Chris is a gardening writer and nature enthusiast. He graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 2022 with an MA in Psychology. Chris works with the Leeds Green Action Society, helping their food cooperative by growing various fruit and vegetables on their two allotments in Hyde Park, Leeds.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
Contributions From KENNY COOGAN
Kenny has been growing carnivorous plants for the past 17 years and has experience growing and supplying many different species, including the Venus Fly Trap. He is also the author of the book 'Florida's Carnivorous Plants'.
After working at Thompson & Morgan for 18 years, Michael Perry began his online brand ‘Mr Plant Geek’. He now runs his own podcast and has appeared on several TV shows in the UK, including This Morning, The One Show and Steph’s Packed Lunch. Michael was listed in the '20 Most Influential Horticulturists’ by The Sunday Times in 2015.
Megan Webb has been growing carnivorous plants for more than 10 years; within that time she has collected a huge number of carnivorous plant genera and species. Megan has a BSc (Hons) in Horticulture from Writtle University College and is the winner of both the Aberconwy Award and the Alan Martin Award.
IN THIS GUIDE
There are few plants more curious and captivating than the Venus Fly Trap; a carnivorous plant that snares flies and other small insects in its jaws, before devouring them.
The Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) attracts flies and crawling insects (such as spiders and beetles) using colour and sweet nectar in its traps.1Brewer, G. (2020, March 27). Venus flytrap: The creepy carnivorous plant. Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/venus-flytrap-creepy-carnivorous-plant
When the fly touches the plant’s sensitive hairs, it triggers the jaws to snap shut, ensnaring the fly and beginning the process of dissolving it into tasty, protein-packed plant food.
For this guide, we interviewed Kenny Coogan from the International Carnivorous Plant Society.
“Venus Fly Traps are intriguing and attractive. They can do great on windowsills with artificial light and others make a fine garden or patio plant” says Kenny.
“Carnivorous plants use modified leaves to trap their prey. Regardless of your aesthetics, there is a carnivorous plant for you!”
Overview
| Botanical Name | Dionaea muscipula |
| Common Name(s) | Venus Fly Trap |
| Plant Type | Carnivorous |
| Native Area | South-Eastern United States |
| Hardiness Rating | H3 |
| Foliage | Leaves ending in traps |
| Flowers | Flowers in summer (though not usually desired) |
| When To Re-Pot | February, March |
| Flowering Months | June, July, August |
| When To Prune | June (remove flowers), July, August |
Sunlight
Preferred
Full Sun / Partial Shade
Exposure
Sheltered
Size
Height
Up to 10cm
Spread
Up to 50cm
Bloom Time
June – August
Soil
Preferred
Loam
Moisture
Moist but well drained
pH
Acidic
With their bright green colour and red-mouthed traps, these fascinating plants make a fun addition to any household, and can hold particular appeal to kids (and big kids alike!).
Not only that, but they can serve a practical (though somewhat limited) purpose too: helping to control the number of flies and bugs in your home.
“I love Venus fly traps as they are really happy in a sunny position and need watering, but other than that, they are not the complex beings that we see them as,” Michael Perry, Mr Plant Geek, shares.
“They are also hardy outside and are really nice for a pond outdoors, which is something that people often don’t consider.”
Growing a Venus Fly Trap is an all-round rewarding experience – and the great news is, it’s not difficult; these plants are hardy and can thrive in the UK’s seasonal climate.
Habitat & Growing Conditions
The Venus Fly Trap’s natural habitat is limited to small areas of North and South Carolina in the USA, where it thrives in boggy conditions along the coastline.2CNR Web. (2021, January 6). 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Venus Flytraps. College of Natural Resources News. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2021/01/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-venus-flytraps/
Their native sandy soil is moist and acidic, but not nutrient-dense – which is why they get most of their nutrients from ingesting bugs instead.
