Mastering Venus Flytrap Feeding: Essential Do’s & Don’Ts for a Thriving Plant

Venus Flytraps are famous for their ability to catch insects and spiders with their amazingly sophisticated “snap-trap” jaws.

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Outdoors, Venus Flytraps have unlimited critters to trap and eat. Indoors, though, you’ll have to feed them yourself. So, what is appropriate to feed your plant? How do you do it, and how often? Let’s find out.

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[{"selector":"#anim-32c55637-ef5e-4740-8312-c1a0ee8bcf0a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":300,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Venus Flytraps prefer live bugs to eat. If it doesn’t bother you to catch them, go ahead, but make sure they are small enough for the traps to handle. The maximum size of the bug should be only a third the size of the trap, which is about 1” long. Learn more

[{"selector":"#anim-30377434-19e0-4811-8958-a486f89c5016","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":300,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Bugs with hard exoskeletons, like beetles, wasps, and pill bugs, are more difficult for them to digest than softer-bodied critters. If the bug can’t completely digest a bug, its remains will sit in the trap and mold, causing the trap to die. Learn more

[{"selector":"#anim-475671cc-35e9-4520-a696-eb85d2c5b41a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":300,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] If you feed the plant a live insect, it can easily trip two hairs as it struggles inside the trap. But if the bug is dead, you will have to help the plant recognize the food. Learn more

[{"selector":"#anim-0ce563c3-0e65-44bc-9f69-8a1a028a9a8c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":300,"duration":1200,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] You should feed the plant one bug every one or two weeks, and it’s best to feed a different trap each time if you can tell them apart. After three to five meals, a trap will become inactive and unable to catch and digest any more bugs. Learn more

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Mastering Venus Flytrap Feeding: Essential Do’s & Don’Ts for a Thriving Plant

Venus Flytraps are famous for their ability to catch insects and spiders with their amazingly sophisticated “snap-trap” jaws.

Outdoors, Venus Flytraps have unlimited critters to trap and eat. Indoors, though, you’ll have to feed them yourself. So, what is appropriate to feed your plant? How do you do it, and how often? Let’s find out.

Swipe up to read the full article.

READ MORE

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