Care Instructions for New Arrivals:

In the beginning:

Summary of the most important basic care needs:

More detailed information is covered in the sections below these bullet point:

• Use only distilled water, reverse osmosis water, or clean & fresh rainwater.

• Avoid overwatering. Keep the growing medium moderately moist; it should not be constantly sitting in water. Aim for the moisture content of a squeezed wet sponge.

• During the first week, provide gentle sunlight, such as 3-4 hours of morning sunlight.

• After the first week ensure the plant(s) receive at least 3-4 hours of sunlight per day. All day is preferable.

• Use mineral free growing mediums like peat most and long fibered sphagnum moss, which should not contain fertilizers like Miracle-gro. Rinse water through the soil.

Unpacking your new plant:

Upon receiving your plant, promptly bring it indoors to protect it from the elements. Carefully remove any packing material from the plant, as it is only meant for shipping protection. Handle your new plant with gentleness, making sure not to disturb or harm the roots, rhizome, and traps as much as possible. The traps may be closed upon arrival, but this is normal. They will reopen within a few days, and new traps will begin to grow to replace any damaged leaves. Avoid letting the roots dry out; if necessary, be prepared to pot your plant immediately or use distilled water to keep the roots moist. Dry roots will not survive.

Planting Medium: A good basic growing medium for Venus flytraps is a 1:1 mixture of 50% pure sphagnum peat moss and 50% perlite. Once mixed, add the appropriate amount of water to moisten the medium. It's important to note that peat moss may initially resist absorbing water, but once it does, it is great at retaining water, so patience is key. Another option is to use New Zealand long-fibered sphagnum moss as a growing medium. This medium simply requires moistening with the appropriate water to prepare for potting. Avoid using Miracle-Gro brand sphagnum peat moss or perlite, as they contain fertilizers and minerals that can harm the plants' roots and potentially kill the plant. Think to yourself: No nutrition through the roots, all nutrition through the leaves.

Planting Containers: Suitable containers include fully glazed ceramic (inside & out), plastic containers, and insulated polyurethane foam planting containers. They should have multiple drainage holes and be at least 4 inches deep, with 6 to 8 inches being preferable.

Terrariums: Venus flytraps, contrary to popular belief, are not swamp or tropical plants; they are perennials native to the Carolinas. These plants do not thrive in terrariums due to the lack of air movement and the constant moisture levels, which often lead to mold growth and rot. However, if you choose to use a terrarium, it should only be used with an appropriate grow light, as direct sunlight through a clear container can easily burn the Venus flytrap's roots and kill the plant. Extra care must be taken to ensure the plant is not overwatered, and it is advisable to invest in something that promotes air circulation inside the terrarium. Venus flytraps thrive much better in actual sunlight and with outside air movement.

Potting: Fill your chosen container with the pre-moistened mixture and lightly pack it down. Then, use a screwdriver, a chopstick, or a similar type of tool to poke a hole in the growing medium. Gently guide the plants' roots into the hole and back-fill the hole with your fingers. (Expert tip: You can also help collapse the hole around the roots by using a gentle stream of water poured directly over the hole area.) Plant them so that the rhizome (the white swollen bulb directly above the roots) is buried into the media while the green parts of the leaves are above the level of the soil. The point where the white part meets the green part should be right at the soil level.

When potting with New Zealand long-fibered sphagnum moss, start by pre-moistening it. Fill about half of the pot with the moss and then wrap it around the rhizome like a taco (not 100% around the plant), leaving the green leaves above the moss. Place the plant on top of the moss in the pot, and fill in the remaining space around it until the pot is full. Avoid packing the plant too tightly in the moss; it should have the consistency of a moist cake. If it's packed too densely, it will retain too much moisture directly against the rhizome and won't allow for adequate aeration, which may lead to rot.

If your plant arrives already potted, all you need to do is gradually acclimate it to sunlight and keep the soil moderately moist. It should not be sopping wet, but definitely not dry either. Dry roots will wither and die. The soil should have the moisture consistency of a squeezed wet sponge.

Rinsing: After potting your plants, it's important to water them immediately to rinse out any minerals present in the peat moss that might be harmful to your Venus flytrap. Water the plants from the top and let the water drain out from the bottom of the pot. Repeat this process about three times. Be very gentle when pouring water to avoid disturbing the newly potted plant and soil. Use only distilled, reverse osmosis, or clean and fresh rainwater. Avoid using tap water, well water, drinking water, or spring water as they contain minerals that are harmful to the roots of a Venus flytrap. Going forward, make sure to keep the roots of your plants moderately moist at all times. The soil should not be soaking wet or dry. Constantly wet soil can lead to mold growth and rot, while dry soil can cause the roots of the plants to wither and die.

The first week:

It is important to handle your new plants with care during the first week. Despite being grown in sunlight, they have recently been uprooted, packaged, and transported in complete darkness for days, possibly to a new, unfamiliar climate. As a result, the plants will need some time to adjust and acclimate to their new environment in order to recover from this stress. While they do require sunlight, it's important to provide gentle sunlight during the first week. I recommend against immediately exposing them to full, intense sunlight. Instead, they should receive 3-4 hours of gentle sunlight such as morning sunshine or dappled light with a mix of shade and sunlight. After the initial week, slowly increase the exposure of your new plants to longer periods of direct sunlight. You can start by adding an extra hour of sunlight per day. Following this adjustment period, your Venus flytrap will need more sunlight to thrive, at least 3-4 hours per day, but all-day exposure would be best. Keep in mind that minimal care will not help your plants thrive.

