How to Feed Venus Flytraps - Artificial Method

My method for artificially feeding venus flytraps, and this method works for sundews, butterworts, sarracenia, and nepenthes as well.
MaxSea fertilizer - rb.gy/rj5ttb
(Smaller sizes of this fertilizer available on various Carnivorous Plant retailers)
Dilute 1/4 tsp per gallon of distilled water ... I personally go as high as 1 tsp per gallon of water

[@goldslinger]

I tissue cultured Dionaea for 10 Years and Your advice is spot on.

[@robieosborne7369]

Keep up the videos man!

[@boompowzap]

thanks for your work and experience.

[@malte8096]

i use fish flakes. u can also gentle squeez the trap insteat of tapping it. i think feeding is most benefitial fpr seedlings the speed up the growth

[@brandeeedwards6867]

I just got three of these for easter....and I'd say you would be quite proud of how good I'm taken care of them

[@AveryCreates]

How are they doing? :) I just got some leaf cuttings for different varieties and I'm really excited to see them root.

[@brandon1448]

@@AveryCreates how are your leaf cuttings doing?

[@bytemuncher1]

This is exactly how I feed my VFTs and Drosera. Surprised this combo method isn't discussed more.

[@Guillermo-yx9qg]

Nice def gonna use this

[@jeffwershiner7000]

Thanks for the info

[@mattman4023]

Once again great tips, thanks.

[@ResonantAshh08041999]

I was never so early on a video

[@RedViking2020]

Hi my friend,great video as usual. Just wanted to ask, ive seen fresh not dried bloodworms which are in little cubes and can be frozen or just kept in the fridge. Can these be used or would that be too mushy or wet for my trap.Ive tried and it seems to leave a dried residue thats quite stubborn. If not ill follow your technique with the dried powder version. Im in Englland with colder weather so will be learning to hibernate my 2 plants this autumn/winter. Thank you again.Great chanel :-)

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Yes, you can use frozen ones. There will always be some residue though, they cannot digest things completely. Obviously the frozen ones aren't as good if you want to soak with fertilizer since they are already full of water.

[@RedViking2020]

@@TheBonsaiJungle Thanks buddy,appreciate your time

[@christosgeorgiafentis4825]

Do I have to worry about feeding them if I want to skip the first winter dormancy?

[@papparoachie8778]

You're a good dude! Wish you were my neighbor ha.

[@flowersininmylungs9118]

I just got a venus fly trap and I live in a colder climate than they originate (I think). Here it’s 35-40 celcius at most in summer and about -6 to maybe -10 at most in winter, any advice on how to give my plant the proper temperature while still exposing it to enough sunlight? Also I heard that they like humidity and I keep them in doors under a little glass dome now, is that a bad idea?

[@MinDyDave113]

i have 2 questions: i've watched your old video about how to care for the flytrap, i'm worried i'm drowning it, all videos i've seen either keeps the plants in a bowl with a finger or water or leave it in a lot of water (almost to the top of the pot) for an hour or 2 and let it drain for 3 to 4 days. you said that vft likes mostly dry but when i touch my soil (its pure peat moss, no perlite nor sphagnum) its always wet/moist, i usually, for measure, i stick a toothpick in the side of the pot, leave it in there for 1 minute and check if there is darkening from the water and if it comes very dirty, if not a lot of dirt is attached to the toothpick i put the plant pot in a bigger bucket (half the height of the pot with water) and leave the plant there for an hour or so. is it wrong or i need to wait more for the top of the soil to dry a bit more? second is about overfeeding, i want my flytrap to grow the bigger leafs it can and i need to know, how many times a month should i feed it?, i'm going to use mealworms my friend give me because he has no use for them now. thx!

