FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello there! Hoping someone might be able to help with some questions i have! I have had VFT for about 4 months now and last month it began to grow a flower stalk. I wasn't sure what it was, it grew very fast! By the time I say sat down to do some research on it I had found out I should have cut it long before and at that point it had begun to flower. So i let it flower and then cut it as close to the base as I could. Not long after another began to grow, I swear it was 1 week later but no more than 2 weeks. So i I decided to research basically the same questions I had previously, only now I'm left more confused then ever. I'm finding lots of contradicting statements all over. So I'm just going to ask my questions and hope someone can give me a straight forward answer lol... I am interested in growing New traps so.. 1. WHEN do I cut the flower stalk? 2. So i let it flower and extract seeds that way? 3. Is this the only way to obtain natural seeds? 4. Do I cut the stalk and replant it? I will post some pictures of my VFT.

I do have a few questions about the container my VFT came in but I don't want to ask too many questions and not get the answers I was looking for so more importantly is above mentioned...
I purchased my VFT from Wal-Mart it came in a plastic pot surrounded by a plastic cylinder with a lid, I through out the lid, it's never covered completely. 1. If I replant my VFT Do i need to have some type of cylinder to surround the entire pot? 2. I do hope to have new traps. Does the New pot need to be a snug environment for the roots, or can it have room to plant others next to the original eventually?

Thank u anyone who is able to help in advance!

First off, people cut the flower stalks off because it uses a lot of the plants energy to grow and produce seeds. It helps the plant grow bigger and faster because the plant doesn't waste energy in making seeds. The stalk is usually cut off when it's about 3-4 inches long. Cut it as close to the plant as you can safely get with sharp objects. You can then stick the stalk cut end down into the soil and sometimes new flytraps will grow from it. It will not flower and then make seeds. If you want seeds don't cut it off.
Second, you will not need any type of plastic around your pot. That's just there for holding the plant until you buy it. Get it out of there. I would suggest repotting into a larger pot. VFTs roots grow down not out so the deeper the pot the better. For soil you have a few options. You can use pure LFSM like I do. You can use the standard mix of 1 part peat moss to 1 part perlite. Or substitute silica sand for the perlite. You don't want fertilizer in either of these mixes so no Miracle Gro products. You can buy the LFSM or premixed peat/perlite from this site and help the people who keep this place up and running. http://www.flytrapcare.com/store/growing-media-and-pots
That's a good start for now. Read here http://www.flytrapcare.com/store/venus- ... care-sheet and search around the forum for any other questions you have. Hope this helps.

Thank u so much for the advice!

another great resource:
http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/shoul ... 59-30.html

PS: there is no point in cutting the stalk off after it flowers. By the time it has flowered, it has expended its energy already. The plant will benefit from taking the nutrients back out of the stalk as it shrivels up.