FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

hi,
just a few questions?
What colour should a venus flytrap be?
My venus, which i got yesterday, is really green (no red), is that right?
What can i do to give it as much care as possible because i really want to look after it?
The stems with the traps on are really long and droopy is that right?
Can i feed it with flies and insects?
I also have another fly traap called a monkey...somthing?
It looks a bit like it has bucket/vase like things branching off that contain sap like substance where the flies get stuck in.
My one is really young and i have to grow it with ALOT of care, can anyone give me any tips on that?
Thanks so much.

Hello and welcome to flytrapcare! Let me see if I can answer some of your questions.

clara202 wrote:What colour should a venus flytrap be?
My venus, which i got yesterday, is really green (no red), is that right?

Depending on their genetics, Venus flytraps can be anything from green to red to yellow or anything in between those colors. Normally, VFTs have green leaves and traps with red interior traps. The red interior may not show until later in the year and may never show unless the plant is getting good light.

clara202 wrote:What can i do to give it as much care as possible because i really want to look after it?

You should read the articles on the main part of the site. The three basic rules for caring for a flytrap are:
1) Lots of light - at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal health
2) Clean water - Distilled water, rain water or reverse osmosis water only
3) Nutrient poor soil - most growers use a 50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite. I'm transitioning to using Steve Doonan's mix of 5 parts peat, 3 parts silica sand and 2 parts perlite.
And then, of course, you have to provide dormancy for your plant. Again, you can find lots of detailed information about all of these things in the articles on the main site.

clara202 wrote:The stems with the traps on are really long and droopy is that right?

Some plants do grow longer leaf blades than others, but usually if the leaves are really long and droopy, that means that the plant isn't getting enough light.

clara202 wrote:Can i feed it with flies and insects?

Yes, you can feed it any kind of insect.

clara202 wrote:I also have another fly traap called a monkey...somthing?
It looks a bit like it has bucket/vase like things branching off that contain sap like substance where the flies get stuck in.

I think by fly traap, you mean another carnivorous plant? It sounds like you're describing a pitcher plant (Sarracenia), but I can't say for sure.

clara202 wrote:My one is really young and i have to grow it with ALOT of care, can anyone give me any tips on that?

If you can provide a photo or identify the species you're referring to, then we could give you some tips. Assuming that it's a Sarracenia, then the growing requirements are identical to a VFT. If it's a tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes), then the requirements are similar, but you don't have to give it a dormancy.

Hope that helps! I'd suggest reading the articles on the main site. They should answer most of your questions. Then feel free to ask any more questions you might have or anything that you need clarification on.

Well matt pretty much covered that! LOL u can also read the home page which can answer alot of ur questions??? If ur refering to " monkey cups" I think u might have a nepenthese species! Post pics if u can???

sipecsus wrote:If ur refering to " monkey cups" I think u might have a nepenthese species! Post pics if u can???

Yeah, its a monkeys cup
I looked on google and it looks very simmilar but just not quite as large.
Thanks for your answer by the way
I'll try to upload pictures soon so you can see the venus and monkey.
The venus is very very droopy

Matt covered everything very well. The only thing I would add is that you don't want the soil that the VFT is in too wet. Keep it somewhere between really wet and almost dry. I do this by only watering in the morning and keeping the plant outside in direct sunlight. Most likely, your VFT has not been in direct sunlight. Once you do put it in sunlight, most of the leaves will turn brown from burning. But don't worry, in the next couple of weeks, new leaves will grow that are adjusted to the good lighting.

One more thing, if your plant has any plastic cover on it, remove it. That will only get mold and fungus to grow and kill your plant. And if you leave the cover on when it's in direct sunlight, it will cook your plant and kill it even faster.

Hope this helps! I look forward to the pictures you are going to post!

Welcome!!

kevinqwe wrote:Welcome!!

That was an interesting post.
Anyway, there are the 3 golden rules to venus fly trap raising.
1. Good lighting
2. Distilled/ Reverse Osmosis water
3. Peat moss + perlite/silica mix
Make sure you only use distilled water only, I almost killed my plant without realizing.

Caleboy 123 wrote:2. Distilled/ Reverse Osmosis water

Also rain water which is best as it's free, if you can collect it.

True, but where I live, It would just be easier to spend a single buck for about a month's watering.