Use and Care Guide

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Venus Fly Trap

(Dioneae)

The Venus Fly Trap is native to the bogs of North and South Carolina. This highly

evolved plant uses a mechanical action to catch its prey. The traps produces a

reddish color inside the leaf, and secretes a scent that attracts insects. Inside the traps are trigger

hairs. To close a trap, these trigger hairs need to be touched twice. This prevents the constant

opening and closing that would occur during periods of rain. Once an insect is caught, the Venus Fly

Trap will close tightly around its meal and begin digesting it.

How to keep your Venus Fly Trap healthy

Location: Dioneae requires an area with as much humidity as possible. A terrarium is ideal. Select

an area that has bright indirect light. Morning sun is usually OK, check for burning of foliage. Growing

under Grow-Lux lamps is fine for 16 to 18 hours per day. Avoid humidity robbing drafts from heater

and air conditioners. The ideal day temperature is between 65F to 80F degrees. Avoid excessive

heat, especially at night!

Watering: Dioneae should not be allowed to dry out! For best results use distilled water or rain water.

Tap water with low salt content is acceptable provided water is allowed to stand overnight, to remove

the chlorine. It is very difficult to over water.

Feeding: Never feed any processed meats, including hamburger. Meats are too fatty. Venus fly traps

require insects (which are low in cholesterol). Small flies, moths, are the most easily digested by the

fly trap. Hard shell insects such as beetles are more difficult to digest and are not recommended. If

you want to fertilize your fly trap instead of feeding it , use a 20-20-20, 1/4 strength once a month.

Transplanting: You can transplant your Venus Fly Trap with sphagnum moss, with a layer of perlite

or gravel at the bottom of terrarium or pot. You should transplant every two years. It is best to

transplant when the plant is dormant.

Dormancy: Fly Traps normally go dormant when the day length shortens and temperatures cool

down to 40F-50F. It is recommend that you place your plant in a cool area away from direct sun in the

winter months, so the Dioneae can go dormant. A spot in the refrigerator is fine, do not freeze! Your

Venus Fly Trap will begin to start growing again in mid-February to early March.

Additional Information: A trap can only close three to four times before turning black. The speed in

which the traps closes is based on temperature and light. Venus Fly Traps are an endangered

species. We produce and sell only artificially propagated Dioneae plants. Fly traps flower in the spring

producing one to eight flowers per stem.

"Can I feed my Venus Fly trap hamburger meat?"

No! Their fast food preferences are common flies and insects. Hamburger meat is too fatty for a

Venus Fly trap. It is best to feed them insects. None available? You can use general purpose

fertilizer once a month at 1/4 strength.

Summary of content (5 pages)

PAGE 1
Venus Fly Trap (Dioneae) The Venus Fly Trap is native to the bogs of North and South Carolina. This highly evolved plant uses a mechanical action to catch its prey. The traps produces a reddish color inside the leaf, and secretes a scent that attracts insects. Inside the traps are trigger hairs. To close a trap, these trigger hairs need to be touched twice. This prevents the constant opening and closing that would occur during periods of rain.
PAGE 2
Sweet Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia) Pitcher plants use a passive method in catching their prey. Their tube like leaves form pitchers that hold water and digestive fluids. The Sweet Pitcher Plant is the only Sarracenia that does not have a hood over the top of the pitcher. Sweet pitchers are native to bogs of the eastern United States and Southern Canada. In the spring new leaves begin to grow, and out of the center of the plant an unusual flower will develop.
PAGE 3
tipped with tendrils that form a colorful pitcher at the end. In the wild the tendrils will wrap around a tree branch to prevent the pitcher from spilling its fluids. Tropical Pitcher plants can produce pitchers large enough to hold several quarts of fluid. Nepenthes are either male, which produce the pollen, or female, which only produce only the pistil. Most nepenthes are produced through cuttings or tissue culture. All of our nepenthes are artificially propagated through tissue culture.
PAGE 4
Watering: Butterworts should not be allowed completely dry out! For best results use distilled water or rain water. Tap water with low salt content is acceptable provided water is allowed to stand overnight, to remove the chlorine. It is very difficult to over water. Feeding: Butterworts feed on aphids, and sphagnum nats, and other soft shelled insects. Look closely at the leaves and you will see the remains of insects that have been digested by the Butterwort.
PAGE 5
Dormancy: It is best that Sundews get a rest period at least once every two years in the winter months. If your Sundew's leaves start turning black in the fall, allow it to go dormant. Store in a cool 40F-45F degree place until late February. Cobra Lily (Darlngtonia Californica) A carnivorous plant, DARLINGTONIA produces a pitcher that resembles the head of a Cobra. The Cobra attracts insects into its "Mouth" using nectar glands. The victim is lured inside the lip.