It is generally accepted in cultivation in the northern hemisphere that plants come out of dormancy around mid-February and enter dormancy around the end of October. The decreased photoperiod and a decrease in temperature in late October trigger the onset of dormancy. It is about the middle of February when the length of the days start getting about right for the plant to start growing again. However, growth will be slow until around early to mid-May, then plants will start growing more rapidly.

In many places in the United States, the weather outside in February is still too cold for the plant to journey back outdoors. It is best to find a sunny, south-facing window to put the Venus Fly Trap in to grow until there is no risk of frost or freezing. Once the frost and freezing risk is over, it is safe to take the Venus Fly Trap outside without any worries. Venus Fly Traps are best grown outside where they get excellent sunlight and have the ability to capture food to feed themselves.

Comments (29)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Dead Flytrap
written by Peino, May 01, 2008

Help me. I just bought a venus flytrap yesterday, and I replanted it to a new pot with peat moss. Then I poured tap water on the bottom. The next day the plant was wilted. HELP!

• 
• +1
• 
• 

Patience
written by Matt, May 01, 2008

Don't panic. If you put it in peat moss, it should be fine, but make sure to use distilled water and not tap water. I would get a gallon of distilled water and pour the water in from the top to rinse out any impurities introduced to the peat moss from the tap water you used.

Then put the plant in a bright location and continue to water it with distilled water. It should recover nicely.

• 
• +10
• 
• 

Sunlight
written by rob girmes, September 24, 2008

I've bought a Venus Flytrapfrom seed and it says on the instuctions not to keep in direct sunlight!!

What should I do??

• 
• +2
• 
• 

Re: Sunlight
written by Matt, September 24, 2008

Seedlings can get burned easier than adult plants. You might want to limit the amount of direct sunlight you give the seedlings to no more than a few hours (2 or 3) a day.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

Digesting
written by Daniel, October 08, 2008

How long does it take for a Venus fly trap to digest. there has been a little spider in mine for about two weeks and its not opening up.

• 
• +2
• 
• 

Re: Digesting
written by Matt, October 08, 2008

It usually only takes about 10-14 days for a trap to complete digestion. However, since it is late in the year, fall is upon us and temperatures are cooling off at night and not getting as warm during the day, this means that it can take longer.

Also, sometimes when a trap catches a meal, it never reopens. It just turns black and dies off of the plant.

• 
• +2
• 
• 

Digesting 2
written by Daniel, October 08, 2008

Actually i live in Australia and it is in the middle of spring. maybe what i gave it was to big for it.

• 
• +4
• 
• 

...
written by Daniel, October 08, 2008

could that be why

• 
• -4
• 
• 

Re: Digesting
written by Matt, October 09, 2008

Daniel,

You should join the forum so that we can discuss this there. If the trap was able to close, I don't think that the spider was too big. Even if it was, the traps usually reopen withing two weeks.

• 
• +2
• 
• 

Dying
written by Daniel, October 28, 2008

All my venus fly traps are dying and its the middle of spring i have been feading them and i dont no whats wrong and watering

• 
• +1
• 
• 

Daniel, join the forum
written by Matt, October 29, 2008

You should join the forum, so we can discuss your flytraps there. There could be a lot of reasons why they are dying. A few that come to mind are:
1) Not enough sunlight. Are you growing them outside in full sun?
2) Bad water. Are you using distilled or rain water to water them?
3) Bad soil. Are they planted in peat moss or sphagnum moss?
4) You're feeding them too often and stressing them out.

If you join the forum and post a photo, then I could better diagnose what's wrong with them.

• 
• +2
• 
• 

my flytrap wont open and is full
written by jessie, April 26, 2009

my flytrap has all the traps full of flys and wont open, what is wrong

• 
• +3
• 
• 

Re: my flytrap wont open and is full
written by Matt, April 26, 2009

It can take up to two weeks for a trap to digest an insect. Perhaps your plant just isn't finished digesting yet.

• 
• +2
• 
• 

brown
written by komal, July 22, 2009

my plant is turning brown but is slill alive what is wrong

• 
• +5
• 
• 

Worried
written by Brodie, July 23, 2009

Hi i am from australia and i got a venus fly trap yesterday and it hasnt opened and there is nufin in the trap.

