Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 10/11/2010

Question
I got a Venus fly trap last week.On the day I got I fed it an ant yesterday I looked at the trap and it was and fine.Today I looked at and and where the abdomen was there was a burn. today I fed it a fly and the trap closed but the fly was to big .I live around Chicago .I give it water from the tap but I leave it outside for 24 hours than give to plant. what am I doing wrong? I may to young to understand. I am 10 years old.

Answer
You may want your parents assisting you with this one because carnivorous plants require slightly different care than what you might think.

First, it's perfectly OK for a trap to turn black after it captures an insect, especially in fall.  You see, flytraps go dormant when the weather is cool.  At this time of the year, it's normal for the traps to stop working or stop digesting insects.

Secondly, insects are not the most important part of its care.  A flytrap is a plant, not an animal.  So it needs sunlight, lots of sunlight, for energy.  

Thirdly, flytraps need mineral-free water.  Leaving the water out won't remove minerals.  Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't remove chlorine additives either.  To remove minerals and chlorine, you'll need to distill the water or pass it through a reverse-osmosis unit.  If you have only a small collection of plants, you could purchase distilled water.  

I strongly recommend reading our care sheet on our website:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

I also recommend watching Volume 1 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series:
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

This may be your first flytrap, and everyone often kills it, so don't worry if your plant dies.  The important thing is that you learn proper growing techniques for this plant when you acquire your next one.  

I also recommend starting with tropical plants, such as a Cape sundew or a tropical pitcher plant.  These plants grow very well in a sunny windowsill and are a bit more forgiving of mistakes.

Ask your parents to assist you in reading the care instructions that we have on our website.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin