FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi peoples I know VFT go dormant during thr winter to conserve energy for the spring growth. If a VFT is fed and the temp is correct and we have a long photo period. Why will it still die over time if it is not allowed to go dormant? From what i understand dormancy is how the plant adapts to no insects during the cold season and a shorter photo period. If the photo periond is stil 12 hrs and the temps warm and the plant is fed. Why does it still need to go dormant to thrive? And is there a genetic thing with plants having a short dormancy period? Has anyone tired to breed a VFT that does not require dormancy? Just a LOT of food for thought.

I am not sure the technical reason why VFT's have to be dormant, but I have heard ppl grow them w/out dormancy. They will live only for 1-3 years w/out dormancy

think of a year for us as a day for a flytrap at the end of the day (year) the flytrap wants to go to sleep and rest so he's nice and strong for the next day,but,take away sleep and your flytrap loses energy (like if humans dont sleep) if he misses another dormancy (sleep) he loses so much energy he stops growing and dies

Or you can think about a bear and hibernation. Dormancy is like a VFT's hibernation.

OR-- to continue with the analogies and theories, you can think of it like this. During the growing season, a Venus Flytrap tends to grow liberally, using up its food reserves almost recklessly, but in hopes of a nice growing season with plenty of food. However, if it were to keep up this unconservative pace of growth all year, it might expend itself, run out of food reserves, get sick or die. In the winter though, during its (semi)dormancy, it can grow very conservatively, storing all of the sugars made from the sunlight it is exposed to during dormancy in its underground "bulb," giving it a great initial reserve of food in the Spring from which to draw upon for its summer growth.

OR, think of it like squirtoman proposed: a year analogous to a day. We all know what happens if we don't get the sleep we need: we wear ourselves out and possibly get sick. We need sleep to recharge. So do Venus Flytraps and many other plants.

Like trees that go dormant in the fall/winter VFTs need the rest. Just do it.