Re: Gardening just got that much cooler!
Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2022 12:57 am
Sundews69 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 10, 2022 3:59 pm Flytraps can be hard to start from seed so do your research.Matt and Leah have a good article on that topic here.
Sundews69 wrote: Also, they take an ETERNITY!All too true. That's due to the poor soil that they grow in, nothing you can do about that.
Sundews69 wrote: I started some in March 2022 and are still smaller than a dime. They can take up to 10 years to reach maturity when they aren't fed.Ten years? That must be in an indoor environment. Outdoors, they mature in 3-4 years with no assistance from the grower (at least, that's what my seedlings do).
Sundews69 wrote: If they are it can be done in 5 years or less easily. I wouldn't recommend feeding them until you are more experienced. When they're small the only way to really feed them is with maxsea fertilizer and it can very easily burn or kill the plant.MaxSea diluted to 1/4 strength, applied once a month, is safe. Just make sure that you mist the plants and not douse them with fertilizer.
Sundews69 wrote: They also need live bugs because when they catch something, the trigger hairs need to be continuously simulated to start digestion.I just want to state for the record that catching sugar ants and feeding them to baby flytraps is no fun, especially when you have lots of hungry plants to feed (they really do appreciate the food, though). The "lure in the prey" method is much easier: put a few slices of banana on small lids and scatter them around your plants. Fruit flies will find them, and they have to land somewhere. With bigger flytraps, substitute anchovies or sardines for the banana, and house flies will come flocking in.