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MidnightSkies

animal lover, aquarium and CP enthusiast
I'm new to carnivorous plants and didn't think I would have to deal with flowering until next year, but of course my flytrap decided to flower on me. I've only had it a few weeks and it has filled up quite a bit and the mold that was starting to grow when I picked it up has completley cleared. Just last night I noticed that there was a flower stalk growing. It's about an inch tall. The plant seems healthy enough to flower and I would like to let it flower and possibly get a few seeds, but I noticed that the traps aren't closing. One of the tiny ones that have been growing (I'm guessing because of the flower) did close (on a bug's head that got away), but other than that, nothing. Is the flower using up too my energy and killing the plant? Or is it just catching too many bugs (normally catches at least 5 bugs daily, completely on its own)? It gets close to twelve hours of direct sunlight outside, while sitting in a shallow tray of distilled water, but once the sun goes down I do bring it in the house for the night since I'm nervous of leaving it outside in low 60F and 50F weather. Basically, what's the deal with the traps not closing, and if it's because of flowering, would letting it flower risk the health of the plant too much? If pictures would be of any help I can try getting some up tomorrow. Sorry for writing a book here...
 
5 bugs daily on each trap? a trap can close like 5 times i believe.
 
No, only one bug per trap. Normally more than 5 traps get lucky enough to catch a bug. I haven't bothered to try counting how many traps there actually are on the plant, but quite a few.
 
if its got a good amount of energy stored up I'd say let it flower if you want, understand obviously that seed growing vft's is a very very slow process and generally isnt something a person new to the hobby would find as satisfying to the new CP urge...

12 hours of direct light is awesome, it'd grow really well there,

too many bugs? no such thing :) haha

its really you call.

Chris
 
My VFT is flowering too, and the traps aren't closing either.
 
i have 7 flowering right now.... i woulda had 9 but i cut two off...
 
I was just afraid that the traps not closing meant that it didn't have enough energy and the flower stalk was killing it, which if that were the case I would snip it off. Growing from seeds wouldn't both me since I have no way of getting to the store for more plants for a while, and can't order online. Plus I'm short on money and space. Seeds are good :D
 
60s and 50s are fine, i live in western washington state where it regularly gets down that low, and my VFTs are all fine
 
you know.... growing from seeds take a couple o years to mature... not months.... they'll be like dime size for a longggggggg time.
 
  • #10
lol mine are like 3 months old and just under dime sized...but they are getting bigger lol. well some are almost dime sized, others are like...pinky fingernail sized
 
  • #11
>_> okay, my point is that its pretty small....

but i havnt grown any from seeds yet, so SK is the skilled one here.
 
  • #12
okay, well if you really just want more plants I'd say your better of snipping it, lettting it grow more and then taking either pullings or divisions to propagate its alot quicker, I took a vft apart in the beginning of june and I've got at least 5 plants growing traps already from the pullings they'll mature wayyyyy before anything would even come close via seed....

the quickest easiest way to get more adult vft's is by division, behind that is pullings or cuttings. or you let them grow and divide themselves... last fall I started with 4 vft's I have about 30 now and I havnt bought anymore or taken any seed at all
 
  • #13
You could totally leave it outside in 50-60's weather. Those are the temperatures my Venus flytraps get at night right now as well, and they have dealt with temperatures well into the 30's, and even briefly the 20's, during the winter
 
  • #14
You can use the flower stalk as cutting material to propogate more plants, and the rate is actually rather successful.
depending on the size of the flower stalk, cut the pieces into 2-3CM pieces and plant them standing up in the standard Flytrap mix and treat them like normal flytraps, you could lay the stem down too but standing up is better imo, treat them like any flytrap. Within a month or 2 you will begin to notice small pinhead like nodes forming on the base of the cutting, these are the starts of the new plants, and a few months after that, boom youve got plants. imo id let this one seed and sow the seed in a terrarium over winter and move them out next year to get them into the hang of going dormant later that year. id do the cuttings in the beginning of next grow season since we only have a couple months left in this one.
 
  • #15
I had the trap not closing experience with a fly trap when I was new to the hobby. I had nearly torched it by giving it too much sun with not enough ventilation. Seems to be a sign of stress, although I can say that plant (my first) is still with me now, I just needed to improve its conditions.

I just started some seeds a few weeks ago, they are sprouting now. I actually look on them being small for a long time as a plus for now, because my space is limited and my pitcher plant seeds venture was altogether too successful, and I now have 100+ small but growing of those. Its also neat to have non-clone plants, let the wonder of pollination give you something unique, but thats all a matter of preference.

Have fun whatever you choose.
 
  • #16
Thanks for all the info everyone! :) And wow, 100+ pitchers!
I know that seeds take quite a long time to grow, but small flytraps are still flytraps to me, and I have my mature one to keep me busy along with my pitcher and sundew. Possibly moving soon as well so small might be better for that too. I did think about taking pullings or cuttings to try and give myself a couple more plants. I figured it was harder than everyone is making it sound though. As long as my flytrap stays looking healthy I think I'll go ahead and let it flower this time and see what happens. The only thing that worries me is the traps not closing, but it otherwise seems completely healthy. Next season maybe I'll see how lucky I can get with some pullings or cutting a flower stem.
 
  • #17
You can use the flower stalk as cutting material to propogate more plants, and the rate is actually rather successful.

I had two flowering but one got some holes chewed in the flower bud and it stopped growing. Would this be ok to use as cutting material if it doesn't make a flower?
 
  • #18
if ur plant is flowering outdoor let it be
 
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