any event, you can simply drop the seeds on the surface of the moss and mist them daily to keep them hydrated. In 2-4 weeks you should see them sprouting, however; some might be late growers and sprout up to half a year later. Keep them moist and watch out for fungus.

It will take the tiny seedlings a couple years to grow to adult status, remaining quite small for a long time.

Christopher