We at FlytrapStore often get emails from people asking why one of their Venus Flytraps is not doing well, stating that their other Flytraps are doing great. Almost always, upon looking at photos, actually all of the Flytraps are in poor health, but the one the person emailed about is just faring worse. And it makes you realize, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what a healthy Venus Flytrap looks like.
It seems some caretakers are believing their Flytraps are healthy because they are green, but that doesn’t tell you as much as you’d think. A Venus Flytrap that is lacking appropriate UV light can be green, but also weak and spindly, with unnaturally elongated leaves reaching out for sunlight it’s not getting. And eventually a Venus Flytrap that isn’t getting enough UV light will perish.
The way to have a Venus Flytrap that is as healthy as it can be, not just struggling or middling along, is to have it outdoors as much as possible, in direct sunlight when it’s available depending on the season (even a cloud day has more UV light than the light through a home’s windowpane). The healthiest Venus Flytraps are also not constantly sitting in a lot of water, this can lead to rot. And they are re-potted at least once a year in appropriate growing medium, so they aren’t sitting in collected minerals that build up over time in growing medium.
Those who claim their Venus Flytrap is healthy even if it isn’t under these conditions are likely dealing with a less than optimally healthy Venus Flytrap that is doing its best to keep up. We at FTS want people to have the healthiest, best-looking Flytraps they can have, so please, ensure you care for them appropriately and don’t be fooled by the confusing messages about care that are out there. I was even sent a link from ICPS that contained inappropriate care information, so be discerning!
My traps seem to be eating fine. When the traps open the insect shells are still in there. Should I try to get them out or just leave them alone to do their thing?
Hi Peter! You can leave them in and they will naturally come out, with wind movement, etc. They don’t hurt anything. If you really wanted to remove them you could but you’ll trip the trap which causes the plant to use a lot of energy it normally wouldn’t need to. Happy trapping!