Overwintering of the Venus flytrap. How to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds - planting and care. How to choose the best place to grow.
About it most interesting plant we simply could not help but write. Dionaea flytrap, also known as “Venus flytrap”. Venus flytrap, the care of which we will discuss today.
The Venus flytrap is one of the most famous “predator” plants. This is the only species in the genus. Despite its name, it catches not only flies, but a wide variety of insects. Typically this plant does not exceed 15 cm in height. In spring, the flycatcher blooms with white flowers.
There are bristles on the edges of the leaves and in the center of the flyswatter leaves. This allows the plant to catch flies, even wasps, and flies. Quick Reaction: Venus Trap. Their spring flowers are white, small and borne on very long stems, which prevents pollinators from getting between the leaves.
Ingenious catching mechanism
Dione is the mother of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, who corresponds to the Roman goddess of love, Venus. In the name of the species, the botanist obviously made a mistake: instead of musculature, he called it muscule. How does a plant know that only a fly is touching its bristles, and no raindrops or passing leaves? The contact bristles on the inside of the leaves do not react until they are touched twice within about 30 seconds, such as by a restless insect.
The habitat of the Venus flytrap is peat bogs in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, in Florida.
Dionea's traps are two halves, slightly reminiscent of mollusk shells. Along the edges of these “shells” there are two rows of teeth. Along these denticles, from the inside, there are special glands that secrete nectar with a pleasant smell, which in turn attracts potential food. There, in the internal cavity, there are three trigger hairs, on each internal plane. The trap begins to close when the insect, while absorbing nectar, repeatedly touches these hairs.
If the trap is then snagged, the lightning speed is caused by a deliberate change in fluid pressure in the stem and leaves. The bristles on the edges of the leaves now block the exit like bars. Protein receptors check whether the prey is actually an insect. If this is the case, the leaves grow closer and closer around the animal, often breaking apart.
At the same time, digestive enzymes are released from many small glands that break down the prey. The plant releases nutrients that are released through the leaf. After three to ten days the trap opens again. All that remains of the insect is an indigestible shell of chitin, which is carried away by wind or water.
At the first stage, Dionea's trap is only slightly covered, so the captives still have the opportunity to move within its confines. Moreover, if the insect is small, then it has a chance to escape by slipping between the teeth. If this happens, then stimulation of the triggers stops, and after a day the trap will completely open again. This function saves the flytrap from triggering false external stimuli (garbage blown by the wind, etc.).
Almost extinct in nature
After a few days, the sensitive elements are sensitive again: the trap is waiting for the next victim. In their natural distribution in the United States, the crown collector trap has been virtually eradicated. However, due to its popularity, it is successfully propagated in specialized nurseries by seeds, leaf cuttings or the fastest way by division. There are now more specimens in cultivated crops than in the wild.
If you want to keep a Venus trap in your home, you can do so in a regular flower pot. The correct soil mixture consists of sand and unpaired peat over a drainage layer of clay granules or pebbles. In terms of humidity, hobby gardeners and experts say. Some argue that normal humidity is sufficient. Others, on the other hand, believe that the installation requires an air humidity of around 80 percent. This is an independent experiment.
But if the insect was unable to get out of the trap, then the stimulation of the triggers does not stop and the trap closes almost completely, after which the digestion process immediately begins. It begins to secrete from the glands into large quantities digestive juice that completely “floods” the insect and digests it. The trap stays closed for about a week. After opening it, in place of the insect, you can see only the chitinous shell of the insect, which is not digested by the flycatcher.
How to replant a plant after wintering: video
However, nothing is worse for a plant than dry heating air, fertilizer and lime. For this reason, you should fill the fly trap with lime and nutrient water. Plus she likes it bright, the leaves need a lot of light to develop their red color.
Nourishing Tips for Venus Trap
It is better to place it in a cool place where it is not subject to severe frost. During winter rest, the plants receive black leaves. These should be removed regularly to prevent mold from entering. The flying body of the Venus trap. Does the Venus Trap need flies regularly? No, the plant is adapted to nutrient-poor soils and does not usually require any insects.
After three such digestions, the trap dies; it is not designed for more.
Recently, this plant has gained popularity in our country, so it would be useful to discuss such a topic as caring for a Venus flytrap.
The main mistake that amateur flower growers make is planting flycatchers in universal soil, a regular earthen mixture. Such a substrate is guaranteed to kill the plant, it’s only a matter of time. The flycatcher is not suitable for ordinary peat-based soil mixtures or universal soil, which are littered with shelves in supermarkets and flower shops!
The optimal substrate for the flytrap is a mixture of acidic high peat and perlite in a ratio of 1:1 or 2:1.
However, since it is very interesting to watch a plant during an insect infestation, you can occasionally offer it a small meat insert. But please only feed live insects, no leftover food or the like. Frequent play with its leaves should be avoided because each leaf can only open and close seven to ten times. The mechanism is then exhausted and the plant must produce new leaves.
One of the most extraordinary examples of plant life is clear. It belongs to rose plants and is actually a plant. Firstly, this was only in the city of Wilmington and within a 100 kilometer radius. A few years later, she also settled in northwest Florida. Starting from their homeland, you can imagine that you need to take care of some Venus fly care details so that the plants feel comfortable here too. If you are planning to purchase such an exotic plant, you must deal with the needs of the carnivorous plant in a timely manner.
The mixture must be properly moistened before planting. The preferred planting time is early spring. You need to take a medium-sized pot, look at the size of the plant itself.
Lighting.
Dionea loves light, direct sunlight.
Provided the location is very bright, the flycatcher requires AT LEAST 4 HOURS PER DAY OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT, and this is provided that the rest of the time its location is VERY light.
If your windows face the north side (northeast, northwest), then you will not be able to grow a healthy and beautiful plant. Of all carnivorous plants this is one of the most light-loving. Direct sunlight is vital for the flycatcher. If the plant receives less than 4-5 hours of direct sunlight, or its location is not very bright, then the plant will need illumination with a DnaT-3 Reflax lamp, or a compact fluorescent lamp with a power of at least 40 W in a quantity of at least 2 pieces from a distance 15-20 cm.
The Venus flytrap is not a houseplant, it is ideal for your balcony or summer cottage(V summer season).
The flycatcher (like all predators) extremely does not like rearrangements and rotations around its axis; it is highly advisable to put a mark on the plant pot to avoid this.
Features of the Venus Trap
Today we say what is important! Carnivorous plants are exceptional and rare, but not highly selected by nature. However, the exotic plant makes some unusual claims about their care. However, once you turn the handle, you will be able to enjoy this plant for a long time. In the following list, we have summarized the most remarkable features of the Venus Trap.
Bushbrand is not uncommon here and can barely touch the plant because it has roots that penetrate deep into the soil. They are three centimeters in diameter and bright white. The flowers overhang the actual plant up to 30 centimeters.
- The roots give the plant a steady hold by sucking water from the soil.
- Even if the top of the plant is destroyed by fire, the root system is displaced.
- The plant produces flowers that sit on a long stem.
Water for watering the flytrap should be (one of three):
distilled
reverse osmosis
deionized
No less important of all the above factors is the wintering of the flycatcher.
The plant will not survive for a long time at constant room temperature! For a “long and happy” life, the flycatcher needs to be provided with winter quarters - in winter, the temperature of the flycatcher should be from 0 to 10*C! Wintering for the plant should last 3-4 months, no less.
Otherwise, insects that would like to pollinate the plant could become trapped. This way it will stand in the way itself because it will reduce the supply of vital insects. Therefore, flowers are clearly above traps. A sunny location in the south, southeast or southeast, ideal for the plant's requirements. In temperatures ranging from 20 to 32 degrees Celsius, exotics do well.
Remember, however, that the thermometer simply rises at a point just outside the window glass when the sun shines directly. Optimal humidity is also critical for proper placement. It should be between 50 and 80 percent! In winter you should also give the plant winter holidays, and in summer you can enjoy a sunny spot in the garden. It is important to keep the temperature soft, so it should be placed on outdoors in June as early as possible. Accumulate the plant carefully in the sun and do not immediately expose it to direct midday sun.
Feeding.
The most important thing here is to remember the immutable truth - you categorically cannot feed the flycatcher with any fertilizers. Absolutely any fertilizer will become a deadly poison for the plant.
If your plant is in a room and there are no insects flying around, you can feed it with a LIVE insect you catch yourself. Flies, wasps, spiders will do. The main thing is that the insect must be alive. After all, it is the movement of the insect inside the trap that gives the command for the production of “digestive juice”, in which the insect is subsequently digested.
A few insects over the entire summer season are quite enough for the plant. No need to overfeed the flycatcher! In case of an excess of nitrogen (namely, the flycatcher receives it from its “victims”), the plant may die before wintering, or during wintering. In the case of the flytrap, it is better not to feed the plant rather than to overfeed it.
Instead, increase the amount of sunshine each day. The best choice- plant substrate consisting of sand and peat. In addition, you can also buy special mixtures in the trade that are suitable for cultivating carnivorous plants. In any case, do not fertilize the soil or use pre-fertilized substrate.
Care tips and advice
Of course, the Venus trap also needs water and nutrients. However, there are some things you should consider in both water and nutrients.
