How to grow Venus flytrap from seeds at home

Carnivorous plants arouse great curiosity and interest among people. This is because they are unusual and very attractive looking. One of them is the Venus flytrap, a predatory exotic plant whose wild forms grow on the marshy coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Fans of indoor floriculture all over the world want to get their hands on this flower for cultivation. But is it possible to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds? You will find answers to this and other questions about flower care by reading this material.

What kind of flower is this

This plant has been known to people for 300 years. The study of this insect hunter began in the 18th century. The flower has several names. He received one of them for his attractiveness in honor of Dionea, who was the mother of the beautiful Aphrodite.

People at all times have tried to introduce this miracle of nature into pot culture. When it became clear what conditions were needed to grow dionaea at home, it began to decorate the windowsills of many houses. A flower in an apartment performs 2 important functions. Due to its decorative nature, it decorates the room. In addition, it relieves owners from annoying mosquitoes and flies.

Description and characteristics

The Venus flytrap, or Dionaea, is a genus of carnivorous plant. Its wild forms are found on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Grows in marshy, moist soils. Swampy peatlands contain little nitrogen, but this is not a problem for Dionaea, since it receives this nutrient from its victims.

The species is represented by low-growing herbaceous forms that do not have a trunk. The plant has a short underground stem, from which 4 to 7 leaves grow, collected in a rosette.

The length of the leaves ranges from 3.5 to 7 cm. Outwardly, they look like traps with spikes along the edge. The color of the leaves is light green, and their inner surface is painted in red tones. They emit a smell that attracts insects. In addition, the leaves produce special enzymes that help digest caught insects.

The insect trap is made of 2 sheets, which have hairs along the edge for stronger adhesion to each other when the trap slams shut. The insect, attracted by the smell of nectar, lands on the inner petals. This causes irritation of special signal hairs, and the trap quickly slams shut.

When the leaf blades completely close, a cavity is formed with the function of a stomach. The food obtained is digested and absorbed in this cavity. This takes 7-10 days. Then the trap opens again and the plant is ready to capture the next victim. In the natural environment, the Venus flytrap preys on insects and mollusks. Each trap can catch and digest 3 victims, and then it dies.

With the onset of winter, the appearance of Dionaea changes. Its leaves die and it seems that the flower has died. However, with the advent of the first rays of the sun, the carnivorous plant comes to life again and prepares for the hunt. Under good conditions, Dionaea can live 20 years.

Types and varieties

The sundew family consists of 3 genera, which include more than 100 plant species. The genus Dionaea, which belongs to this family, consists of one species - Dionaea flytrap, or Venus flytrap. It is endemic to coastal North Carolina in the USA.

The jagged edges prevent the insect from freeing itself. The inner side of the leaf secretes digestive juice, with the help of which the insect is almost completely digested.

Dionaea blooms in spring. Its white flowers bloom on powerful peduncles. With good care, flowering occurs twice a year. The fruit is a capsule.

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Is it possible to grow it at home?

Since humanity discovered this wonderful flower, attempts have been made to introduce it into culture. Over time, it became clear what conditions were needed to grow Venus flytraps on windowsills. Now Dionaea can be found in many homes where it grows successfully.

Optimal growing conditions

Dionaea reacts very sensitively to unsuitable growing conditions. When growing it at home, all care work must be carried out in a timely manner and a comfortable microclimate must be created. The following describes what requirements a carnivorous plant makes for normal development.

Lighting. The light should be bright enough, but diffused. The sun's rays in this form should fall on the flower for 5 hours, mainly in the morning and in the evening. The sun can cause the Venus flytrap's root system to overheat. To prevent this, the pot is wrapped in reflective material. With a lack of light, the leaves turn pale and the plant stretches. The problem can be solved by installing additional lighting with fluorescent lamps.
Place for a potty. Dionaea grows best on the windowsills of eastern or western windows. If there is no such accommodation option, and the apartment’s windows face south, it’s not a problem. Place the pot on a south-facing window and provide shade. Dionaea reacts poorly to movements, so you need to immediately find a suitable place for it.
Air exchange. Fresh air has a beneficial effect on the Venus flytrap. In summer, you can take the flower pot out onto the loggia or even into the garden. If both are not available, you need to regularly ventilate, avoiding drafts.
Room temperature. This genus belongs to heat-loving plants. In the warm season of the year, it is necessary to provide the dione with a temperature range of 23-30 degrees above zero, and in winter +10 degrees is enough.
Irrigation. Both waterlogging and drying out of the soil should not be allowed. The top of the soil is constantly kept slightly moist. To preserve moisture, mulching with moss is a good idea. Irrigation is best carried out using the bottom watering method, when the calculated amount of water is poured into the pan. In extreme heat, you need to humidify the air around the flower with a spray bottle.
Rest period. In autumn, the plant enters a dormant period. Its leaves dry out, turn black and fall off. Externally, the flower seems lifeless. There is no need to panic or take any resuscitation actions, since this is a natural process. You just need to move the pot of dionaea to a dark, cool place and wait until mid-February, sometimes moistening the soil. With the arrival of spring, active growth of the Venus flytrap will resume.