The temperature in Carolina fluctuates between 1-32°C from winter to summer, and therefore Venus Fly Traps are perfectly at home in the UK’s climate.3Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Charlotte. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://weatherspark.com/y/18893/Average-Weather-in-Charlotte-North-Carolina-United-States-Year-Round
You will just need to protect your Venus Fly Trap from the harsher elements, either using a greenhouse, conservatory or terrarium.
Winter in the Carolinas runs from November to February, and during this time, the Venus Fly Trap enters a dormancy period (think of it like hibernation).
The plant’s leaves turn brown/black and it will die back (but don’t worry, it will recover).
You need to make sure to recreate this cold period for your plant – if you’re growing it in a greenhouse, it can stay where it is for British winter, but if it’s on a window sill in a heated home, you will need to move it somewhere cooler, such as a garage.
Bear in mind it will still require sunlight, and you should make sure the temperature doesn’t regularly drop below freezing.
“I grow carnivorous plants, including a Venus fly trap, in pots outside using a peat-free ericaceous compost that is very moisture retentive,” says Colin Skelly, a Master Horticulturist.
“I found that they didn’t thrive indoors, but outdoors they are perfectly happy in the summer months. I put them into a greenhouse in winter and this is enough to allow them to enter dormancy but avoid frost damage.”
How To Grow A Venus Fly Trap
You can buy seeds or fully grown Venus Fly Traps from garden centres, flower shows or carnivorous plant specialists, as well as online suppliers.
Fully grown Venus Fly Traps will usually be sold during peak season (mid-spring to mid-autumn), as this is when the plants look their best.
There are several variants of Venus Fly Trap available; if you’re just starting out, we recommend choosing one of the hardier varieties, such as the King Henry or Dingley Giant.
“The typical Venus flytrap has green on the outside of the lobes and pink to red on the inside,” says Kenny.
“Some breeders have chosen plants with more red or even purple on the outside, whilst others have selected traps that look like they have melted due to radiation. Some are extra toothy; others are extra-large.
“Others have petioles that resemble reptile skin. Some have fuzzy pom-poms instead of traps! Once you get comfortable growing the typical flytrap, you will want to start adding other cultivars to your collection.”
Choose a plant which looks vibrant in colour and has no (or very few) dead leaves, and make sure it’s potted in suitable soil.
If you’re planning to grow multiple carnivorous plants, consider joining the UK Carnivorous Plant Society or the International Carnivorous Plant Society.
Growing From Seed
If you’re growing your own Venus Fly Trap from scratch, here’s an overview of the equipment you need and the process you should follow:
- Surface sow the seeds in a 10cm plastic pot which has good drainage and is filled with suitable compost.
- Place the pot inside a tray or container and use stones to keep the pot secure (and give it a decorative look).
- Keep the outer pot filled with 1–2cm of pure water, allowing the plant to draw in as much water as it needs.
- You will need to make use of a grow light and keep the plant indoors. If it’s summertime, you can also leave it outside in direct sunlight.
- Make sure to choose a bright yet sheltered spot.
Once your plant has grown, you can start to feed it a small number of insects (one per week), to give it an added boost of nutrients.
Your plant will flower in spring, but unless you want to harvest the seeds, you should prune the flower stalk as soon as you can identify it as such, to avoid draining your Venus Fly Trap of nutrients unnecessarily.
Keep an eye out for signs of greenfly, as Dionaea are unable to protect themselves from these pests and will require your intervention.
Plant Care
Sunlight
Venus Fly Trap needs direct sunlight in order to grow their strong, fly-imprisoning leaves.
They will typically flourish in a terrarium under a powerful fluorescent grow light (providing you respect their winter dormancy period), which is what Kenny recommends: “Venus flytraps do not always do well on a windowsill – even if it is sunny.
“With today’s grow light technology it is possible (and easy) to grow carnivorous inside with the addition of artificial light.”
They ideally need 12 hours of direct sunlight a day to grow to their full potential – although they can survive on less.