• 
• +2
• 
• 

...
written by Nathan, August 10, 2009

I got a trap this summer from home depot, it did well the first two months I had it. I fed it maybe five bugs in total. One of the bugs I caught outside it had yellow and black stripes and was lengthy for a bug. Anyway the trap closed and feasted, then started to mold. I'm thinking the fungus gnat problem I have with my indoor garden may be the reason. But what's worse is it keeps happening even without the gnats I've lost so many old leaves all the new ones are tiny and to small to feed should I worry?

• 
• +5
• 
• 

worried
written by gg, June 25, 2010

i grow my venus fly trap outside and i bring it in at night but it dose not seem to be terning red?

• 
• +1
• 
• 

starting from scratch
written by Austin, June 27, 2010

I purchased a Venus Fly Trap from the Toronto zoo and it looked like it was dying...then i had it in a bag and it kinda got squished( in the plastic container it was in)...anyways..it ended up almost completely dying. so i kinda had to cut of it's shriveled brown heads and part of the stems. so i had to start from scratch... so here's what I've got so far.

1.fair sized starter pot
2.sphagnum peat moss
3.liquid plant starter(to make plant roots strong and leaves healthy)
4.i give it distilled water every week.

Now here are my real questions:

How much water does the plant need every week?

I live in an apt. building so i can't exactly put my plant outside..so what do i do in that case?

how large do these flytraps grow to be?

• 
• +1
• 
• 

Questions in the Forum, not here.
written by steve_d, June 27, 2010

Plant food (such as your "liquid plant starter" perhaps) is deadly to Venus Flytraps and other carnivorous plants.

Questions should be asked in the FlytrapCare.com Forum (as stated in red type above and below the "Write comment" section), not here in a comments section of an article. Thanks--

• 
• +0
• 
• 

HELP
written by HELP, October 02, 2010

I HAVE WATERED MY VENUS FLY TRAP WITH TAP WATER EVER SINCE I HAVE BOUGHT IT, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

DOES THE PLANT ABSORB THE CHLORINE OR DOES IT BUILD UP IN THE SOIL?

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I WATER IT IN THE GROWING SEASON AND IN DORMANCY?

• 
• +1
• 
• 

dormancy
written by jorge, November 03, 2010

how does dormancy start or how does the plant change starting dormancy that way i will now it is going to dormancy

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by steve_d, November 03, 2010

Jorge-- As the words in eye-catching red say: "This area is for COMMENTS ONLY. If you have a question join the forum!"

The FlytrapCare Forum--
http://www.FlytrapCare.com/phpBB3/

You'll get lots of good answers in the Forum.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

help
written by jwalker, May 08, 2011

my venus fly trap has been healthy for a while now, but all of a sudden a flower started to sprout and blossom in the middle of the plant and since this has happened the plant has been wilting and traps have been slowly turning brown! please help!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Turning black
written by jihyun, May 23, 2011

Hi I recently got a Venus fly trap and I have no idea how many times I'm supposed to water it, what kind of soil I'm supposed to put it in, or even how to put it into a different soil. I'm only 17 years old and I just thought it would be cool to have it, but it is starting to turn black and I think it is dieing....
The tag said to water regularly so I thought maybe I needed to water it one a week... please help

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by steve_d, May 23, 2011

The tag said to water regularly so I thought maybe I needed to water it one a week

No tap water. Ask these questions in the FlytrapCare Forum, where there's LOTS of help!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Venus isnt doing well this year
written by Gareth, August 19, 2011

Ive had my fly trap for 3 years.
Well, it tried to flower the first year, i cut it off.
The fly trap split into two,
again the next year, it tried to flower. and sprouted another venus.
So, there is three. Well, this year, its growing is very very slow!
I have had it in the same place all year, but the summer, no heads with teeth!
ive moved it to a warmer and brighter place, any advise?

Thank you.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by steve_d, August 19, 2011

To Gareth--> People can answer your question in the FlytrapCare Forum, not here. As the note in red says: "This area is for COMMENTS ONLY. If you have a question, join the forum!"

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Amy, September 12, 2011

I am looking forward to having a few Venus Flytraps soon as my sweetheart just ordered them for me online. I have found the advice in your website very helpful already, thanks for making it available.

I PLAN TO JOIN YOUR FORUM if / when I have questions about their care!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

flowers
written by zac, November 13, 2011

my vft has flowers and i want it to seed how can i do this

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

This area is for COMMENTS ONLY. If you have a question join the forum!

Add Comment