Carnivorous Plants/vft

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Expert: - 5/10/2008


Question
how many vft can grow at once do they live long where can i get seeds where do the seeds come out of.

Answer
Hello Micky,

I am not sure I understand your first question. The number of plants that can grow in one place is limited by the amount of space available and the size of the plants your growing. Since Venus Flytraps can grow to 4-8 inches across I would suggest giving each a good couple inches growing space and plant about 3-4 in a 5-6 inch pot. In the wild they grow in clumps and tend to crowd one another, which is normal and does not cause any problems.

Venus Flytraps can live for years, some reported to live up to 20 years or so in age. They can only do so if they are given a good winter dormancy every year and if they have proper soil, water, and good direct sunlight.

You can buy seeds online at any number of specialist nurseries... like cobraplant.com and californiacarnivores.com.

If you have a Flytrap it will send up a flower scape around this time of year. Each scape will have 1-12 flowers or more. After flowering, the flowers shrivel up and develop seeds inside which will ripen after a month or so. After they ripen, they will fall out around the parent plant and grow into tiny Flytraps that will take several years to grow to adult size.

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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