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Ask questions about how to grow and care for Venus Flytraps

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By Nikson
Posts:  422
Joined:  Tue Jun 22, 2021 12:47 am
#429724
Hey all,

One of my VFTs is currently flowering, and I feel like attempting to propagate it. I've tried once before with a VFT but after like 6 months nothing happened.

I was wondering, are there any tips and tricks to getting a flower stem to propagate properly?

In the past, I just cut the stem when it was around 2 inches tall, and just stuck the cut end into some moist LFSM.

Is it possible for the stem to still grow into a VFT if you lay the stem down sideways in the medium? Should I cover the pot with cling wrap to increase the humidity level?

Any advice, tips, and tricks are appreciated!
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By ChefDean
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Joined:  Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:44 am
#429726
It sounds like you're doing everything right, sometimes it just doesn't happen. One year I cut a couple dozen stalks, and only one struck. The next year, a couple dozen stalks, same media (just newer), and everything struck.
IME, sticking the stalk vertical has a better chance at a strike, even a couple strikes. While horizontal has a lesser chance at strikes, but you could get strikes along the length. If you have multiple stalks, mix it up.
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By -Stanley-
Posts:  856
Joined:  Tue Nov 16, 2021 1:23 am
#429743
ChefDean wrote: One year I cut a couple dozen stalks, and only one struck. The next year, a couple dozen stalks, same media (just newer), and everything struck.
Interesting, where you using the same lights both years?
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By ChefDean
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Joined:  Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:44 am
#429748
-Stanley- wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 4:49 am
ChefDean wrote: One year I cut a couple dozen stalks, and only one struck. The next year, a couple dozen stalks, same media (just newer), and everything struck.
Interesting, where you using the same lights both years?
Yes, the sun.
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By Intheswamp
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Joined:  Wed May 04, 2022 2:28 pm
#429753
ChefDean wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 11:46 am
-Stanley- wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 4:49 am
ChefDean wrote: One year I cut a couple dozen stalks, and only one struck. The next year, a couple dozen stalks, same media (just newer), and everything struck.
Interesting, where you using the same lights both years?
Yes, the sun.
But what part of the 11-year cycle did this take place? And, was it during the current cycle or the previous one? We need specifics, man,...specifics!!! :mrgreen:
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By davinstewart
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Posts:  343
Joined:  Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:29 pm
#429757
I agree with verticle placement for a few of reasons.
  • When placed horizontally, the stem will frequently curve and warp which allows it to lose contact with the soil (I root mine in peat:perlite). This can result in lower strike rates. By placing it vertically, this is prevented and your strike rating should go up.
  • I've noticed that the baby flytraps form on the areas of the stalk that are not exposed to light. When placed horizontally, this usually means that they form on the bottom of the stalk and have to grow around it to reach the light. When planted vertically, the buds form beneath the soil line and can then grow straight up which results in a more naturally shaped baby plant.
  • Vertical placement allows for tighter grouping of flower stalk cuttings which makes for more effective use of your space
Also, a couple quick notes from my experience ...

I let my flowerstalks grow until they're just about to flower then chop them into 1-2 inch sections and plant those. I'll cut the flower buds so that they have about 1/4" of stalk attached and then stick the stalk in the soil with the flowers on top. They'll frequently continue to grow and even bloom in my rooting chamber. Then I'll chop the remaining stalk into ~1" pieces and stick each one about 1/4" into the soil media. In my experience, letting the stalks grow this long doesn't seem to affect the strike rating and by having multiple chances for success you'll get more plants overall.

High humidity seems to improve strike ratings quite a bit although it's still highly variable. Bear in mind that with high humidity comes a greater chance of fungus and I'm still trying to figure out the best way to address this. One thing I've noticed is that a fungal attack is not necessarily a disaster. I've had cuttings covered in fungus still able to successfully root so don't throw them out if this occurs. As long as there's living tissue on the cutting, there's a chance it'll bud.

I keep the cuttings wetter than I would normally grow flytraps. Almost to the point that the soil is sodden. The cuttings will need to absorb that moisture and don't have a root system to do it so more moisture seems to be beneficial for them.

Finally, the chance to strike seems to vary by cultivar. By far the most vigorous cuttings for me come from my B-52 clones whereas I struggle with King Henry, FTS Maroon Monster, and even DC XL. These differences become quite obvious when working with hundreds of cuttings but I'm still working to understand the trends.

Even with all of this, my strike rating typically hovers between 10-20% of the stalks although when one succeeds then it'll typically generate 4-12 baby plants.