Potting Medium
You can pot your Venus Fly Trap with carnivorous plant compost from specialist suppliers or garden centres, or you can make your own by combining sphagnum peat moss with perlite or horticultural sand (ratio 2:1).
Avoid conventional potting compost and fertilisers, as the concentration of minerals can be harmful to your Venus plant, which naturally grows in nutrient-poor soil.
Watering
Venus plants need pure water to grow properly – they are used to acidic environments and the alkaline minerals found in tap or bottled water can make growing conditions difficult for them.
Kenny explains: “Carnivorous plants do not do well with salts, minerals, and chlorine. Most city and well water are above their tolerance threshold. You can use rainwater, distilled water, or reverse osmosis.”
The easiest solution is to collect rainwater (there’s generally plenty of that going spare in the UK!) or use a reverse osmosis system as mentioned.
“Another aspect of water is Venus flytraps like to be kept moist to wet,” says Kenny.
“If you grow these plants, using a water tray method is recommended. This involves sitting pots that have drainage holes in a saucer or tray that holds water.
“When the tray empties, but before the pots and substrate go dry, refill the tray.”
Aim to keep the soil wet in summer and just damp in winter – but never let it dry out.
Feeding Insects
Only once you’ve taken care of all your Venus Fly Trap’s basic needs, can you start to think about feeding it insects, if you think it needs it.
Basic care dictates you should aim to feed a healthy, indoor plant (outdoor plants will catch their own food) one small insect, once a week; making sure to feed a different trap each time.
You can feed it live or (freshly) dead flies, or buy dried mealworms or crickets for this purpose.
Aim for a size of around one-third that of the trap, and make sure not to feed it anything other than bugs.
See our full guide to feeding Venus Fly Traps for more information.
Bear in mind that these plants can go for many months without eating and be fine (up to 6-8 months says Kenny).
It’s also important to remember that, however tempting it may be, you should not tease a Venus Fly Trap by tickling its hairs to trigger the closing of its traps.
Although this will work, it’s not good for the plant, as it uses a lot of energy – and it won’t have caught anything to replenish any spent nutrients.
Do this too much, and your plant will eventually die.
Repotting Guidelines
If you buy a Venus Fly Trap from a garden centre or similar, it will come potted in a suitable compost, and shouldn’t need to be re-potted that year.
However, as your plant grows year-on-year, you may need to relocate it periodically into bigger pots, to give the roots more aeration.
Check out our video with Megan Webb on how to repot (and potentially divide your existing plant) for more information:
If your Dionaea muscipula has outgrown its current pot, aim to complete the repotting process around the end of February/beginning of March, just after the winter dormancy period.
Make sure to use specialised carnivorous plant compost in the new, larger pot.
Leaves Turning Black
If the leaves of your Venus Plant are slowly turning black during winter, don’t panic.
Winter Dormancy
“Many carnivorous plants that people grow, including Venus flytraps, go through dormant periods,” explains Kenny.
“I fear that many people witness this and throw out completely healthy plants thinking that they have died! With proper care, they should come back in the spring.”
This is a perfectly normal part of the winter dormancy period, as your plant dies back to its rhizome.
Traps and leaves will die, and you should simply prune off the dead or dying leaves at the base once they begin to brown.
It’s important to remove these black leaves as soon as possible, to prevent mould, which can spread to the rest of the plant.
You should move your plant to a cooler location, and significantly reduce watering whilst your plant is going through this winter dormancy process.
Water the compost directly, rather than filling up the tray, and make sure to keep it damp, but not saturated.
Other than that, leave your plant to do its thing, and try not to worry – if you’ve taken care of it correctly, it should be fine.
Growing Conditions
If your plant’s leaves are turning brown at other times of the year, this could be a sign that it is unhealthy or dying due to insufficient growing conditions.
Trim the dead leaves, and make sure your plant has access to plenty of water and direct sunlight.
