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Carnivorous Plants/Venus Fly Trap
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Question
QUESTION: My wife and wanted to plant venus fly traps in our backyard. We live in Seattle, WA and we wanted to know if they will survive outside or are we wasting our time? If it snows in the winter I was thinking of covering them with a old car cover, will that work?
ANSWER: Hi Glenn,
Venus flytraps will grow very well outdoors in Seattle. You can't actually plant them in the ground because of their soil requirements, but they make great container plants. Large containers such as big pots, wine barrels, pond margins, etc... make great areas for them. You just need to make sure the location you place them is sunny. Our general rule is wherever you are thinking of locating a Venus flytrap or pitcher plant, you should be able to grow a tomato plant in that spot. If you couldn't, it's not bright enough for flytraps.
During the winter, they'll be able to handle about 90% of what a Northwest winter can dish out. You just need to cover them during hard freezes. General overnight frost is of no concern. For more information visit our caresheet pages at: http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets. Also take a look at our DVD, Grow Carnivorous Plants Volume #1, "Venus Flytraps Can Grow Outside?" In the video we not only tell you how, we show you.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: The area that I place the Venus Flytraps in as a large number of small insects. Is it possible to over feed the traps? Thanks for all your help!
Hi Glenn,
If you are manually feeding the plants, yes. However, if you are letting them catch their own insects, no. Venus flytraps can regulate this some by their nectar secretions.
On a side note, if the main reason you are wanting Venus flytraps for this area is to catch insects, especially flies, Sarracenia pitcher plants actually do a much better job. Plants such as Sarracenia flava, Sarracenia alata and hybrids such as Judith Hindle are great flycatchers. They could catch probably 10 times as many as Venus flytraps.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
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Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again. Get the straight facts from the guys who grow and propagate thousands of these plants every year.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?).
Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?)
If you are looking for general care and specific how-to information, please visit the following pages on our main website:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets
For business questions:
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Monthly Carnivorous Plant Care
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