FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

personally, i'm convinced that growing flytraps in sand makes bigger traps!

pieguy452 wrote:personally, i'm convinced that growing flytraps in sand makes bigger traps!

Yup, VFT's do grow better in silica sand! and my bet is, if you feed every trap, it will grow and divide like crazy!

jht-union wrote: if you feed every trap, it will grow and divide like crazy!

In my eyes, if you feed every trap, it'll go into shock!

Daniel_G wrote:In my eyes, if you feed every trap, it'll go into shock!

I haven't really feed every trap on a VFT, so i can't tell. But i'm curious, what were your observations??


Thank you!

i have a vft typical outside and all its traps have bugs and its growing like crazy and the first day a new trap opens that nite a spider will most likely crawl into it! and all traps are filled it its really growing reall fast

jht-union wrote:

Daniel_G wrote:In my eyes, if you feed every trap, it'll go into shock!

I haven't really feed every trap on a VFT, so i can't tell. But i'm curious, what were your observations??


Thank you!

Take a read of this

http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/vft-o ... t3276.html

Daniel_G wrote:Take a read of this

vft-overfeeding-experiment-t3276.html

Huh, i have read this many times.......however this is not accurate like many people say i think in the 3rd page or so.

The only way to know this is by doing a experiment, the experimental group and the control group...you can only go with so few with just observing one plant, but that can also give a better hypothesis and a better understanding.

I fed my VFT's crickets in spring, i had no observations rather than they grew like any other vft, they do look more healthy, but one feeding doesn't determines anything, so i'm back to the point that it is not accurate therefore any conclusions if any are not right. there are also other factors that have to be taken into account when feeding VFT's.
I'm surprise no one has done this experiment correctly, i guess the problem is lack of time, and seriousness into doing this accurately as possible, and writing all things down every day or so. I think my problem is time, otherwise i would have already done it a while ago!

I planted my mature B52 in almost all sand. cant wait to see how it turns out

For those that don't know a lot about silica sand, or have been following this thread, this is actually a big roach, i would say about almost an inch, i was surprised when i saw this big bug, so growing in all silica sand gives big traps.

jht-union wrote:growing in all silica sand gives big traps.

I agree

OMGTHOSE ARE HUGE

yea but how often do u water it and then how do u tell if it needs water ect..

idk if anyone has said this yet but... a theory of mine is the plant in 100% silica is not getting any... absolutely no nutrients like it would in peat or lfs so it needs to put out Larger traps in hopes that it will catch larger prey to make up for the lost nutrients. i know peat has almost no nutrients in it at all but still it has to have something right?
but i think taking care of it could be harder sand isnt good at retaining water lol

Dubstep13 wrote:idk if anyone has said this yet but... a theory of mine is the plant in 100% silica is not getting any... absolutely no nutrients like it would in peat or lfs so it needs to put out Larger traps in hopes that it will catch larger prey to make up for the lost nutrients. i know peat has almost no nutrients in it at all but still it has to have something right?

I agree with you, and sounds like a good theory.

And i agree aand not in part that peat has to have something that provides the plant nutrients, there could be nutirents and yes the plant use them, but also as the years progresses the peat starts breaking up, and there's no nutrients left that the plant can take. Some people also wash their media extremely well before using it removing all the nutrients which are very little like you said.

Dubstep13 wrote:but i think taking care of it could be harder sand isnt good at retaining water lol

This is true and not, i would say for someone that most of the year the climate stays pretty humid with the lowest humidity been in the 50% and not lower i would say using silica sand is very useful just like peat moss retaining water, silica sand does not retain water it only gets wet which keeps it humid. And someone in a really dry climate, lets say steve for example would have a hard time growing plants in silica sand, he would need a large pot at least, and a tray.

I agree traps grown in sand will do well,, If the sand does not compact too much the roots will grow like mad,, No nutrients in sand is great for VFT's.. There is an issue with water since sand drains so well... But like most of us if we use the tray method and are vigilent,, they will stay watered without root rot, My best growth has been in pure sphagum moss. Roots grow well, great areation. I am thinking about a mix of sand and moss. The sand for the lack of nutrients and the moss for more a little water retention when they go dormant.