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

They do not need to sit in water, but should be moist at all times. Basically you don't need to mess around with those flooded conditions, and can leave the substrate moist and free draining like any other plant. What you are doing sounds about right for what i do in the summer, put them in a tray of water, and when they absorb it leave it dry for a few days. This of course isn't drying them out completely, but giving them a chance to dry a bit and aerate the moss/peat before watering again. You can feed a plant as much as you want. Yes, it is true the traps will die after a few feedings, but at the same time you are giving it extra nutrients so it grows quicker. Overall the death of old traps and newly growing ones balances out so it looked like there is a net-zero overall change in the size or amount of traps you have. However with frequent feeding you may get more divisions though, and end up with more individual plants.

[@Cleeon]

Thanks for the tricks, btw ini see some change with your new style 🙂. Ooh how to do it with very little traps?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Very little food, although I don't bother to do anything with seedlings...too many plants in my collection and not enough time. They are on their own and hopefully catch a fruit fly, sometimes I foliar feed with very week MaxSea spray.

[@Cleeon]

@@TheBonsaiJungle ooh maan, here is no maxsea, i can't find it on marketplace on this country, but you're right, why bother with seedling, i decided to get bigger, at least medium size on next, thank you

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Cleeon Virlief someone I know, who is a very good carnivorous plant grower, said he just uses orchid fertilizer since nutrients are nutrients. If dilute enough that should be fine, and I might try experimenting with it myself.

[@MrHo-mi9qx]

Hello, I want to ask you : D How the Wild Venus Flytrap can live in the wild where the soil media has never been replaced, while those of us who maintain it should be advised to replace the soil media. Do we also not need to change the planting media or not?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Mr. Ho in the wild there is much more soil dynamics happening. The volume around the roots, drainage and aeration from the rainfall, surrounding plants that absorb nutrients and water, etc. all make the wild substrate a little different. When we get them in small plastic pots we cannot recreate this environment perfectly, so eventually bacteria or fungi start to develop in the soil and it should be changed for more optimal growth. In the wild plants set out seeds and regrow, so the ones you may come across have potential to not be very old, existing in “pockets” of substrate for a few years before declining in health and regrowing from seed on other nearby locations. In cultivation I still recommend reporting them every 3 years into fresh new substrate.

[@j.shorter4716]

Quick question kinda off topic but if I plant my flytrap in a deep 7 inch pot do you think I could use the water tray method where they sit in water if I use LFS and a peat mix?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

probably. it also helps if you live in a warmer area. I let mine sit in some water during the summer, but not during fall and winter.

[@j.shorter4716]

Its hot in southeast Alabama so maybe I’ll give it a try. I heard they like deeper pots.

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

@@j.shorter4716 Yes, an adult plant will definitely appreciate a 6-7 inch deep pot for sure, the tap root gets very long. Honestly most of mine are underpoted.

[@DJJumpdancer]

4:44 I would squeeze the sides so the trigger hairs get touched

[@Mel-qr5ob]

I keep mine indoors because it gets too hot outside, they'd cook. For reference I've kept cactuses outside and they've been sunburned too. You can literally cook eggs on the pavement. Not safe for plants.

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

You could try shade cloth (they have various % or sun block) or just indoor LED growing.

[@popalex3187]

Hei Liguus, i'm planning on growing some VFT seeds. In my country you can buy this carnivorous soil, but i'm afraid of the 'trace minerals'. ill post here what's written on the bag. Could you please tell me if i should avoid it? Carnivorous plants soil: 75% white peat part 7-15 mm 25% white peat part 0-7 mm Fertilizer in composition: 100 g PG-Mix 12-14-24 (N + P + K and trace elements) 100 g Micromax Volume: 4 liters

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Pop Alex that seems like way too much fertilizer in the soil, especially for seedlings which are more sensitive.

[@UnlimitedRageSpells]

It really depends on the price. If it is so cheap that it would be stupid not to get it then there are things you can do to use it. If you are set on using them for flytraps then you can wash the soil until your TDS meter checks out (If you don’t have a TDS meter then you should think about investing in one especially for carnivorous plants). I typically shoot for a TDS under 100ppm. Carnivorous plants like byblis and drosera regia are extremely tolerant of fertilizers. I’ve heard of byblis being grown in miracle grow peat moss. My drosera regia (king sundew) has to be fed and fertilized or else it can actually starve to death. Sarracenia are actually really tolerant as well but you should be more careful. Always use your best judgement when fertilizing and do your research.

