Expert: Christopher Littrell - 2/18/2010

Question
Hi,
I recently purchased a small Venus Fly Trap. It has only three leaves. I tried putting a fly in its trap twice but it rejects it. It opens after two days, fly undigested. Any ideas? Also when I put it in full sun will the leaves burn if I do not do it gradually?

Answer
Hello Mike,

There are a few questions to answer before we can diagnose the problem.

Venus Flytraps should be dormant this time of year. Was the plant recently grown in cold, low-light conditions? Did you find it in a store nursery or did you buy it from a carnivorous plant company?

If the plant is dormant or recently has come out of dormancy, it will not have the energy to digest anything and will simply close its traps slowly and then open them back up again as it warms up.

Was the fly alive or dead? Venus Flytraps react to movement inside the trap. If the insect is dropped inside the leaf, yet is dead, it may not stimulate the trap enough to enter what is called the narrowing phase in which the trap closes tightly and begins digestion. Live prey continues struggling after being trapped, so stimulates the plant to continue clamping down.

You indicated that the plant is not in full sunlight. Venus Flytraps require very strong light and are considered garden plants for growing outside. You can slowly adapt the plant to full sunlight outside by placing it in the strongest sunlit window you have for a week or two, then placing it outside in a partial sun area, like under a tree for a week or two, then placing it in full sun from then on.

Since the plant should be dormant, refrain from trying to feed it anything until it is growing well under full sun in spring weather. If the weather in Canada is too cold, likely this time of year, I would suggest not placing it outside just yet until the potential of a total freeze passes. Venus Flytraps can survive weather down below freezing in zone 7-8 areas, however; will freeze dry in colder zones if the roots are allowed to totally freeze solid. Try to keep the plant in weather of about 40 degrees in winter (especially a potted plant), and 75-85 degrees in the growing seasons.

Do not worry about feeding carnivorous plants. They can go without insect prey for months with no ill effect. An occasional insect is usually captured by the plant on its own anyways. If placed outside in the warmer growing seasons, you should find it hard to actually find a trap left open as flies will swarm to the plant more often than not.

Christopher