Have you thought about having a carnivorous plant? When you think about it, it’s normal to think of a mouth, teeth, and one of those that, as soon as it notices something, closes and never reopens. This is the Venus flytrap, also known as Dionaea muscipula. Their maintenance is very simple, but do you know what they are?
Next, we want to tell you about this carnivorous plant that is usually one of the most chosen of all. We will tell you about the care you need to provide and the particularities that will make you happy. Go for it?
Contents
location and temperature
We start with the care of the Dionaea muscípula, or Venus flytrap, with the location. Where to put it? Better inside or outside?
you must know that this plant loves the sun. And more direct sun. Now, it is not a question of putting it in the sun at times of greatest incidence, because then you can end up without a plant. It is best to put it in full sun from October to April, and from April to September in partial shade, with only a few hours of exposure.
Everything will depend on the climate where you live and the temperature, because this will also influence.
For its part, as part of the care of Dionaea muscipula, the temperature is not something you should worry much about. Unless there are severe frosts, the truth is that it can withstand any type of temperature.
Substrate
As for the substrate, all carnivorous plants need a mixture of white peat and perlite, although musco sphagnum and perlite are also allowed. Even so, those who have these plants recommend the first option more, failing that, white peat with silica sand.
Why this land and not another? For two reasons : on the one hand, because you will make it very airy; on the other hand, because although we want it to have a lot of drainage, it is also important that it retains humidity because these plants need to be always humid.
Irrigation
Water is one of the determining factors of carnivorous plants and one of the most important care for Dionaea muscipula.
In case you don’t know, Tap water contains salts that irreparably damage these plants, even kill or burn them. Therefore, it is recommended never to water them with this water. Some experts prefer distilled water or even use a TDS meter to see if the water they want to use is safe or not (it will be if the result of this meter is below 80 ppm).
The trick to making your plant successful is this:
Place a plate under the pot of Dionaea muscipula.
Afterwards, fill it with water about a quarter of the height of this pot.
Let the pot drink water (and consume) throughout the days. You don’t need to do more and don’t worry about it still being in the water, nothing will happen to the roots or the plant as long as you use a good substrate with them.
When there is no more water, do not fill it. Wait a few days for the soil to dry out a little (not too much, be careful). Enough for it to air out.
Fill it with water and repeat the whole process.
This way you will ensure that the pot is well and perfectly fed.
rest period
Did you know that the Venus flytrap has a dormant period? Wait, we make it easy for you. Maybe you had one of these plants and it died when fall came. And you thought you did something wrong, you’re not going to buy it again… Well, One of the concerns of the Dionaea muscipula that you should be aware of is that it hibernates.
And to do this, its leaves will turn black, it will lose one, several or all of them, the traps it has don’t work… In short, it’s as if it were dying. But that’s really not the case. It just needs a cold period to hibernate and then the plant stops living.
The only thing you will need to do is not overwater so that the roots and rhizomes do not rot. And let the time pass. When the plant notices that there are more hours of light, it revives. So don’t throw it away!
Subscriber
No! In reality, It is not recommended to pay. With the substrate it has, it is more than enough for it to be healthy.
Plagues and diseases
Usually these plants can be affected by fungus. So keep a fungicide handy to control and kill them.
As for the pests, they are more prone to suffer them, and among them the most important are the following:
aphids: They will suck plant sap, but they are also capable of producing fungi, like “fat” which is responsible for spreading viruses and diseases to the plant. To combat them, the best is miscible oil or neem oil.
White cochineal: A classic for many plants. But just as boring for the Venus flytrap. To get rid of it, it is best to use certain insects that feed on it, such as Anagyrus pseudococci, or Cryptolaemus montrouzieri.
Red Spider: Another of the known pests. To solve it, the best are products such as potassium soap or similar to clean the plant well. Or a specialized product to eliminate this scourge.
the reproduction
If you want to know how to propagate your Dionaea muscipula, you should know that it will be done by separating the divisions in winter. To do this, you need to remove the plant from the pot and separate the pieces that have roots. Each can form a plant in itself.
Another way to reproduce it is through the pollination of flowers., which will give you seeds and you can plant them. But it has a problem is that it consumes a lot of plant energy, and it can easily get sick, so it’s not recommended.
You already know what the care of the Dionaea muscipula is. All that’s left to do is get to work and push it forward, whether you have it or get one. Luckily, they’re pretty inexpensive, and kids will love them. Although we do not recommend that you close it permanently, because it can be stressed and die.