Please note that it is normal to see some blackened traps during this adjustment period. Venus flytraps replace their leaves rather than rejuvenating them, sacrificing the blackening leaves to facilitate this adjustment. These blackened traps do not harm the plant and can be easily removed once they are dry and crunchy. If preferred, you can carefully clip off only the black parts for aesthetic reasons. Keep an eye out for new growth points coming up to replace the dying traps. New growth is always a good indicator of the plant's health. Also understand that this cycle will repeat throughout your Venus flytrap's lifetime and should only be cause for concern if there are no new growth points and most of the traps are blackening. When we see this, overwatering is usually the culprit.

General care requirements for Venus Flytraps:

Below outlines some of the basic care information to use as a guide for the lifetime of your plants.

Water:

Use only distilled, reverse osmosis, or clear and clean rainwater. Venus flytraps require pure water with no or very little mineral content. Tap water is likely to have high levels of dissolved solids (minerals & salts) that can kill Venus flytraps within weeks. If you can test your water, a safe level of dissolved solids for your Venus flytrap is less than 50ppm.

Always keep your Venus flytrap moist, but never soggy for long periods of time, and never let it dry out. The tray method is the most common. Place the planter in a tray of water and allow the water to soak into the medium from the bottom through the drainage holes. If you do this, allow the tray to stay dry for a period of time before rewatering. The duration of drying time depends on the planter size; larger planters can hold water for longer periods while smaller planters dry more quickly.

Another method is top watering and letting the water soak through until it drains out of the bottom. Again, allow for a drying period, but never let it completely dry. Remember, aim for a moisture consistency similar to a squeezed wet sponge.

When Venus flytraps are very wet, ensure they are also warm and in the sun. Wet and cold conditions are unhealthy and can cause fungal infections, rot, and even death.

Soil:

Venus Flytraps require a specific type of soil that is low in nutrients and slightly acidic. Using regular potting soil or soil from your garden can lead to the plant dying. The soil needs to resemble their natural habitat, so it should be acidic, low in nutrients, retain moisture well, and be well-drained. If you're unsure about what ingredients the soil should have, it's best to use pure sphagnum peat moss mixed with roughly equal parts of silica sand and/or perlite. Silica sand is an inert ingredient, so beach sand, river sand, or play sand, which contain minerals, is inappropriate and should not be used.

Sun:

Venus Flytraps are plants that require plenty of direct sunlight to stay healthy. They are sun lovers and, in general, the more direct sunlight they receive, the healthier they will be. However, too much direct sunlight can lead to overheating of the planter, which can damage the roots and the plant itself. To avoid this, you can place the planting container inside a larger container with either an air space or perlite filling the space between the two. This provides insulation and prevents overheating. Another option is to use a Styrofoam container, such as a 16 or 20 oz insulated beverage cup, or a polyurethane foam planter to protect the plant from excessive heat while still allowing it to receive the sunlight it needs. The color of the planter can also assist in prevention of over heating; black absorbs heat, white reflects heat away.

Fertilizer:

Venus Flytraps are often accidentally killed when beginner growers fertilize them. This usually happens because they allow too many minerals and chemicals to get into the soil, which burns the roots and kills the plant. Therefore, I recommend not fertilizing at all. Experienced growers occasionally lightly fertilize flytraps using special techniques, such as foliar feeding with specific and heavily diluted fertilizers. However, this is not really necessary. The plant can get all the nutrition it needs from the sun through photosynthesis, just like all plants. Sunlight is their "food," and bugs are their "fertilizer." If the plant is kept outside, it will "hunt" and catch insects on its own by releasing attractants to its traps. These bugs are better fertilizer than any substitute. Live bugs are necessary to keep the trap closed and to help digest the insects. The trigger hairs must still be stimulated even after the trap is closed to complete the process of turning the trap from a mouth into a stomach. Remember, sunlight is "food" and insects are "fertilizer".

Dormancy:

Venus Flytraps require a rest period lasting a few months each year. As the days become shorter and cooler in the fall, the plants slow their growth, and the traps become sluggish. The leaves of Venus Flytraps also grow smaller and hug the ground. These traps don't function as they normally would because they are meant to photosynthesize through the winter, and hugging the ground is a survival technique to stay warmer. During dormancy, Venus Flytraps should be kept cool. While the plants can tolerate light frosts and brief freezing, it's better to keep them above freezing. Night temperatures between 40°F and 55°F are sufficient. Because they are in planters and not in the ground, freezing has the potential to damage the roots and rhizome more than in the wild. Warmer daytime temperatures will not harm them. If you live between growing zones 8-11, you can keep them outside all year long.

Venus flytraps should not be watered as often because they do not need or use as much water during their dormancy. They are dormant, not active, and very wet, cold conditions can cause issues. Carefully cut away any traps that turn black, as this is a natural process. Venus flytrap leaves, like all plant leaves, eventually die and are replaced by new leaves over time. During dormancy, a healthy Venus flytrap can look almost dead on top, but as long as it has not dried out completely or rotted from too much water, it is healthy and will begin to grow vigorously again in the spring. The life is in the rhizome, so regardless of how the leaves look, a healthy rhizome indicates a healthy plant.

Venus Flytraps are not tropical plants. They are perennial plants. Let them perennate.

Happy Growing!

Contact information:

If you would like to contact us to understand more about this information, you may send an email to SeaIslandSnapTraps@gmail.com.