Where to get seeds

Venus flytrap seeds can be obtained independently from an adult plant or purchased at commercial gardening centers. If your friend has Dionaea and you are going to take seeds from it for propagation, then you will have to work hard. At home, seeds can only be grown using artificial pollination.

Getting your own seeds

In the spring, when Dionaea enters the flowering phase, you need to use a paint brush to transfer pollen from one plant to another. The flower will be fertilized and after 30 days the ovaries will appear. The fruit of Dionaea is a capsule containing from 20 to 30 black shiny achenes. The ripened seeds are stored in the refrigerator in paper bags. They will become suitable for sowing 150 days after harvest.

Important! For artificial propagation, a plant that has already overwintered at least once is suitable.

Is it possible to order from China on Aliexpress?

In recent decades, with the development of the Internet, seeds began to be ordered through the World Wide Web. On the Internet you can find quite a lot of online stores that sell seeds of vegetables, berries and exotic plants. You can order Venus flytrap seeds there.

One of the most popular online stores is Chinese Aliexpress. Dionaea seeds can be ordered there. However, it is worth mentioning that sometimes those who order Venus flytrap seeds receive bags with completely unknown plants, and sometimes they send weed seeds.

Planting, propagation and transplantation of Venus

It is better to immediately transplant dionaea purchased in a store into previously prepared soil. To do this, the plant must be carefully removed from the pot along with a lump of earth. Next, the roots from this soil need to be cleaned; you can rinse them in distilled water. After this, the flytrap is planted in a container with substrate prepared for it, after making a small hole. The stem of the Venus flytrap must be sprinkled with earth; there is no need to compact the soil when replanting.

In the future, it is better to replant the carnivore in the spring, but replanting is also allowed in the autumn. The plant gets used to the new soil within five weeks.

Dionaea propagates in three ways: by seeds, by dividing bulbs and by cuttings.

Let us describe the features of each of them in more detail.

Method of dividing the bush

The older the plant gets, the more daughter bulbs it will have. The bulbs can be carefully, without disturbing the roots, separated from the mother flower and planted in a new container, which it is advisable to place in a greenhouse. It is better to use this method no more often than once every three years.

Preparing for landing

Not everyone can grow a Venus flytrap from seeds, as it is quite difficult. Young flowers may die due to lack of light or insufficient air humidity. Therefore, it is very important to carry out all pre-sowing preparatory work correctly.

Preparing the seeds

Regardless of what seeds are used for sowing - purchased or grown independently, they must be properly prepared before the planting procedure.

Before planting, seed material must undergo a stratification process, which significantly increases seed germination. The essence of stratification is as follows:

moisten a cloth in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate;
dry Dionaea seeds are laid out on it;
send the seeds to the refrigerator, where the temperature is maintained at 3 to 5 degrees Celsius;
stratification lasts 2 months and during this time you need to regularly wet the cloth;
By the end of the process, subtle cracks will appear on the seed coats, indicating that the seeds are ready for sowing.

Choosing a place

While the seeds are stratified in the refrigerator, you need to decide on the place where the pot of dionaea will be placed. To do this, you should clear the window sill of the western or eastern window, clean and wash it. If the windows of the house face south, then a shading screen should be prepared there to protect the young Dionaea from direct sunlight.

Preparing the soil

We noted earlier that wild Dionaea grows in marshy soils and prefers an acidic environment. This should be taken into account when preparing the soil for it yourself.

The soil must be composed of the following ingredients:

2 parts peat;
2 parts perlite;
1 part moss;
1 part sand.

All ingredients are thoroughly mixed until homogeneous, and then the soil is disinfected from fungal diseases with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.

Selecting and preparing a pot

For Dionaea, choose a small pot with a diameter of 10 cm and a height of 12 cm. Experienced flower growers advise growing a Venus flytrap in a special florarium or in an aquarium. It is easier to maintain the required air humidity and set the correct lighting.

The drainage layer is not placed in the pots, but immediately filled with the prepared soil mixture.

How does a Venus flytrap hunt?