Pour sparingly - but correctly
As soon as flies or other small insects touch the trap, the leaves close, forcing them to catch prey. In order to attract insects at all, the inside of the flap has a bright red area caused by sun exposure.Reproduction.
There are several ways to reproduce flycatchers. The first and most common is the separation of daughter bulbs. Over time, each flytrap grows many daughter bulbs; they can be separated with a clean, sharp blade, and after dusting the cut area with crushed charcoal (can be activated, having previously crushed it), they can be planted separately from the mother plant. Just don’t get carried away with this often; the plant will always be stronger if it has daughter bulbs from the mother. This operation can be performed once every two to three years, not more often.
The next method of propagation is propagation by seeds.
It should be noted here that if you are not going to use this method, then you need to trim the flytrap flower stalk as soon as you see it. The fact is that flowering takes a colossal amount of strength from the plant, and if your flytrap has been living with you for the first year and has never wintered, then flowering can easily destroy it. The peduncle emerges from the center of the rosette and can reach a height of 60 cm! (By the way, I highly recommend not buying a flowering plant in a store).
Thus, the plant imitates a flower. Insects can hardly resist these “flowers”. Once the fly lands on it, the Venus trap uses a trick: the edges of the leaves act as sensors and give the plant a signal to close the trap. The fly is now digested so that the plant receives the nutrients it needs to grow. Only then does the trap open again.
Fertilizing and feeding Dionaea
Venus flies are also very popular as houseplants because they have a noticeable side effect. You kill one or another annoying insect that you would rather not leave on the windowsill. Ideally, winter dormancy should begin when the plant produces many small traps. Now it needs to be taken to a cool place for wintering. During this time, plant maintenance is more difficult.
It is also possible for the flycatcher to reproduce using a peduncle. To do this, cut off a peduncle that has grown several centimeters and simply stick it into a suitable substrate to a depth of just under a centimeter. You can cover it with a transparent bag, making a couple of holes in it for oxygen access. After one and a half to two months, the peduncle will take root (although in appearance it may well turn black and even dry out) and produce young shoots next to it.
Mechanism of action of the flycatcher trap
Ideally there should be a room where the temperature is between 5 and max. -10 degrees. One that is constantly temperature controlled is the ideal winter quarter. The throttle also pours clear over a long winter time. There is no general answer to the general question of how much water there can be in winter, because here the spirits are divided. Keep the plant constantly moist, not too wet, not too dry.
Distribution of Venus flies
She needs, above all, enough space, so you should not forget about the occasional transplant. Each year the plant is completely divided and you don't have to add anything. Alternatively, there is the option of enlarging the Venus trap with leaf boxes.
Predatory plants can be called a real miracle of nature. Beautiful petals and an attractive aroma for insects fascinate not only the potential victim, but also people watching this process, and the way they patiently wait for their prey is worthy of imitation by many mammals.
Many are now sighing sadly, because to see this with their own eyes in conditions wildlife Not everyone is meant to be, but don't be discouraged. There is an exit! Read how to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds at home, get down to business and very soon you will have your own predator, very scary for insects, but completely harmless for people, living on your windowsill in a flower pot.
- Knit the sheet as far as possible at the base.
- It is important that part of the root still exists.
- Then place the leaf in damp peat.
Yes, it is one of the carnivorous plants called carnivores. She catches him with her catcher, closing the trap. Where does the Venus trap grow? Natural space is very limited. Other locations include the city of Wilmington and northwest Florida. Where does the Venus trap fit in?
Some general information
This plant has been known to mankind for a long time. The amazing beauty and lifestyle of the insect hunter was studied back in the 18th century. Names predatory flower some. One, for attractiveness and sophistication, was given to him in honor of the mother of the beautiful Aphrodite, Dionea. The second was appropriated by botanists, and translated from Latin it means “trap for flies,” and the third, the most widespread and used, consists of the first and second - the Venus flytrap (Dionea is better known to world history in the Roman version as Venus).
The plant needs two things in the long term: high humidity and a sunny location. The soil should be poor in nutrients and sandy. Likewise, the temperature in the area should not fluctuate. Winter doesn't like the plant. When does the Venus Trap fly?
The first flowering occurs three to four years after planting. How to plant Venus? The right time for this is March. Seeds should be used in wet and sandy conditions. The Venus Moon Trap is a light cone, so the seeds must receive enough sun. The plant does not need fertilizer because the nutrients are absorbed by animal food. However, there is a lot of light and high humidity.
