FlyTrapCare Forums

What is your preferred seed starting medium for flytrap seeds? I have some of the wild seeds from NC and I want to give them the star treatment. I've started the FTS seeds from the seed bank on a layer of chopped sphagnum over peat/perlite. I got about a 20% sprout rate but I don't know if that was the seeds or the medium. What is your go to for sowing flytrap seeds?

My preferred growing mediums are both peat and pure water. Sphagnum has given me good results but it tends to produce algae and the seeds mold up on it. For peat I don't have any problems really and I just toss the seeds on and within a couple weeks I get seriously fast-growing VFTs. For water, I just fill a jar(no sterilization needed) with about 1/8 inch and put the VFT seeds in there. After a few days the seeds will start being covered by algae but I just don't do anything about it and another 5 days you should get around 100 percent germination, which is when I transplant to peat.

I got a packet of the wild NC seeds, too. I filled a pot with my regular cp soil mix, put a half-inch layer of wet LFS on top, and placed the seeds to make sure they didn't bunch up. I put the pot outside in the heat and humidity, in a location that gets 4 hours of dappled sun. It's been a month, and at least 2/3 have sprouted. A few days ago, I moved the pot indoors because it's gotten so cool at night. I'm planning to put it back outside in a couple days after it warms up to normal.

I've been using the flytrap store's peat mix. I think it works well to germinate seeds and then let them grow 9 - 12 months. I also got some of the wild seeds. I planted 10 at the end of August and so far only 3 have sprouted.

I will have to try that water method in the spring.

I personally had much better success germinating seeds on LFS. Peat did give germination but the LFS was 2x at least in similar conditions. Maybe make a peat base and chop some moss to make contact with the seeds if you don't want a full pot of moss

MaxVft wrote: ↑Sat Sep 25, 2021 12:27 am For water, I just fill a jar(no sterilization needed) with about 1/8 inch and put the VFT seeds in there. After a few days the seeds will start being covered by algae but I just don't do anything about it and another 5 days you should get around 100 percent germination, which is when I transplant to peat.

I'm giving this a try. I took 50 of my seeds and put them in a small bowl of rainwater. Two days later and half of them have sunk to the bottom (a good sign: they're fully hydrated). This is the point where I would normally take them out of the bowl and put them on LFS. I'm curious to see how many sprout in the next week or two.

MikeB wrote:I got a packet of the wild NC seeds, too. I filled a pot with my regular cp soil mix, put a half-inch layer of wet LFS on top, and placed the seeds to make sure they didn't bunch up. I put the pot outside in the heat and humidity, in a location that gets 4 hours of dappled sun. It's been a month, and at least 2/3 have sprouted. A few days ago, I moved the pot indoors because it's gotten so cool at night. I'm planning to put it back outside in a couple days after it warms up to normal.

How long do you keep your seedlings in dappled sun? I'm beginning to wonder if my current strategy of "blast everything with intense light until it turns purple" might be counterproductive.

MikeB wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 5:23 pm I'm giving this a try. I took 50 of my seeds and put them in a small bowl of rainwater. Two days later and half of them have sunk to the bottom (a good sign: they're fully hydrated). This is the point where I would normally take them out of the bowl and put them on LFS. I'm curious to see how many sprout in the next week or two.

I have a feeling you're gonna get great germination, as the seeds I used the water method on were the ones I bought from you

elaineo wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 5:26 pm How long do you keep your seedlings in dappled sun? I'm beginning to wonder if my current strategy of "blast everything with intense light until it turns purple" might be counterproductive.

I leave mine in part shade until they have two full sets of traps or whenever I remember.

elaineo wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 5:26 pm How long do you keep your seedlings in dappled sun? I'm beginning to wonder if my current strategy of "blast everything with intense light until it turns purple" might be counterproductive.

They sat outside for 5-6 weeks in the heat and humidity. Then fall arrived with a vengeance and my nighttime temperatures dropped in the low 50's F (10-13 C). After that, I moved them indoors, to a south-facing window. The house is cooler during the day but warmer at night. I'm debating whether to break out my seed-germination heating pad, not sure if that will warm up the soil enough to make a difference.

This was such a good, but short, thread...I sure hated to see it end.