The bright traps of Venus flytraps attract insects with their color and smell. The potential victim sits on the leaf and the trap slams shut. Surprisingly, this plant, possessing some kind of intelligence unexplored by humanity, does not always close, but only when it is really needed.

If a speck, a grain of sand, etc. gets on the fragrant slices of the trap, they will not slam shut. Having received a victim in its network, depending on the size, the Venus flytrap can process it from a day to two or more weeks, and when it opens the valves again, not a trace of the insect will remain. Another manifestation of the plant’s “intelligence” is that one trap is designed to process 2-4 insects (again, depending on the type and size), then it dies, and while a new trap grows, the flower takes a break from eating and thereby saving himself from gluttony.

Before growing a Venus flytrap, you should carefully study all the care information, because if the plant cannot independently catch the required number of insects, it will need to buy or breed them on its own.

Sowing technology

It is recommended to sow the seeds after February 15 in order to transplant the seedlings into separate pots with the onset of summer.

The sowing procedure is performed according to the following algorithm:

sow the seeds on the surface of the soil without deepening them; you can sprinkle them with moss;
water with a spray bottle carefully so as not to brush them off the surface;
cover the pots with plastic wrap;
maintain the temperature background at 24-28 degrees Celsius;
illuminate the crops at least 15 hours a day;
Do not allow the soil to dry out when watering.

Important! If all the points on the list are followed, the seedlings will appear in 2 or 3 weeks. The film is removed at this time.

Choosing a place for a flycatcher

Let us immediately make a reservation that the process of growing this plant will not be simple, since the dionea will need to be provided with natural conditions for it. So, the flycatcher needs to be watered with rainwater, ensure that the ground under the plant is constantly moist, carry out care measures, and also feed it periodically.

Temperature

Dionea is a heat-loving plant. At the same time, being only at room temperature all year round, she will not be able to live long. The temperature must be maintained artificially.

The optimal temperature for its growth in autumn and spring will be +22-28 ºС. The highest temperature limit for a plant in summer will be +35 ºС. In winter, for 3-4 months, the flycatcher is at rest, during which time it needs to be provided with a temperature of 0 to +10 ºС.

Since the plant reacts very sensitively to changes in temperature, it is most often planted in glass greenhouses and florariums. It is also easier to maintain optimal air humidity for the plant - 70%.

Lighting

The exotic carnivore likes well-lit places, but not in direct sunlight. It is better if the light reaches it diffused. Windows, balconies, loggias facing west or east are suitable for growing it. It may be on the south side, but in this case it will be necessary to take care of shelter from direct rays. It is important that the light source is always on one side. You should not rotate the pot with the flycatcher - she does not like it. If there is insufficient natural light, it is possible to use artificial lighting. To thrive, the flycatcher requires access to light for at least four hours a day. During the growing season, artificial lighting will need to be used 12-14 hours a day.

Further care

When 2 true leaves appear on the plant, it is necessary to begin hardening. They do this gradually, opening the film shelter for a short period of time. The temperature in the room at this time should not fall below +18 degrees. First, the film is opened slightly for 5 minutes, and then the exposure is gradually increased to 20 minutes.

When Dionaea has 3-5 true leaves, it is transplanted into individual pots. The transplantation procedure is performed with great care, remembering that the Venus flytrap has fragile roots. Dionaea grows very slowly and will become an adult plant only after 5 years.

Watering

When growing a Venus flytrap, you need to constantly monitor the soil moisture. You should not allow it to dry out even for a short time, as this is detrimental to the flower.

It is not advisable to use top watering for moisture, because this method makes it difficult for oxygen to reach the roots. Water should be poured into the pan so that its level is above the drainage holes in the pot. The plant itself will take the required amount of moisture from the pan.

For irrigation, it is better to use rainwater or distilled water. Watering frequency - 3 times a week.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing in the form as we understand it is not carried out in relation to Dionaea. The plant does not need root or foliar fertilizing with fertilizers.

It is better to take care that Dionaea can constantly hunt and maintain a sufficiently humid environment for it.

Feeding

The Venus flytrap is a predator that obtains all the necessary nutrients from the digestion of its victims.

For feeding to be successful, you need to follow some rules:

It is enough to feed Dionaea once a month. During the entire growing season, she needs to digest 3 insects. Mosquitoes, spiders or flies are suitable as food.
The size of the victim should not be larger than the size of the trap.
Worms, leaf-eating insects and insects with a chitinous hard shell are not suitable for food.
You cannot feed the flower pieces of meat and other foods from the table.
It is highly undesirable to feed Dionaea in the following cases:

if the flower is sick;
when replanting a plant;
when the soil is waterlogged;
in poor lighting.

