how long can they go without any food

[veggita2099]

How long can a VFT go without food? Do they actually require food to survive or does it just make them grow faster?

I have heard about once a month is enough some say twice a month?

 

[Parasuco]

They slooowly decline in health when not fed. It can take longer than three years before they die from not having food...

 

[-VenusAshTrap-]

When all my traps are open, I usually feed 2-3 of them depending on what size bug it is, or if they catch anything themselves. Thats if they do, cause mine shut too slow to catch anythin!

 

[Alvin Meister]

A VFT will not die if it isn't fed. It will still photosynthesise and grow, but be smaller than a similar fed plant. Bugs act as fertiliser and like any other plant it will grow bigger if you fertilise but also suffer if you fertilise too much!

 

[timbudtwo]

Accually, it takes mroe than 3 years depending on how new the soil is. In the wild, they can go there whole life w/o food. But, if you never feed them, the eventually get used to not having food, so if you put a bug in every trap, it would about die!

 

[veggita2099]

that is what I figured. So I guess it won't hurt to go a month at a time without feeding them.

Yea some of mine close way to slow to catch anything still moving.

 

[RamPuppy]

I have a 2 year old that has never been fed... but the one year olds out on my patio that regularly dine, are 2 times the size.

It won't hurt them, but they definately benefit from the occasional snack. Unfortunately all mine seem to eat is daddy long legs, and it's a 50/50 bet they lose the trap every time they catch one.
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