FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

So I keep reading don't let your flytraps flower as it will stunt or slow growth.

Here are 2 big box typicals I purchased the middle of January because they had a flower stalk and I wanted to try getting some seeds.

Here they are on February 20th.



Unfortunately even after paintbrush pollinating I didn't get any seeds.

But I did get a much fuller, bushier pot.

Same plants on the left and right in both pics.



Both plants have been indoors all year.

My "outdoor" flytraps seem to be constantly getting leaves / traps turning black but these 2 as well as the others indoors rarely get leaves turning black.

So did flowering help them bunch up or is an indoor growing thing?

I'm not going to be one of those people though, as I have successfully grown healthy flytraps in a sunny room inside however I have to agree with your theory! I helped a friend out with her flytrap (basically dead from flowering) . I provided it with the necessary care for a few weeks, and sure enough, a few plants emerged from the once dead parent plant! Probably about 3-4?

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Those are definitely tissue culture plants which means they usually divide like crazy for a while. Some VFTs also divide a bunch after they flower. Also that brand sells sterile VFTs so you won’t get seeds. I know I have the same ones and year after year they never produce seeds while all of my others do.

On another note, those plants need waaaaaay more light. The green color and wide wavy petioles is a clear indicator that they are trying to get more light. You either need to buy some grow lights that can provide a lot more light or put them outside.

Also, probably the reason the outdoor flytraps turn black is because they are catching bugs and and those leaves have reached the point where they are no longer useful and they die to make room for new leaves. The traps only last for about 3-4 times catching prey then die off. Your indoor plants aren’t catching prey so they last a lot longer.

The number one thing you should take away from this whole post is this: More light. And if you think it’s enough add some more.

I can’t remember if it’s rocket farms or bug biting plants but that little orange pot is unmistakable. If it came in that pot it probably won’t produce seeds.

Yeah I’ve gotten the Dente looking ones too last year. Those didn’t produce any flowers for me this year so I can’t say on those.

Healthy plants can be allowed to flower with no problem. It's sick plants you want to cut the stalks off of.

My VFTs get black traps in the spring, I think the warm days and cold nights confuses them. Once it's consistently warm they do much better. That's only from two years observations though, so it could be another variable I don't have pinned down (IE bringing them from full sun to partial sun when it hits the 90's). Sarrs and sundews don't seem to have the same problem.

KategoricalKarnivore wrote:Also that brand sells sterile VFTs so you won’t get seeds

How do you sterilize a VFT?

And why would they?

jackjeckel wrote:

KategoricalKarnivore wrote:Also that brand sells sterile VFTs so you won’t get seeds

How do you sterilize a VFT?

And why would they?

It’s done by selective breeding. They found a VFT that doesn’t produce seeds and sell that. Basically it’s so you have to buy more of their plants instead of growing more for yourself by seed.

_-SphagnumFromHell-_ wrote:Not only that, but there's other ways to propagate a Venus flytraps. Leaf pullings, stalk cuttings, natural divisions, etc.

This is from a cut flower stalk from the plant on the left.

Hopefully it breaks the sterile lineage (either that or I am a bad gardener)