Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 5/9/2010

Question
allexperts,

I have this venus flytrap that you have to get it out of its dormancy.  I am wondering if this is to large of a pot for this plant. Also why I haven't seen any new growth.  Do I have to repot the plant to a much smaller pot?  Is a Terra Cotta pot alright for a venus flytrap.  I am giving it 14 hours of direct sunlight supplied from a lamp with fluorescent light bulbs.  The soil is the standard soil mix 50:50 of Peat moss and perlite.  I have attached a picture.

Sincerely,

Weylin Callery

Answer
Hi Weylin,

Avoid using terracotta pots.  They lose a lot of moisture, and during the hottest parts of summer, you may find yourself watering your plant daily.  Use plastic pots instead.

Since you're a regular visitor to AllExperts, you may already know that we're not at all fans of growing flytraps indoors.  This is a US-native perennial, so we highly recommend growing it outdoors. We do so at our nursery, and we reach a record low of 8°F in December.

There are several reasons why flytraps don't emerge from dormancy.  The most common reason is fungal infection.  This happens a lot when growing them indoors where it's too warm for the plant to go fully dormant.  

To check on your plant's health, unearth it and examine the bulb.  It should be white and firm.  If it's soft and brown, your plant didn't make it.  For more information about growing flytraps, please watch our video podcasts:
http://www.cobraplant.com/videos

Good growing!
Jacob Farin