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Discussions about anything related to Venus Flytraps, cultivars and named clones

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By xr280xr
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Joined:  Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:29 pm
#163962
I got some young Red Piranhas last Feb from FTS. They were in the same pot as some other traps that did very well over the season, but the red piranha stayed about the same size. They grew into a very thick little clump, but didn't seem to increase their trap size. I've read that it's a smaller cultivar but what is the typical size of a mature red piranha? Mine are more like baby trap size.
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By Matt
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#163988
xr280xr wrote:I've read that it's a smaller cultivar but what is the typical size of a mature red piranha?
Perhaps a better question to ask is "How long does it take to grow a Red Piranha to mature size?" "Or how easy is it to grow Red Piranha to a large size?" It's hard! The plant tends to divide a lot. We've not had much luck growing them to a large size here in Oregon. But I've seen quite large specimens from Steve in New Mexico where they eat a lot of flies. My guess is that they do better if they catch a lot of prey. For us here in Oregon, where there aren't many bugs, Red Piranha tends to stay below average in size.
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By xr280xr
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Joined:  Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:29 pm
#164019
Those are good questions too. I'll try to keep them better fed this season. I have a feeling after dormancy they might sprout up a little larger than before too. But I'm still wondering what their typical mature size is. So I thought maybe I should post some pics of mine for comparison. I took a picture last night with a dime for scale and then found another I took from just before dormancy. These have trouble catching prey cause they're so small. Once in a while they'll get a small ant or fruit fly. They were snapping shut really fast when triggered, so they have that going for them.
Dormant (Right?)
Dormant (Right?)
IMG_1574.jpg (216.77 KiB) Viewed 5610 times
End of growing season
End of growing season
IMG_4257.jpg (184.36 KiB) Viewed 5610 times
Small or average?
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By xr280xr
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#166005
Bump? :?
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By Matt
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#166011
xr280xr wrote:Small or average?
I'm not sure that it's as simple as that. If we were to ship them from here at the FlytrapStore, they'd probably be between the size of what you'd get in a 5 pack and a young plant. But they're fairly large for Red Piranha; small for an average flytrap.
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By xr280xr
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Joined:  Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:29 pm
#166018
Matt wrote:
xr280xr wrote:Small or average?
I'm not sure that it's as simple as that.
Sorry, because this is probably going to be annoying and I don't mean it to be, but I'm obviously missing something. I'm not understanding why there isn't an average adult Red Piranha size which to compare to. I get that they can vary a lot larger under certain conditions, like those you mentioned of Steve's in NM. But that's where the averaging comes in, right?
Matt wrote:But they're fairly large for Red Piranha; small for an average flytrap.
I guess this is adding to the confusion because in most of the pictures I've seen of Red Piranha, they look a minimum of twice the size of those in my non-dormant photo. The traps pictured in the flytrapstore look 8-10x larger. On average, the pictured traps seem about 3-4x larger. The biggest trap in my photo (which is the biggest they ever grew) was no more than 3/16". The closeness & sharpness of the photo may be deceiving. Relative to my collection, those I've seen in pictures with something for scale, and those I've seen in stores, I'd describe them more like hovering somewhere between microscopic and tiny for an average flytrap.

What I was really wondering originally was will they ever grow large enough to be able to appreciate without a magnifying glass or blown up photo. I didn't even realize how beautiful these were until I saw the photo above after I took it. From your description of "fairly large", I'd think the answer is "maybe, barely" since there's still room for "very large". In comparison to all the pictures I've seen though, I had thought the answer would've been "almost certainly".
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By Matt
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#166021
xr280xr wrote:I guess this is adding to the confusion because in most of the pictures I've seen of Red Piranha, they look a minimum of twice the size of those in my non-dormant photo.
What are you using in the photos for a size reference? And remember, people don't often post photos of small plants.
xr280xr wrote:The traps pictured in the flytrapstore look 8-10x larger.
Yes, those are premium sized plants.
xr280xr wrote:The biggest trap in my photo (which is the biggest they ever grew) was no more than 3/16".
Right, that's why I guessed we'd sell them as a 5-pack size or as a young plant. It can take multiple seasons for Red Piranha to grow to a large size. They tend to divide more and grow less than other flytraps.
xr280xr wrote:What I was really wondering originally was will they ever grow large enough to be able to appreciate without a magnifying glass or blown up photo.
Yes, with good care Red Piranha can get quite large.
By bugman
Posts:  110
Joined:  Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:41 pm
#166066
I have grown red piranha for a few years now it is a lovely plant one of my favourites. I do find it quite a slow grower when rearing small plants to adult size, my adult plants grow nicely upright but the traps are not huge.

Then some varieties just have a funny moment and just refuse to grow big and multiply in to loads of tiny plants
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By xr280xr
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#166069
Ok. Thanks guys. And yes, they are a beautiful cultivar, even when small!
By Ambiturner
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Joined:  Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:36 pm
#172314
Even at the smaller size, that's a pretty color. It has some serious potential. I'd take a few. :D
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By xr280xr
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Joined:  Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:29 pm
#202975
One of them has really taken off this year. I'm not sure what it is that makes some of my flytraps just decide to grow 3-5 times larger all of the sudden sometimes. I guess these were all just really young when I first received them, though.
photo(11).JPG
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By Matt
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#202977
xr280xr wrote:I'm not sure what it is that makes some of my flytraps just decide to grow 3-5 times larger all of the sudden sometimes.
If you figure it out, let me know! I've seen the same thing over and over again and I haven't been able to identify what is allowing some small plants to just take off while others seem to stay small for a very long time. I think it might have something to do with nutrient uptake, either through trapping small insects that I don't notice or through a "hot spot" in the soil where there is some nutrition available, but I don't have any evidence of those theories.
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By xr280xr
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#229840
Matt wrote: I think it might have something to do with nutrient uptake, either through trapping small insects that I don't notice or through a "hot spot" in the soil where there is some nutrition available, but I don't have any evidence of those theories.
Thought I replied this way back when you posted: I lean towards the "hot spot" theory. I think it's something with the quality of the peat moss the roots tap into. Here they are this year. A little larger than before. As you can see, some cape sundews have decided they own the place.
RedPiranha_Large2.jpg
RedPiranha_Large2.jpg (374.13 KiB) Viewed 4814 times
RedPiranha_Large1.jpg
RedPiranha_Large1.jpg (260.51 KiB) Viewed 4814 times
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