FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I just bought a couple flytraps from home depot, and surprisingly, on of them had a three inch flower stalk, and I was wondering when it would bloom, and when I should get seeds from it.

I also wanted to know if flowering would be safe for the trap, It seemed to have just recently come from a nursery, and to only have been at Home Depot for a week.

It's hard to say when the flower will complete growing, but it will probably be at the middle of June when it comes fully grown and is receptive. Then by the middle of July you should have some seed if you let it flower and successfully pollinate it.

Allowing it to flower will definitely weaken it and I'm sure it's already a bit weak since it's been in Home Depot for an unknown amount of time, but if it recently came from a nursery, it won't likely kill it.

You can be sure that unless you have a growing season as long as they experience in Wilmington, NC, your plants will become smaller if you make them flower and produce seed.

My plant bloomed yesterday, I thought you said it would in mid june

Bluelink48 wrote:My plant bloomed yesterday, I thought you said it would in mid june

In your original message about the flower stalk, you didn't say how tall or developed it was, and that affects a time estimate about when the plant may flower. It usually takes a little less than a month for a flower stalk to produce its first open bloom, and the stalk can bloom for a couple weeks, with flowers from other plants blooming at not quite the same time and extending the flowering season over the course of a month or so. Then the seeds need to develop until mature. Very often people don't harvest seed until mid June.

If you wish to pollinate the flower, wait until another flower opens and use its fresh pollen to pollinate the first one, because the first flower won't be ready to pollinate until about a day and a half after it opens.

Steve

Ok, although there is only one plant with one, but it has three other flowers that haven't bloomed yet.

i thought it takes 5 years to for the seeds to develop? thats the only reason why i cut it off...

Two other flowers bloomed, but the first one wilted after a few days

kevinqwe wrote:i thought it takes 5 years to for the seeds to develop? thats the only reason why i cut it off...

It's doesn't take 5 years for seeds to develop. Rather, it takes 5 years for a plant to grow to adulthood from seeds.

Bluelink48 wrote:Two other flowers bloomed, but the first one wilted after a few days

That's normal. The flowers are only open for 2 to 3 days.

wow. . bummer.
i wasted my stock

Is there a way to tell if a flower will have seeds?

Bluelink48 wrote:Is there a way to tell if a flower will have seeds?

Not really for sure until it develops all the way and the seed pod opens. The pods that do have seeds are usually a little larger, but it's really hard to judge just by looking at them. I always have to open them up.

All of the flowers have flowered and wilted, but the green outer part is starting to blacken, is this normal?

Bluelink48 wrote:All of the flowers have flowered and wilted, but the green outer part is starting to blacken, is this normal?

Yes, the flowers only last a few days. Once they die back and the stigma begins to swell and develop into a seed pod, it eventually turns black, dries up, and cracks open revealing the seed.

so you only have a lot of time to pollinate?