Having found out that the flower could well exist at home, they began to grow it specifically to decorate window sills, because boasting of such a miracle is a real pleasure for a true gardener. And you shouldn’t forget about the benefits. Not a single fumigator or adhesive tape will help so effectively get rid of the annoying itching of mosquitoes and flies that ruin our lives every summer.
Description of a beautiful predator
The Venus flytrap looks quite unusual, but very attractive. In nature, its height is 20 cm, at home - half as much. The surface of the stem is practically invisible; it seems that the leaves grow directly from the ground. They can be conditionally divided into two parts. While the upper one is engaged in hunting, the lower one takes care of the plant’s nutrition and its sufficient consumption of sunlight.
The hunting part looks like movable valves with teeth and bristles. The bright red or brown leaves are covered with glands that secrete mucus that attracts and then dissolves insects. The predator blooms around May–June. Seeds are obtained from flowers.
The appearance of the plant changes depending on the time of year. With the onset of cold weather, the leaves die off, and it seems as if the flower has died. Those wishing to grow a Venus flytrap at home need to know that this is just a wintering habitat. As soon as the first rays of the spring sun appear, the predator will come to life again. The full life cycle under positive conditions is up to 20 years.
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.
Conditions for a long life of the Venus flytrap
It was already mentioned above that the lifespan of Dionea is about 20 years, but perhaps such a long existence is only subject to certain requirements for cultivation and care, therefore, those who want to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds at home should take care of studying such rules
First of all, this relates to the organization of the place of residence. In addition to sunlight and the absence of drafts, Dionea needs moisture, and it is not always possible to achieve it only by abundant watering, because in principle, water in the soil is not particularly needed, the main thing is the greenhouse effect. If possible, you need to plant it in an aquarium, or create something like a greenhouse yourself.
The Venus flytrap lives best on windows located on the east side. This is where she can get enough light and heat. Dionea should be watered either with rainwater or distilled water. The soil should be moist, but not wet. If there is excessive humidity, the bulb will begin to hurt, and the health of the entire plant depends on it.
It is advisable for the flower to hunt on its own, but if this is not possible, you will have to feed it. For this, you cannot use dead insects; they must be placed in the trap only alive. Feeding should be done approximately once every two weeks.
Another important condition is that the Venus flytrap independently provides itself with all the necessary nutrients and does not need additional feeding. Often, Dionea owners make the same mistake. At the time when the plant begins to prepare for winter, they begin 
fertilize it thoroughly, mistakenly believing that the withering of the leaves indicates Dionea’s need for this. In fact, this is what destroys the plant.
Therefore, we once again draw the attention of all readers: before growing a Venus flytrap, study its needs and make sure that you can provide them. During hibernation, which lasts from 2 to 5 months (along with the preparatory stage), Dionea does not need warmth and moisture. A temperature of +6 - 8 degrees is enough for her and she really needs peace, so as soon as the first signs of the plant preparing for the cold appear, you need to leave it alone.
How to grow a Venus flytrap
The predator reproduces by dividing bulbs, leaves and seeds, which can be obtained from rosettes formed near the mother plant or collected from flowers. The first two options are possible if Dionea already lives in the house, so the question that raises more problems is: “how to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds at home?”
Seeds can be pre-treated in a weak solution of potassium permanganate to protect them from possible pests. Dionea rarely suffers from them, but if the plant is nevertheless attacked by a mite or mealyworm, it is unlikely to be saved.
After potassium permanganate ( Leave it on for 2-3 hours), the seeds are dried on a paper napkin and then transferred to gauze soaked in a solution of a glass of water and 3 drops of fungicide. The gauze is rolled up, carefully placed in a plastic bag and placed in the refrigerator for 1.5 months. Make sure that the gauze does not dry out, and at this time begin to prepare the soil.
Perlite ( the result of volcanic activity, very similar in appearance to crushed foam balls. Valued by indoor plant lovers for its ability to retain moisture well and create the most favorable conditions for the development of the root system.) immersed in distilled water and left for a week. Then it is mixed with high-moor peat (1:1), placed in a pot, watered with purified water and left for a day.
Afterwards, the seeds are planted in the soil to a depth of 3-5 mm and the pot is covered with film or a plastic bag is placed on top. Do not place the pot with seeds in the sun. During this period, a temperature of up to 10 degrees is sufficient for Dionea ( You can put the pot in the refrigerator if the room is too hot). If everything is done correctly, sprouts will appear in 2-3 weeks. Planting should be done in the first half of February, then with the first rays of the spring sun the plants will undergo natural hardening and will delight their owners with their beautiful appearance for a long time.
Memo for Venus flytrap owners
The Venus flytrap is the choice of those who are used to standing out from the crowd. Try growing this predatory flower at home. Follow all the recommendations and you can be proud of the new tenant in your home.