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Carnivorous Plants/Venus Flytrap has bugs in soil

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Expert: - 7/31/2009


Question
My venus flytrap has bugs in the soil.  How can get rid of the bugs in the sphagnum moss?

Answer
Hello Darleen,

You can use water based insecitcides, like pyrethrines, to kill off insects. You can also place the entire pot in a bucket of water and drown the insects out for 24 to 48 hours at a time, completely submerging the plant as well.

If those techniques do not work, you can repot the plant completely in fresh soil and remove any soil from the roots by washing the plant in distilled water before transplanting.

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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