FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Has anyone ever experienced a VFT growing a flower stalk during dormancy? Mine are pretty well dormant (slow-growing, low-growing etc.), but three of them shot up flower stalks recently (these were their first stalks, too). I just snipped them off since I don't want them wasting their energy on flowering right now, but I'm curious to know if this is a common thing.

Dormant = torpid or inactive, the growing of a flower stalk, would tend to suggest that they are not dormant.
Cheers
Steve

steve booth wrote:Dormant = torpid or inactive, the growing of a flower stalk, would tend to suggest that they are not dormant.
Cheers
Steve

My flytrap is dormant for sure and still produced a flower stalk. (cut it off though)

Unfortunately if the plant is producing a flower stalk it is not dormant. Maybe it SHOULD be dormant but in reality it is not if it is flowering. It takes a enormous amount of energy to produce a stalk and this cannot be accomplished if truly dormant.
Either it got too warm and your plant was tricked into coming out of dormancy early or it was stressed, a stressed plant will shoot up a flower stalk in attempt to reproduce if it thinks it's going to die. Most fly traps I rescue from the supermarket will flower a few weeks after I get them home in good conditions even if it is late in the year long after they should have flowered, stress does crazy things to humans and plants alike!

Edit: Another thought is that possibly it was put into dormancy when the flower stalk was just starting to form and was not noticed and has since grown enough to be seen.

I just experienced this with one of my plants and was very relieved when Matt stated they can in fact produce stalks during dormancy. Was a shock to me. Gonna let it grow a few more inches and then snip it off. Mine did nearly die just prior to producing the stalk, though.
http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/venus ... 2-285.html

Orit wrote:I just experienced this with one of my plants and was very relieved when Matt stated they can in fact produce stalks during dormancy. Was a shock to me. Gonna let it grow a few more inches and then snip it off. Mine did nearly die just prior to producing the stalk, though.
http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/venus ... 2-285.html

Everyone's "dormancy" conditions are different, I have somewhere near 100 plants in dormancy outside in a coldframe. If I noticed a flower I would be truly shocked as it has been down to -10 here this winter. The last thing these plants look interested in is shooting up a flower. But if you lived in a more mild climate where you experience warmer temps during dormancy I suppose it would be less of a shock to see an early flower.

Anyways, chop that stalk off and plant it to make another! I have even had good success taking a 3-4 inch flower stalk and cutting it into 3-4 pieces to make multiple plants.

My vft's are just coming out of dormancy here around Beaumont Tx and I have two plants growing flower stalks, the plants look healthy. Should I cut stalks off or let them grow. This is my first round coming out of dormancy,, Any suggestions appreciated..

CAMOMAN wrote:My vft's are just coming out of dormancy here around Beaumont Tx and I have two plants growing flower stalks, the plants look healthy. Should I cut stalks off or let them grow. This is my first round coming out of dormancy,, Any suggestions appreciated..

I'm right down the road in Lumberton and my VFTs are shooting up flowers as well. I'm just going to let them go to seed. I want to harvest some.

KategoricalKarnivore wrote:

CAMOMAN wrote:My vft's are just coming out of dormancy here around Beaumont Tx and I have two plants growing flower stalks, the plants look healthy. Should I cut stalks off or let them grow. This is my first round coming out of dormancy,, Any suggestions appreciated..

I'm right down the road in Lumberton and my VFTs are shooting up flowers as well. I'm just going to let them go to seed. I want to harvest some.

Thanks, My plants are young just got them at the end of last summer so I am not to sure about what I should do I dont want to weaken them so soon. By the way I'm really in PNG just figured more ppl would recognize BMT. Is there any local shops that sale VFT in the area. Thanks

CAMOMAN wrote: By the way I'm really in PNG just figured more ppl would recognize BMT. Is there any local shops that sale VFT in the area. Thanks

Haha that's what I figured too. The only place I've found is Lowes in BMT and rarely Home Depot. I haven't really looked around at any nurseries in the area.