FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/when- ... t9669.html

The last post on there is from Steve_D who has his own (used to work with Matt) plant company as well.

As i say, as in most areas of life, views will vary, thats me on it.

Interesting...and makes sense. You remove old buds from lots of flowers so theyll produce bigger, better flowers and i cant think of a flower you remove the whole stalk to increase vigor. Ill try it next year.

This is starting to get as controversial as how to grow N. edwardsiana and what makes the best Cephalotus potting medium. All I can say is that I'm glad we're holding an enlightening and intelligent discussion here.

I spent quite a while making a reply in total contradiction to your original post... But I actually don't have any valid points.

A fine observation indeed. Though I imagine the pinching off of buds still presents a possibility of fungal infection?

I'm now off to go and pinch some buds

Daniel_G wrote:
I'm now off to go and pinch some buds

"Pinch some buds"'. Oh my! Let us know how it works for you.

Daniel_G wrote:I spent quite a while making a reply in total contradiction to your original post... But I actually don't have any valid points.

A fine observation indeed. Though I imagine the pinching off of buds still presents a possibility of fungal infection?

I'm now off to go and pinch some buds

I have not noticed any pinched buds causing fungal infections yet. Perhaps it's because it is a smaller wound and better exposed to air.

By pinching off the buds, I wonder how vegetative as apposed to sexual the flower stalk morphology becomes. Will stalks with pinched off buds still be useful as propagates, or will they even be more useful as the flower is not sexually functional?

I have always used scissors to cut the stalks, i dont pinch them.
Maybe less chance of fungal infection with a clean cut ?

WOW what's going on here, looks like the house of congress...The question must be asked. How does the plant look like after you pinch the stalk? OK, lets see. I just pinched a stalk of one of my plants in VFT ROW......hhummm...... It looks like ****T.....So I cut it off.....Nothing more or less. Really shouldn't be too much to write about nor to speculate.

If you are a beginner and you are reading this blog...the only way to learn is to try it out for yourself and draw your own conclusions. That's how you know.....validity! so to speak..... Everyone has their plants. Try it out, grow the flower, pinch the stalk.....if your plant continues to grow, great, if your plant gets weak and dies. Oh well, buy another one. Note your observations. I like how Dr. Rice puts it........"Its not my plant", True....YES?

Grow them, don't grow them.......I have done both for many years. Now I will let the plants grow stalks just for the hell of it. What VFT seeds I want? From the good stuff like Purple Haze, Maroon Monster, JAWS, Purple Ambush, Alien, Royal Red, and Big Mouth. If I want a plant faster, I get it by vegetative means, much more easier, but less noble than growing from seed.

(My experience ONLY....to share)....Plants that I allow to flower their stalks are only the fully mature VFT's. Flowering requires more osmotic potential on the plant. I have to water them more often. The plants have to work harder to keep up the hydrostatic water pressure to push the stalk up and keep them erect. Only the mature plants do good with the stalks and continue to grow decent size "clams". Younger plants that have flowered look weak, few traps, and almost no color. BUT only after the stalk completes the height, harden, then blackens, will the younger plants continue to grow but at a slow pace. It also takes longer for the younger plants to mature to full size....young-ling plants that I allowed to flower DIED....(Some of my Maroon Monsters, purple ambush, all of my King Henry's. I was disappointed and sadden when I chucked them into the compost bin.) Either cutting or letting them grow has no effect on my MATURE plants...no fungus, no weakness. Nothing.....

For awhile now I haven't grown stalks at all. "I cut those ugly stalks gracefully and with finness" just for the sole purpose that I want my VFT plants to look good for me when I come home. I prefer the more vigor plant, larger more colorful trap appearance than a plant with flower.. YES, I have experienced my plants with snipped stalks have shown to grow larger "clams"..(Traps) Someday I will grow VFT flowers again and post photos. Maybe next season.

In "Cluster of Venus Flytraps", there are posted photos of two seasons, 2014 and present 2015. There are photos of a small young B52 VFT. Compare the size of the plant of 2014 to 2015..cutting the stalk.

Since this has become a debate; here is my disclosure...........

I am in no means a Scientist or Botanist or in any point for that matter, a sales person attempting to debunk the other competitor in lieu of selling a product. I grow CP’s simply for the fact that when they look nice, I feel Freekin Good, Yeah!!!!”

