FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

How big can A venus fly traps' trap get? How can I get my traps to get as big as possible? How long would it take?

I'll give you my simplistic take as a relative newbie myself. A" typical" will get traps as big as an inch, but it may take 3 or 4 years. Feeding them insects with a high nitrogen content (carnivorous predator insects), help make traps bigger. Lots of sunlight, don't let them dry out, for the most part let them feed themselves, but an extra bug once or twice a week should help with fertilization. The downside to feeding them yourself, IMO, is I often struggle to keep a bug in the trap long enough for it to close without either bending/damaging some hairs on the trap, or having parts of the bug sticking out. Both can result in the trap rotting and dying, thus hindering growth progress. So there is a balance to find through experience. Anyway, some genetically manipulated cultivars have claimed over 2 inch traps after 6 or 7 years (see B52, or The Fly Trap Store exclusive DC XL).

From seed, it takes 3-5 years to grow to full size, depending on its conditions (availability of food, light, etc.). From plantlet/division or via tissue culture (grown in a test tube with special nutrients), a new flytrap can get to adult size in 1-2 years, sometimes faster.

Small correction to above, "typical" flytraps can get traps that are close to 2 inches maximum size. But it's far more common of a "typical" flytrap to max out around 1 inch trap size, although some will be bigger, especially if the parents had large traps (my friend has a seedling he claims is crossed between B52 and Low Giant; the seedlings are 5 or 6 years old and their traps are 2 inches long).

I once bought a typical from Lowe's whose traps were 1.75 inches long the very first season, and were 2 inches the next season.


Maximum size of flytraps' traps depends primarily on the plant itself. Some flytraps at maximum size only make traps that are 1/2-inch or so in size (e.g. Cupped Trap, Wacky Traps), while others like B52 and DC XL can make traps over 2 inches long.

The largest claimed trap size I've ever heard of was B52 at 2.5 inches, but the largest I've ever seen personally was on a B52 at just over 2 inches.

The DC XL is a newer cultivar only sold here at FlytrapStore and it develops traps that often outmeasure same-aged B52's.

There is no evidence that I know of to prove that a flytrap that never eats bugs in its life will have smaller traps at adulthood than a genetically-identical flytrap that eats insects regularly (e.g. take two B52 plantlets and "starve" one but feed the other). There IS proof that a flytrap that eats regularly will grow faster than a flytrap that does not eat bugs. Flytraps that never eats bugs will not starve, unless they are already getting pitifully-inadequate amounts of sunlight.

So to get your flytrap as big as possible, simply keep it alive.

If you want a flytrap with gigantic traps, and if whatever flytrap you have isn't cutting it, you might consider purchasing a DC XL, B52, A2, King Henry, or Low Giant. Of the flytraps I am familiar with, those five produce the absolute largest traps, at around 2 inches/5cm, plus or minus about 1cm for the first two (DC XL, B52). The latter three probably won't produce any traps over 2 inches or just above two inches; at least not that I've ever seen nor heard of.

Low Giant is going to be the easiest to get a hold of out of that bunch, followed by B52. A2 and DC XL are very hard to come by, and only FlytrapCare sells them as far as I know, but are both sold out atm. I don't know anywhere offhand that might be selling a King Henry.