FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

A few months ago my flytrap killed off all its traps I thought is was dieing but then it started growing a really long stork with 4 little pods on the top I presume these are going to be flowers but I was told it is really hard to get them to flower so now im panicking I have no idea what to do this is only my second plant. When will it flower? Does it need any extra care? Any advice will be very much appreciated

Hello and welcome to flytrapcare!

Shamrock wrote:When will it flower? Does it need any extra care?

When it will flower depends on quite a few things. How warm it is, how long the days are, and how healthy the plant is are all relevant to how long it takes the plant to flower. When it is flowering, it doesn't need any extra care, you just need to be sure that you are giving it the best care it can receive. Just be sure to follow the basics of caring for them, i.e. LOTS of sunlight and clean water (distilled water and rain water only).

It sounds like your plant might be one of those plants that could die from flowering. It also sounds like your flytrap might not be very healthy. It's not normal for them to lose all of their traps. When they go dormant, they do lose quite a few, but not all.

A photo would go a long way to helping figure out how flowering would affect your plant. Also, some care history would help.
1) Do you live in the United States or Canada? Or do you live in the southern hemisphere somewhere?
2) How many hours of direct sunlight per day does your plant get?
3) What kind of water have you been using to water your plant?
4) How long have you had your plant and when was the last time you repotted it?

Matt

Shamrock wrote:A few months ago my flytrap killed off all its traps I thought is was dieing but then it started growing a really long stork with 4 little pods on the top I presume these are going to be flowers but I was told it is really hard to get them to flower so now im panicking I have no idea what to do this is only my second plant. When will it flower? Does it need any extra care? Any advice will be very much appreciated

If you live in the northern hemisphere, "a few months ago" is when your Flytrap stopped growing actively and entered dormancy, which is normal. Hopefully you kept it dryer and cool at that point. One of the first things Venus Flytraps do when they come out of dormancy in the spring (about now) is to put up a flower stalk to flower and set seed. However, if your Venus Flytrap doesn't have many good leaves/traps, it would be best to cut the flower stalk near the base so that your plant will use its stored energy (whatever remains) to grow more energy producing (photosynthesizing) leaves and traps.

If you post a photo, the helpful people here at FlytrapCare.com can help you better. Also, please read the excellent articles here at the FlytrapCare.com homepage about Venus Flytraps, particularly about dormancy and flowering.

Best wishes--
Steve

I live in the UK its in a south facing window and gets about 4 maybe 5 hours of good sunlight. I have been using normal tap water I have had it about a year my friend gave it me because her cat was trying to eat it she only had it for a month I don’t think it has ever been repotted. Just before it started sprouting this stem I changed the way I watered it (from above rather than filling the tray at the bottom) I haven’t paid much attention to it and have only fed it a couple of times. Some of the traps have started to grow back

sorry about the size of the pic this is the first time i have done this

Your plant doesn't look horrible, but it's definitely not the healthiest flytrap I've ever seen. The long thin leaves with small or no traps means that it's not getting enough light. Also, I'm sure that the tap water isn't helping it either.

I'd snip that flower stalk off. It's definitely not helping the plants health.

You might want to think about putting your plant outside in the sunniest place you can find, if you have that option.

i will try putting it in the green house. what type of water should i use? would repotting help?

thanks for the help

Shamrock wrote:what type of water should i use? would repotting help?

Rain water is great. I know it rains a lot in the UK If you trouble gathering rain water, distilled water or reverse osmosis water is good too.

Repotting would definitely help and at this point, you should probably do it soon considering that you've been watering with tap water for so long.

Will do.

Thanks again

Welcome shamrock...

quick question... you get it from 'Homebase' ???

a garden center i think

smeone told me when the flowers open they smell like rotting meat is tis true?

I don't remember them having much of any odor.

Shamrock wrote:a garden center i think

smeone told me when the flowers open they smell like rotting meat is tis true?

It's not true. Some other plants, like some of the "starfish flowers," produce two substances, cadaverine (as in cadaver or corpse) and putrescine (as in putrefying), both of which smell exactly like the name suggests. But not the sweet little Venus Flytrap. The flowers are attractive but demure and have little or no odor at all.

Steve