Carnivorous Plants/Vft feeding

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Expert: - 6/2/2008


Question
I am curious about if i feed my Vft fishing maggotts that have been dyed red if the dyes in the maggott will harm my plant ?

Answer
Hello Michael,

I have never used dyed maggots, even for fishing, so I am only able to provide a limited answer to your question. From what I can surmise, each brand of maggots is dyed with different substances, so each dye would be different in composition. Some dyes might be harmful to your Flytrap and some might not. I would suggest not feeding your plant chemically prepared fishing bait and let it catch its own flies and spiders. A Flytrap living where it has access to insects, outside, will potentially capture as many flies in one day as it has traps.

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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