FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello everyone. I’ve wanted a flytrap of my own since I was ten and now have one for my 14th. Which doesn’t seem that long but it felt twice as long. Anyway, I know pretty much nothing about VFTs other than how they eat bugs and lure them in with some kind of power they have. I got it from Walmart and chose the tallest one. Turns out that two of the maybe 5 main heads don’t like to be closed. I just put a bunch of ants into the ones that do for now so hopefully they get bigger to the point where they can actually eat some of the ladybugs and stink bugs that have a good population in our house. So I would greatly appreciate any tips and dos/donts you might have. Thanks!

Welcome to the forum. Be sure to read the care guide at flytrapcare.com. Three things your plant needs.
1. Distilled, reverse osmosis, or rain water only. You can use tap water if you have it tested and it has less than 50ppm (parts per million) tds (total dissolved solids).
2. At least 6 hours of direct, unobstructed sunlight per day. If you are growing it indoors it needs a bright growlight and at least 12 hours a day.
3. The soil must not contain any nutrients or fertilizer. A 50/50 mix of peat moss and perlite is commonly used. Long fibered sphagnum moss is also a great medium but it is pricey.

It is not necessary to feed the plant. Left to its own, it will attract and catch its own bugs. Ideally, flytraps grow best when grown outdoors. There are.many carnivorous plants that grow well and easily indoors, but flytraps aren't one of them.