Can Venus Fly Traps grow year round?

Question

I read somewhere that Venus Fly Traps can grow year round if you give them the proper light. I want to have a Venus Fly Trap for my dorm room under a grow light.

Is this possible?

Answer 1

They prefer to have a dormancy period over winter. You can force them to stay "awake" but the plant will suffer as a result.

There is a good site here which tells you how to look after your flytrap to keep it healthy.

http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html

Answer 2

Dionaea muscipula is a temperate species native to North and South Carolina. Being a temperate species it will eventually need dormancy or it will die. This does not mean that in your situation you can not successfully grow one.

First you have to decide what time of the year you want it's peak (16 hours of light) growth cycle to be in. If you wish this to be at any other time then summer then you will need to supply extra light. This can be done effectively using a desk lamp with a compact florescent bulb (the curly kind) preferably a 75w or better equivalent.

Supplying dormancy is simple.

Submerge its planter in sodium free RO, distiled or rain water then gently rinse all of its soil off.

Cut off all the blackened leaves and cut all green leaves off leaving about 1cm of green.

Completely wrap the bulb and roots in damp (not sopping wet) Long Fiber Sphagnum Moss (LFSM).

Place it all in a zipper bag and place in a refrigerator for 3 to 4 months.

Then just repot.

I keep several plant year round by using this method by cycling some into the fridge and some out every three months.

Answer 3

Venus fly traps can grow year round if kept at the proper temperature and given sufficient lighting.  However, they will only grow for a couple of years and then they will start to decline.

Venus Fly Traps require a dormancy period of at least 3 months a year to survive long term.  Dormancy is usually initiated by a decreased photo-period (the amount of light the plant will get during a 24 hour period) and a decrease in temperatures.

You can read more about venus fly trap dormancy here:

http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-tra...