FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey guys !!

I see several articles regarding the cutting of the flower stem if the VFT is not that healthy.

Is this something exclusive to VFTs ? I believe that it is due to the fact that VFTs may use more energy than any other plants since they move fast/require lots of fluid and sun to digest ?

What about the other species, are they gonna suffer when flowering or the risk is just negligeable ?

thanks

Simon

I've been told that Sarracenia are not the same way, i.e. Sarracenia will only produce flower stalks if they ARE healthy and that cutting them off will not have a significant effect on the growing plant...

That's interesting, I just think it can be important information for new growers of other species, in case anything goes wrong. At least you know how to have the plant recuperate, and the flower stalk can be a huge drainer which can bring everything down with it if the plant is not in the best shape !

jonnyq wrote:I've been told that Sarracenia are not the same way, i.e. Sarracenia will only produce flower stalks if they ARE healthy and that cutting them off will not have a significant effect on the growing plant...

my sarracenia lecophylla tarnok produced a flowering stalk about a month ago i cut it (then it tryed to grow another i cut it too) and hasnt produced any new growth since then and now im waiting.

I've read that Drosophyllum can be temperamental and that it prefers dryer conditions after flowering - failing to observe this can lead to the demise of the plant. Mine is flowering at the moment so stay tuned.

D. burmanii can die...well it is an annual!

Another thing to add
They dont 'die' after flowering, they are only slightly set back in growth because theyve been producing a few seeds. In the wild nobody comes along with a pair of scissors chopping the flowers off, its just an extra growth tip to get the most from the growing season.

No other CP has such warnings about flower stalks than flytraps.

Flytraps expend much more energy than other CP's when they flower. Here's a good explanation: http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2620.html

Flytraps with a cut flower stalk will put that energy to making more and larger traps, and the growth/health difference can be significant. A flytrap that's in shock or is not very healthy can die from flowering/setting seed, but this isn't common. What is common is that after flowering/setting seed, the flytrap will probably look pretty pitiful for several months afterward or for the rest of the season.

Most other CP's are all-but-unaffected by flowering; some drosera will get a little bit bigger faster if the stalk is cut off, but frankly I've not found it to be worthwhile to cut off their stalks, as the growth change is very small. In my opinion it's better to collect seed and make more or share with FTC members.

Like SDCPs said, annual drosera will also die after flowering, but being annuals, this is expected. Burmannii can live for years if grown as tropical plants and may flower several times, but strict annuals like drosera indica will die after setting seed no matter what you do.

Awesome post Veronise,

thanks everyone !