FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi all. Ive been growing fly traps for a while now and I would consider myself to be quite knowledgeable. But there is one this that still lies fairly unclear for me. And that is how some people manage to get their B52s so red! Now I know there are some theories about what contributes to colouration, but I think for the most part it is still fairly unknown. One year I tried putting some netting around my fly traps to prevent them from catching so many bugs and it indeed increased the colouration. Some people find putting fly traps in a greenhouse typically gives really nice colouration (from humidity or lack of insects I don't know!). I also think the climate itself might have something to do with it (too many factors to count). Or is special artificial lighting the way to go? So if anyone has really nice red fly traps (not only B52) and would like to share on how they achieved the colouration here would be the place!

I haven't done a scientific side by side comparison but my plants growing under LEDs certainly seem to color up better than when I grew them under Daylight fluorescents.

Good growing,
Mike

Thats great thanks Mike!

this was the first year we had carnivorous plants and we started with 4 B52 plants.. they were outdoors all spring/summer in full sun in NC, it wasn't until end of summer they started reddening up and then when they did they turned nice and solid red in the traps

Plenty of sunlight plus cool night time temperatures really bring out the color in mine. Start noticing it at the end of August up through the rest of fall and into winter. They also lose their color when they catch bugs or if the traps are triggered.

GreenOhio wrote:Plenty of sunlight plus cool night time temperatures really bring out the color in mine. Start noticing it at the end of August up through the rest of fall and into winter. They also lose their color when they catch bugs or if the traps are triggered.

this is what I found to be true in our first growing season I was impressed by the vigor of the B-52's but they had but a faint pinkish color if any color most of the summer, once night time temps started falling they over the course of a week or two turned nice and red

June 12th:


same cup (on right, although both cups visible in foreground are B-52s)
August 28th:


and one last from Sept. 28th