Expert: Christopher Littrell - 5/1/2007

Question
Why is my trap not growing more traps?  Is has nice long leaves and sits on a bed of rocks with water and is healthy but the traps are not maturing

Answer
Hello Erin,

Sorry to hear about your Flytrap.

I am going to need a bit more information about the growing conditions to help you with this question fully.

Here are some pointers to consider about Venus Flytraps and leaf growth.

Light: Venus Flytraps require a huge amount of light to properly grow. If the plant is not getting enough light, at least two 40 watt florescents or one 100 watt equivalent florescent at least 4-8 inches from their leaves, closer if possible, they will not develop properly. Even better is if you can get twice the florescents stated before or place them in a sunny window, or optimally, grow them outside in full sun to grow healthy plants. If the plant is grown in low light, its leaves will look long and thin and the traps will be small or unformed. A healthy flytrap will have stout petioles (the stalks holding the traps) and large, well-formed traps with bright red pigment in the typical form of the plant.

Flowering: Check to see if your plant is trying to flower. If a Flytrap tries to send up a flower scape it might slow down in trap production. If the plant is getting sufficient light as I suggested previously, then it will continue producing traps after flowering. You can clip the scape to keep the plant from weakening if it has been getting too little light. Give the plant more light to help it recover it's energy reserves.

Minerals: If the plant is exposed to minerals from hard water of over 50-100 parts per million, it will build up in the soil and might stunt the plant's growth and eventually kill it. Water the plant with distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water that has all mineral content removed. When you indicated rocks, I am worried that some of the rocks might have mineral content that the plants would not like. Lime, calcium, magnesium, and salt minerals of all types would be harmful to the plants.

Soil: Venus Flytraps require an acidic mixture of sphagnum peat moss with a mix of perlite added in for drainage in approximately a 50/50 mix. There are other soil mixes that could be used, but the basics are to ensure that the soil is acidic and well drained. Venus Flytraps tend to grow best in sphagnum peat moss though. Make sure any soils you use do not have any fertilizer or mineral additives like regular potting soil has. If the plant's roots are exposed to fertilizer, that will harm the plant and eventually kill it.

Pests: Aphids might have made a home in the center bud of the plant. They like sucking the juice out of young leaves so when the leaf grows larger the traps might be deformed or not mature properly. You can use a magnifying glass to try to detect them on your plant. If you find them, you can use neem oil based products with pyrethrines to kill the aphids off. Just do not use any soap based products as they will break down and add fertilizer to the soil.

Dormancy: If your plant did not go through winter dormancy, it might be weakening from expending all of it's energy growing all winter long. When North American temperate carnivorous plants like Venus Flytraps are not allowed to feel the seasonal changes, they do not go dormant and basically become annuals, dying within a year or so. Venus Flytraps often live for decades when allowed to go dormant every winter.

Please send me a follow-up if none of this information applies to the conditions your plant has been experiencing or if you can add anything about the plant's light, soil, water, and dormancy conditions.

Hopefully your plant will start growing properly again.