FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Cool be sure to update this post , once they come out of dormancy I would love to see the before an after looks . thx

My question is very similar to John-D. I have purchased my first ever fly trap 2 weeks ago and reading up I assume it was in the process of going into dormancy (or dying lol) but now it's putting out new growth. I can only assume that where it was growing and where it is now it thinks it probably is spring but the start of winter is only a month or so away. It is Queensland Australia where we have mild winters so only cool not actually cold (jumpers are sometimes optional lol). I read here that one time is ok but I'm a little confused about dormancy - is it ok to deny them light altogether during winter(ie the fridge method) or should they still actually recieve light and if that light duration is the same for summer should I reduce it's light intake? Thanks for any help I've never tried venus fly traps before..

squidgee wrote:My question is very similar to John-D. I have purchased my first ever fly trap 2 weeks ago and reading up I assume it was in the process of going into dormancy (or dying lol) but now it's putting out new growth. I can only assume that where it was growing and where it is now it thinks it probably is spring but the start of winter is only a month or so away. It is Queensland Australia where we have mild winters so only cool not actually cold (jumpers are sometimes optional lol). I read here that one time is ok but I'm a little confused about dormancy - is it ok to deny them light altogether during winter(ie the fridge method) or should they still actually recieve light and if that light duration is the same for summer should I reduce it's light intake? Thanks for any help I've never tried venus fly traps before..

It should be on track if you purchased it in latitude south. If it was purchased in latitude north it might be off track. If it's a TC plant for latitude north you may be able to trick it into your seasons.

I'm one of the lucky ones who live in NC, so I don't even need to bother about the weather.

However, I must say that when they first went dormant, my ignorance led me to believe they were dead. o___o

GothicJackalPaws wrote:I'm one of the lucky ones who live in NC, so I don't even need to bother about the weather.

However, I must say that when they first went dormant, my ignorance led me to believe they were dead. o___o

You have no problem in the winter? It's not just NC that is good for flytraps. The best area is SE NC.

why were the leaves on the flytraps so small?The traps are huge,but the leaves are very short.My flytrap's leaves are over twice as long but the traps are tiny.

liyuan123 wrote:My flytrap's leaves are over twice as long but the traps are tiny.

That's usually a clear indication that the plant isn't getting enough light.

What time in winter does the plant go into dormancy

Sorry; this question might sound stupid to the more experienced growers out there but... I still wouldn't know how to tell if my plant is entering dormancy; I bought a couple yesterday and how could I tell if they are currently dormant or not? I haven't a clue

Question about the smaller plants: Is it necessary to let the smaller plants go dormant or do we have to take out the smaller plants?

CallousCal wrote:Sorry; this question might sound stupid to the more experienced growers out there but... I still wouldn't know how to tell if my plant is entering dormancy; I bought a couple yesterday and how could I tell if they are currently dormant or not? I haven't a clue

Well, what time of the season are you currently in?

CallousCal wrote:Sorry; this question might sound stupid to the more experienced growers out there but... I still wouldn't know how to tell if my plant is entering dormancy; I bought a couple yesterday and how could I tell if they are currently dormant or not? I haven't a clue

WHERE are you located? Northern or southern hemisphere?

Great article moof. I will prove to be very helpful this coming autumn/winter, when I will be experiencing my first dormancy try.

I plan on placing my VFT in a dark basement during the winter months when it goes into dormancy because I live in Massachusetts where outside is too cold, and inside is too heated. I will have an artificial lighting system in place using a 4 ft frame with a t5 6500k bulb with reflector.

My question is: should I increase the space the VFT is away from the light? Currently, I am using the lighting system on cool/cloudy days where I feel the VFT wouldn't get enough light outside. At this time (May/June), I am keeping the light very close to the VFT (2-4 inches). Also, how many hours of artifical light should I allow the VFT to have during dormancy?

Nice article!

I live in CA, San Jose and read that my area gets freezing so it is not safe to put outside during winter times.

However, can I put my plants under a patio and provide it indirect sunlight (my patio has a moon roof on the side). Will this be adequate amount of light for dormancy?

My VFTs live in the fridge during dormancy in zip lock bags. They get no light, except when I go in the fridge for brief seconds. I've had the same VFTs for 6 years now.