[@-AnyWho]

where can I get these nice square pots you got?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

AnyWho I buy them from a guy on eBay and if he doesn’t have any in stock I got some from amazon.

[@bosquebear1]

On a video on utube someone recommended a very light feeding of very diluted fish emulsión in the spring. Any thoughts?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

It works and also has the benefit of attracting flies. You can do it in early summer too. I never apply foliage feeding through spraying though since at worst it’ll sink down near the roots and at best grow a ton of algae or moss all over the surface of the pot, so I just use a pipet and add drops directly on the traps when I do it.

[@debraaurandt4228]

Do I leave the plant open in a jar but do I put a lid on it like a terrarium I'm confused on that

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Debra Aurandt neither; just standard pots like I have in the video:

[@xtp415x]

How long do the traps stay closed for? And is anything left inside that needs to be removed? On another note, about a month ago I had fed one of my traps a fly that I caught (it wasn't dead, just temporarily knocked out) and it never opened back up and just turned black and died. I don't know what happened there... thoughts?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

xtp415x about 2-3 days. There is some food still left over. You don’t need to remove it, as it attracts more bugs for future meals. After a certain amount of trapping (I believe about closing 5 times) the individual traps have lived their lifespan and die off. Completely normal growth habit. As long as overall the majority of the traps are green there’s nothing to worry about.

[@xtp415x]

@@TheBonsaiJungle Thanks a lot!

[@kimszalay2626]

I live in Sarasota. Right now I can buy venus fly traps for 3.99. They are rather small however they do have their cute little Feeder mouths. Since these plants usually begin to go dormant this time of year, is it okay for me to buy them now and immediately put them into dormancy for the spring?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Kim Szalay as long as they are not seedlings the size of a penny they should be perfectly fine, especially in Sarasota. I’ve had my penny sized seedlings for down to 30F here in Chicago.

[@kimszalay2626]

@@TheBonsaiJungle thank u so much!

[@-awaste]

How often do you artificially feed each plant?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Once every two weeks or even once per month would be fine.

[@albertoburrito1874]

I have lots of flowers, so i have to feed them sometimes because the flies and bees never go to them lol

[@FahimKhan-mw5ec]

I have 18 watts led red and blue grow light... can i grow this plant???

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

Fahim Khan 18w is kind of low. I would say at minimum 25w.

[@antwongary3588]

can you tell me why my venus fly traps are all green and they are a good size but won't eat any food and I have four of them that are all the same size all green no death looking and they won't eat at all? Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong?

[@TheBonsaiJungle]

What conditions are they growing in, and how long ago did you get them?

[@goodgravy3047]

Outside all year long? In Chicago? Really?

[@KENTOSI]

I live in an apartment and I had a different idea that I haven't trialed yet: Leave a piece of fruit near the plants and let them eat the fruitflies. Thoughts? :-)

[@ddneq677]

This sounds like a great idea. Im gonna try it this winter.

[@UnlimitedRageSpells]

Well aside from it just smelling bad after a while I don’t see why you would need to do this. Every carnivorous plant has its way of attracting its nutrients. For example: sundews have their nectary, sweet dew, sarracenia and nepenthes also have sweet secretions around its peristome (it’s lips) and sarracenia are also said to use various spectrums of light to attract their prey, Venus flytraps also have a secretion. The point is that it’s unnecessary to do this as they have evolved plenty well to attract their prey. Another point is that they are photosynthetic plants. They get the energy to live from the sun but they get things like nitrogen and phosphates from insects instead of the roots. So foliar feeding is just fine because they don’t absolutely need to eat to live (exception for some plants).