I'll typically pot up the baby plants once they're big enough for my fat fingers to work with ... usually about the size of a dime. This helps prevent crowding and improves their growth.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can look into foliar feeding with dilute maxsea but I usually don't bother. The biggest boost to growth is definitely when they catch prey and I'm investigating growing a springtail colony just for the purpose of feeding baby flytraps.

I'll also skip the first years dormancy in the interest of growing them out faster. It seems to work well and I haven't seen a downside to growing them in this way.

Through these methods I can usually get plants from cutting to "mature" size in about a year. It's a very easy way to turn one plant into many more.

Please note that many of these techniques apply to leaf cuttings as well. You don't have to wait for the flowerstalk to propagate out your plants.

Hope that helps!
Last edited by davinstewart on Wed Feb 01, 2023 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By Intheswamp
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Joined:  Wed May 04, 2022 2:28 pm
#429760
Great write-up, Davin!!! :)

A couple of questions...

It probably sounds like a dumb question but do the strikes all happen around the soil line?

You mentioned getting 4-12 strikes when a stalk is successful. This is for an entire stalk, but cut into 1" sections...correct?

Do you get more than one strike from a 1" section?

Thanks for the great info!
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By Nikson
Posts:  422
Joined:  Tue Jun 22, 2021 12:47 am
#429968
Awesome, thanks for the great advice guys!

Also, this might sound stupid, but how deep do you plant the flower stalks? Just enough so it doesn't tip over? Or does it not really matter?
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By MikeB
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Joined:  Sat Apr 25, 2020 4:13 pm
#430063
I've had vertical flower stalks cuttings create buds up and down the stalk, to the point that I had to lay them sideways for the buds to root. When I do this, I gently press the stalk down into wet sphagnum moss and put a small blob of moss over what was the bottom of the stalk so it can still absorb water.
Nikson wrote: Fri Feb 03, 2023 6:36 pm Also, this might sound stupid, but how deep do you plant the flower stalks? Just enough so it doesn't tip over? Or does it not really matter?
I normally put 1/4 to 1/3 of the stalk into the moss.
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By MikeB
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Joined:  Sat Apr 25, 2020 4:13 pm
#430092
A flower stalk from one of my SD Kronos plants stuck last summer. It's the cluster in the upper-left corner (the other flower stalk strike is from a "Colorado Giant"). Here's what it looks like now (in a 3-inch / 75mm square pot):
Before.jpg
Before.jpg (633.57 KiB) Viewed 1389 times
Cloxe-up.jpg
Cloxe-up.jpg (507.62 KiB) Viewed 1389 times
I dug up the clump today and separated the plants:
Divisions.jpg
Divisions.jpg (710.91 KiB) Viewed 1389 times
8 plants from one flower stalk. I put them back in the pot, spread out for a bit of "elbow room":
Repotted.jpg
Repotted.jpg (646.21 KiB) Viewed 1389 times
By davinstewart
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Posts:  343
Joined:  Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:29 pm
#430120
Intheswamp wrote:It probably sounds like a dumb question but do the strikes all happen around the soil line?
Usually yes. It seems like anywhere there's shadow, the cutting may bud. For me, this usually means below the soil line although the flower structures have shadows in there and I'll frequently see new plants forming there away from the soil line.
Intheswamp wrote:You mentioned getting 4-12 strikes when a stalk is successful. This is for an entire stalk, but cut into 1" sections...correct?
The 4-12 plants is from a single 1" section of flower stalk. Usually when a cutting is successful it'll produce a cluster of baby plants. I'll have some instances where every 1" section strikes and then get maybe 50 plants off of one stalk. Other times nothing will bud at all.
Intheswamp wrote:Do you get more than one strike from a 1" section?
Yes, when a 1" section is successful, I'll usually get more than one bud.
Intheswamp wrote:Thanks for the great info!
Yep, np!
Last edited by davinstewart on Mon Feb 06, 2023 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By davinstewart
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Posts:  343
Joined:  Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:29 pm
#430122
MikeB wrote:I've had vertical flower stalks cuttings create buds up and down the stalk, to the point that I had to lay them sideways for the buds to root.
That's interesting! I wonder if it has to do with your lighting setup or the sphagnum moss. I never see buds on the exposed stalk unless it's up in the flower structures where there can be some complex shadows.

I've got mine under 4' long led lights so my cuttings are getting light from every angle.

One other tip, don't stick the cuttings down more than 1/4-1/2" in the soil otherwise you'll have buds that have to grow way up through the soil to reach light. This produces etoliated plants that don't do well after the first transplanting.
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