FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I have some VFT seeds in my frig. I'm in California zone 10 I believe. When is the best time to plant? I have NZLFSM. Best to use I assume?


Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

If you are starting them indoors, then I don't think that there is really any best time to plant, but in the wild, VFTs release seeds in the spring.
I think LFSM is usually the best choice for flytrap.

The last time I germinated and grew seedlings, it was around this time of year. But I don't really think it matters what time of the year, just as long as their proper conditions are met.

For mine, I used 50% silica sand, and 50% peat moss, which is the same mix that I use for my adult flytraps. The only difference being that I kept the pot inside of a slightly larger plastic bucket filled with water almost up to the soil line. I also used a clear plastic film with an elastic rubber band around the edge of it to keep the seedlings covered. They sell these covers next to the Ziploc bags and other similar items like them. Then I kept the pot in a warm location where the temperature stays around 80°F.

I checked on them daily, mainly to open the cover and provide them with fresh air. I also made sure to change the water roughly every other day or so. Doing this, I think I had a 100% germination rate. Once they began growing, I moved the pot to under a grow light. While the grow light was on, I still kept them covered up. But then I'd remove the cover at at night to gradually harden them off without the risk of them drying out. Once they got big enough, I removed the pot from the bucket of water, but I still kept the potting mix from drying out by watering them daily and keeping the clear plastic cover over them during the daytime. This is why I prefer growing them under a grow light. They get the light they desperately need, while its much easier to regulate the conditions they need to survive.

Needless to say that it was a labor of love, but most definitely a fascinating experience. Also, baby flytraps are the cutest things ever, lol.

I dug through my old photos and found some I took of my baby flytraps. I remember being obsessed with them; checking them out on a daily basis...

Super helpful. Tomorrow is planting day!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I planted the VFT seeds 2 weeks ago. These do not look like baby VFT's to me. Am I right?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

javaliz59 wrote:I planted the VFT seeds 2 weeks ago. These do not look like baby VFT's to me. Am I right?

fake seeds. What source did you buy them from?

Reputable general nursery I've purchased from before.

What are these?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

In that case they may just be some weeds from seeds that were in the sphagnum, and the really sprouts will appear in a few weeks. I kind of hate LFS for VFT seeds though if it's not very compact... they can fall down deeper into it and have problems sprouting vs. if they were a cm or 2 under some peat.

SundewWolf wrote:In that case they may just be some weeds from seeds that were in the sphagnum, and the really sprouts will appear in a few weeks. I kind of hate LFS for VFT seeds though if it's not very compact... they can fall down deeper into it and have problems sprouting vs. if they were a cm or 2 under some peat.

Actually it's mostly peat moss perlite mix with a little LFSM on top. I just keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens. Thank you though.



Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk