Venus Flytrap
Dionaea muscipula
The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant with hinged leaf traps that snap shut on insects. It needs bright sun, pure water, nutrient-poor soil and a cool winter dormancy to thrive.
Photo: Noah Elhardt · CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun
Watering
High
Keep the soil constantly wet by standing the pot in a tray of rainwater or distilled water. Tap water slowly kills it.
Soil
Peat or sphagnum moss mixed with perlite or sand, with no fertilizer; pH 4.0–5.0.
Temperature and humidity
0–35 °C · High humidity
Feeding
Never fertilize. It catches its own insects; indoors, feed a live insect occasionally.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by division, leaf cuttings, seed
Snip off blackened traps and flower stalks.
Venus flytraps are not toxic.
Top Cultivation Tips
Give at least four hours of direct sun.
Do not trigger traps for fun; it wastes energy.
It needs a cool winter rest of 2–4 months.
Remove flower stalks to keep the plant strong.
