FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi all. I'm based in Manchester in the north of England. I'm gonna hit the ground running with a question! I've had my fly trap nearly 3 months now and it seems to be doing ok but its yet to enter dormancy. The strange thing is, it appears to be doing the opposite of dormancy as I've noticed what appears to be the early signs of a small stem growing from the middle of the plant. It looks completely different to new leafs which have grown since I've had the plant and the top of the stem look more cylindrical than the usual new leafs. If it is a stem, I know I need to cut it off to preserve the lifespan of the plant before it grows too tall (so far its only about half an inch above the soil) but is this normal in a VFT at this time of year? Has anybody else encountered a similar stem growth in late November? I mainly keep my VFT indoors on a window ledge, but I will sometimes leave it outdoors on sunny days so that it catches some decent light and bring it back indoors in the evening when the temperature is colder.

I have heard a couple people on here saying they have grown flower stalks at this time of year. You definitely have to cut them if you want healthy VFTs

Thanks for the advice. Is my VFT confused growing a stem at this time of year or is this a common issue?

I haven't heard of this as a common issue but it has happened to multiple people. It may be just because it isn't getting colder temperatures/less light as winter approaches. I wouldn't worry too much, just clip it and all will be good .

Hello A_C_1 and welcome to FlytrapCare!

It's not common for a flytrap to grow a flower stalk in the fall if it's been growing where it receives natural sunlight, though it does happen occasionally. I have several hundred flytraps, perhaps somewhere near 1000, and only two of them sent up flower stalks this fall. But all of them were growing in greenhouses where they get natural sunlight and experience the cool temperatures of fall and winter.

As Dan said, snip off the flower stalk. Otherwise it sounds like you're caring for your plant fairly well. As long as the windowsill that it sits in doesn't receive supplemental light and stays relatively cool, it should experience an adequate dormancy.

See this post (same problem):

http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/my-vf ... t8320.html

Hi A_C_1 welcome to FlyTrapCare Forum.

Cut the flower off and the plant should continue with its dormancy without any problems.