Important! In late autumn and during winter, feeding is temporarily stopped.

Transfer

After sowing the seeds, the first flower transplant is carried out 2 years later. Then this procedure is repeated with the same frequency. The best time for transplantation is spring.

The transplant procedure is performed according to the following rules:

the new pot should be deep enough, but not wide, because the roots of Dionaea are quite long;
the roots of the plant are fragile, replanting should be done slowly and carefully;
when the Venus flytrap is removed from the pot, the soil should be removed from the roots and washed with water;
the depleted mixture described above is poured into a new pot.

After transplantation, the plant will need a month to adapt. During this period, it should be well watered and kept in partial shade.

Important! Whether the dionea needs replanting can be determined by the condition of the soil in the pot. If its top layer begins to lag behind the walls and acquires a white coating, it’s time to replant.

Soil for Venus

In order for the Venus flytrap to please you at home for as long as possible, you must follow certain rules regarding lighting, watering and selection of soil for planting.

We have already written that in nature, a predatory plant grows in poor soils. Therefore, in an apartment it can also live in similar soils, but with good drainage. The best option would be a mixture of quartz sand and high peat (1:1) or a mixture of perlite and high peat (1:1). Seven days before planting, perlite must be soaked in distilled water, changing it twice during this time.

You can also use a substrate in the following composition: peat, perlite and sand (4:2:1). It is recommended to change the soil every two to three years.

Protection from diseases and pests

When growing a Venus flytrap at home, it is extremely rarely attacked by pests. The most common pest is aphids. She settles in traps, sucking plant sap. As a result of its harmful effects, the traps become deformed and lose functionality, the plant cannot hunt and dies. Dionaea can be protected from aphids by treating it with special aerosols.

In addition, the flower may suffer from spider mites. If the air humidity is insufficient, the risk of tick damage increases. These insects are controlled by spraying with a solution of a purchased acaricide.

Due to neglect of the rules for growing the Venus flytrap, the Venus flytrap may become ill with certain diseases. Most often these are the following ailments:

Mold fungus. Occurs when the air is excessively humidified. Appears in the form of black spots. The disease can be eliminated by treating with a solution of a commercial fungicide.
Trap rotting. Rotting can occur when the plant is unable to fully digest the insect. It is necessary to monitor this process and, if necessary, clean the trap manually.
Botrytis. With this disease, gray rot appears on the stems and leaves. To prevent the disease from spreading to other parts of the plant, the affected area should be cut out and the plant should be sprayed with a fungicide solution.

Flycatcher cuttings

Growing flycatchers by cuttings is best done in the spring. To do this you need:

Cut a few leaves from the rosette. To improve the rooting of cuttings, you can use a biogrowth stimulator.
Before planting, you need to prepare a substrate consisting of quartz sand and peat.
Pour a small layer of prepared soil into containers and plant the cuttings.
Cover the plants with a jar or plastic bottle and place them in a lighted place.
The disadvantage of this method is the high possibility of rotting and fungal infection. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to ventilate the pots by removing the covers.
After three months, the sprouts will take root and the root system will become stronger. Then they can be transplanted into separate containers using soil for adult individuals.

Dividing a bush for planting

A very simple way to breed a flycatcher. When replanting, it is removed from the pot and removed from the soil. Using a knife, carefully separate the fused rosettes. Then, the resulting flowers are planted in separate containers and taken care of as usual at home.

Advice from experienced flower growers

When growing a Venus flytrap, even experienced gardeners encounter insurmountable difficulties. In this regard, the following recommendations will be useful for beginners:

Strict adherence to the watering regime. With excessive watering, dark spots appear on the shoots of Dionaea, and the leaves and stems begin to rot. If such symptoms are present, you need to urgently adjust the irrigation regime.
Irrigation water and fertilizing. Do not use tap water for irrigation or fertilize with mineral fertilizers. This can cause the leaves to wither and the plant to die.
Traps. It is strictly forbidden to touch the traps with your hands or feed the flower with products inappropriate for it.
Lighting. If brown spots appear on Dionaea leaves, this is the result of sunburn. Create translucent shading for the flower.
Rest period. As the plant enters this period, its leaves may turn white or yellow. They need to be carefully pinched, this will allow new shoots and leaves to grow. During this period, there is no need to feed the plant insects and the watering regime should be reduced to a minimum. The length of daylight hours and the temperature in the room should also be gradually reduced to 7-10 degrees above zero. Even in winter, do not allow the soil in the pot to dry out.