Venus Flytrap - 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid for a Vibrant Plant

No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense. Get the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate thousands of carnivorous plants every year, since 1995.

[BrandiR]

I just watch 6 flytrap videos, about 2 hours worth, and this 10 minute video taught me more. Thank you

[matthewp]

This needs to be the first video that pops up when searching for VFT care. Thanks.

[abigor]

Jesus this was more informative then 99% of plant videos on youtube. Thank you!

[tonybucca]

I tried SO many times to grow flytraps, but always"protected" inside. This year I put one on my back deck in full sun, a WOW, what a difference! I'm going to buy 4-5 more . and some sphagnum and perlite. VERY informative video...THANK YOU! SUBBED!

[sgee]

I love "Your flytrap doesn't care what you think." 😆 I have also made all of these mistakes. I did eventually find out that they prefer to be outdoors, and I usually water everything with rainwater, but I didn't know about their sunlight needs, or anything else. I might finally be able to keep a baby flytrap alive. What I'd like to know, though, is why growers don't ever include this information on the plants they send to nurseries. It looks like they really don't care if all of those plants die, so you have to go out and buy a new one every year. How irresponsible. 😠

[guydreamr]

If you do feed your flytrap, another important thing to remember is not to give it a bug that's too big. The insect shouldn't be bigger than about 2/5 of the trap, or less than 1/2, just over 1/3 really. If the bug is too big, it's prone to rot and kill the trap before its fully digested.

[SugaryPhoenixxx]

I bet this guy has zero flies on his property.

[fritzwilhelm]

Wow. More useful and relevant VFT info in 10 minutes than anywhere else on Youtube for this subject. I've looked. I'm embarrassed that I've made all 5 of these mistakes over the decades whenever I've tried my luck, and ended up killing them all.

[MikeG.]

Thanks for the pics of VFTs in the snow. I never would have believed it without seeing it.

[WCiossek]

I have had a Venus Flytrap since 1970 which has proliferated. I live in northern Germany, which has a different climate than Wilmington. I water them with osmosis water and use white peat or Leucobryum glaucum as substrate. She is still alive today. Due to the many offshoots, I was able to experiment with their hibernation. I can't hibernate her outside because she freezes to death because of the very wet winters and has a lot of stress from the changing temperatures. Severe frosts and thaws alternate constantly. It also does not survive a period of rest in a frost-free cellar. Consequently, I cultivate them at 20° to 25°C. It forms very wide leaf blades in winter to capture more light. With a rest period, it recovers very poorly in the spring, since the winters are very long here. This leads to the death of the plant. Without a rest period with artificial lighting, I have very good results! Since I mixed the white peat with quartz sand, mineral salts are slowly released into the substrate. This increases the conductance to approx. 200 micro Siemens, so that the mineral salts occasionally have to be rinsed out with osmosis water. The plants are still very vigorous for me, even if the cultivation conditions are different according to the circumstances. There is very little sunshine in northern Germany, so the plant is kept outdoors from mid-May to October.

[bigbowlowrong]

The basic issue is new growers tend to try and “baby” their new VFT, when they are actually incredibly hardy. Just make sure they’re ALWAYS moist in spring and summer, give them as much full sun as you can, and at the start of spring give them a spray of imidaclorprid to prevent aphid infestations. That’s all I do and I’ve had the same pot of batch VFTs for over a decade, have to throw out a handful of bulbs every spring though.

[daigo.castillo]

I just bought a Venus flytrap in a mini pot. Thanks for the info. Growing plants in this era is so easy because of the internet.

[gazepskotzs]

Grew them for years this is the first vid i see that covers everything !

[PattyAgree]

I just learned more in this short video about VFTs than from years of reading about them, and trying to grow them indoors! You are such a good teacher!

[brendanc.]

“Your flytrap doesn’t care what you think.” This hurt my heart a little but I did laugh.

[Narniaru]

The nursery I bought it from was treating it like an indoor tropical plant. So that was mistake number 1. This video was beyond helpful! Hope I can save my plant

[celinar]

Hey, just wanted to stop in and say that I learned more in your video than most and I don’t grow flytraps. Keep up the awesomeness. 😊

[zippygogo]

FINALLY after dozens and dozens of vids all my questions answered in one simple straight forward video Thank You

[frankmmiii]

Thank You for posting this video! I was under the impression that the Flytrap was a tropical plant and never put it outside. I bought them at a lowes depot and would water them with tap water, not knowing that they thrive on distilled water. No wonder my Flytraps never lasted that long. You have educated myself and many others who I am sure were just as ignorant as I was.

[foxinaboxy]

I just got a venus flytrap for my birthday. This is the first time i'm taking care of a plant. I appreciate the tips!