FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi,
My name is pat and I am quite happy to have found a site dedicated to Dionaea's. I live In Mt.Barker, South Australia, andthe tempraure rarly reaches zero degrees celcius and can top forty degrees in summer. I was wondering if these temprature ranges are ok to grow venus fly traps? I already have a saracinia pisstcina (parrot picture plant) and a scented sun dew which are growing quite well. At the moment we are in winter( not realy the right time to purchace a vft).

Thanks or any help,
Pat

Hello Pat and welcome!

It sounds like your weather in South Australia is pretty good for growing Dionaea. You won't have to worry about doing anything special for winter dormancy if it rarely reaches zero celcius. You might have to protect your plants a bit in the summer months though because 40C is pretty dang hot. I wouldn't leave them in the sun during the hottest parts of the day. If possible, just get them light for the first 4-5 hours of the day and then the last couple of hours of the day during the hottest days. That should protect them from being cooked.

I hope that you hang around these forums and ask more questions as you have them!

Take care,
Matt

Thanks a bunch for the info. Its a great little site and will definatly stay in contact with it. I've only recentally become interested in carniverous plants. When would it be a good time to buy a vft and what would be a good sub species for a beginer.
Thanks again Pat

Hey Pat,

The best time to purchase VFTs is at the end of winter or in the early spring time right before they come out of dormancy. However, you can purchase them any time of the year.

And just to clarify, there is only one species of Dionaea and that is the species muscipula. When you say sub species, I assume you mean a cultivated variety. It really doesn't matter which cultivar you choose to start growing, all Dionaea have exactly the same care requirements. Certain cultivars are faster growing and more robust, so you may want to start with one of those or a typical Venus Fly Trap. Some of the more robust cultivars are 'B52', 'Jaws' and 'Red Piranha' (my favorite).

Matt

thanks, I knew there was only one species of Donea, but didnt know what the name ofthe different types were called. I think I might buy a red pirahna when september rolls around. Where do you usally get your plants from?( I know you live in the U.S, and I live in AUS but it might point me in to the right difection )
Thanks again for the post
Pat

Triffid Park in Australia has a ton of Dionaea varieties:
http://www.triffidpark.com.au/htm_pages ... plants.htm

Other than them, I'm not entirely sure where to get Dionaea cultivars in Australia.

hey,
I have been looking at triffid park and they DO have a huge range of carnivorous plants avalible( including some great looking dionaea cultivars!).These plants are sent bare rooted. Does this mojorly affect the health of the plant at all? I have recentally borrowed Growing Carnivorous Plants by Barry A. Rice from my ocal liabrary and it says that Dioneae's like humidity between 50 to 80 percent. Will they do ok without this much humidity and if not are there any ways to get it to these levels. In the book It talks about a bottle terrarium.
Thanks again
Pat

These plants are sent bare rooted. Does this mojorly affect the health of the plant at all?

Most plants when purchased remotely are shipped bare root. Most growers pack them exceptionally well and the plants aren't affected much at all. They may be in shock for a few days and up to a couple weeks, but personally, I've not noticed any detrimental effects of bare root shipping, though I've ordered most of my plants before they come out of dormancy. I expect you'd see some slow growth for a while when you get them.

I have recentally borrowed Growing Carnivorous Plants by Barry A. Rice from my ocal liabrary and it says that Dioneae's like humidity between 50 to 80 percent. Will they do ok without this much humidity [...]

Barry's book is really great. I love that book. The pictures alone make it worth owning. Plus there's tons of great information in there. However, some of the things that he says about cultivating Dionaea are a little "strict." While it's true that the plants may grow a little better under ideal conditions, and that would mean humidity between 50% to 80%, Dionaea adapt very well to low humidity conditions and can thrive in conditions that are less than ideal. I live in Boulder, CO and the humidity here is very low, usually below 20% during the middle of the day. My Venus Fly Traps are exhibiting vigorous growth right now. The most important thing is to keep them moist at all times during the growing season when it is hot and dry. The moisture from the peat moss will create a little micro-environment near the surface and this will be enough for the plants. Don't worry about a bottle terrarium.

Thanks heaps. This site has been very usefull!