"WOW what's going on here, looks like the house of congress"
and disclaimer lmao

I just wanted to chime and add my 2 cents to this. I am someone who has grown many flytraps in a couple of different states and noticed every state has its own set of issues.

In Texas, my issues are heat and wind. Mold and fungus never happens because I can't get my plants to stay wet long enough to grow any mold. Pots dry fast because of heat and low himidty and then dry even faster because of constant high winds.

So for me, the bottom line is just getting the stalk off to have the plant expend the least amount of energy as possible.


But, while living in the NC, mold was a serious issue. The mountains and trees made things much more calm and due to the higher elevation, my nights were cooler. Sometimes in the 60s during the summer while the days would exceed 100F. And the humidity was always above 60% so water didn't evaporate as fast.


So, I think the bottom line is this, getting rid of the stalk helps not drain your plant of energy. But, you're gonna need to play with things to get it right in your area. No two areas are the same.

I grew thousands of flytraps in North Carolina and thought I was an expert. Moved to Texas and couldn't keep any alive. (turns out I needed bigger pots that were also insulated because I was baking the roots).. But, using the same techniques that allowed me to grow 1000s in NC caused all of my plants to die in Texas.

I think I was a little bit to blunt in my response. When all's asleep here under my roof, but me, late at night, "ITS CP TIME." I'm very pumped, excited, filled with jubilee...Whether be out amoung'st the plants in the middle of the night, or on the computer.....I was basically reaching out to those beginners, whom bring allot of enthusiasm and questions to this hobby. I was merely addressing/extending my advise to help obtain fulfillment in growing these awesome plants. This hobby could be very frustrating and disappointing just when you believe you did something right......In turn, it could be very rewarding, when you know its just because you tried it yourself. (My apologies if I offended some folks.)

(My Child hood days, Truthfully. 1 minute please) In the 1975/1978 I obtained my first flytrap from Marvel Comic book order and through a televised TV commercial selling CP's. (Any of you remember those commercials.) All where grown failures. Until my mom dropped by a place called Coleman Nursery, on Orange Ave in Orlando FL....There, I got my first solid healthy VFT for a $1.99 and a S-Purp Venosa, both growing in live Sphagnum moss, openly, not in those heated containers you see at Lowes or Home Depot. (I begged my mom to buy it for me.) I asked the Nursery man why all the VFT's didn't have flowers and he told me they cut them off so they could get bigger. I showed him a picture in my school textbook of a VFT in the wild with flowers. He kneeld down to me and said, "OK Kid, you could go ahead and grow the flowers, BUT, really I said that advise so that you won't come back and ask for a refund if your plant dies....he Laughed and said, "Really call me if you have any problems, I'd be glad to help." As an adult now I remember this in full detail....................

That was my first and best advise I received from an expert to help me pursue my CP ventures..................I did try growing the flowers myself. After my plant was 3 years old............I needed to know.............

Woah,your flytraps "teeth" look pink.Also beautiful vfts

Wow ... interesting post. Joel certainly does grow some gorgeous healthy plants, so I may have to rethink my
habit of removing the flower stalks.

Hey Joel .... Recognize these guys ? Some "Small" B52's I purchased from you last year. Growing like crazy
and devouring the flies (and wasps) in my garden this summer.

I think you said it yourself. You have hundreds or thousands of plants, and can't give individual attention to the plants. In short, your comments are just as good as saying, VFTs in the wild grow any which way they can and do just fine.

On the other hand, some other people have maybe 1 or just a few plants. Losing that plant or having it struggle through the growing season

Your awesome VFTs look great because of having a high population, whereas some amateur grower wants their 1 plant to look really good.

I certainly agree that once a person has many plants, he may let some go to seed. But for amateurs with just a few plants, giving their plant the best chance often includes removing the flower stalk early on. And yes, you're right about just removing the flower, because a lot of energy goes into making seed also.

In your case, you didn't have time to access every plant. Some flower stalks became taller and more mature, so a lot of energy has already been put into the stalk itself. But for others, they are often told to cut it anywhere when it is about 1-4". They are looking at that one stalk, day after day, waiting for the appropriate height that they've been reading about to cut it.

I think this is the important difference between how different people are growing the VFTs, compared to your case.