What is the process of eating a fly by a Venus flytrap called? Description of the Venus flytrap and where the carnivorous plant lives. How does the trap closing mechanism work?

Venus flytrap is a plant- predator. Dionaea muscipula is translated from Latin as mousetrap.

What to feed - what does it eat, what does it eat?

As mentioned above, the Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant, and it feeds accordingly.

In its natural habitat, not at home, this strange flower prefers to be captured in its red trap flies, shellfish, spiders and various insects. As soon as such a living creature has the temerity to land on the surface of its trap, it will slam shut, unless the food manages to escape before the closing moment.

Digestion of food in the Venus flytrap sometimes takes a long time up to 10-14 days. It occurs through the secretion of juice - similar to the human stomach. As soon as the trap opens back up, it will mean that it is ready to eat again.

Interestingly, Venus is quite capable of going without food for quite a long period - about 1-2 months, but do not forget that first of all it is a flower, and it needs bright daylight every day. Without it, the plant will begin to wither and die.

When it comes to this, you should pay special attention and place the most suitable area under the plant pot. lighted place on the windowsill.

The process of photosynthesis occurs when exposed to daylight; the plant releases the oxygen needed by people.

So don't forget: sun, natural light are needed to maintain the life of a flower no less, if not more, than mosquitoes or flies.

It is also worth remembering that, like any other plant, Venus receives useful macro and microelements from the soil, so you need to take care of this. It is customary to plant it in a mixture of peat and perlite- this way she will receive the greatest amount of useful substances for herself.

Feeding a plant with fertilizers is extremely undesirable - it is quite capable of killing this unusual flower literally in a matter of days. Even at home, she is expected to “hunt” herself to get her food.

Special Note: It is advisable that the food you feed the Venus flytrap is live - this is the only way to release the necessary digestive juices.

You can feed her spiders, mosquitoes, flies, bees.

Small note: the insect must be at least half the size of the trap itself. It is not recommended to feed insects with too hard a shell, otherwise the trap will be damaged.

The video shows what a Venus flytrap eats:

Also can't feed flower with earthworms, bloodworms and other living creatures used for fishing - they contain too much liquid, which can lead to rotting, and subsequently to death.

If you did not know that your pet cannot be fed with the above food, then wait until the trap opens and carefully remove the food from there. Under no circumstances try to open it yourself - you risk severely damaging the plant.

In the photographs you can see what to feed the Venus flytrap:

How often should I feed?

Many people ask the question: how often should the predator Venus be fed? There are several feeding features.

If your plant is very young or you have just purchased it, you should not start feeding it immediately after you bring it home. You need to wait until the flower has 3-4 new sheets under current conditions.
A plant that has adapted to the conditions is worth feeding. 2 times a month and always live insects: the antennae react only to movement. Of course, you can try to feed the plant with non-living food, but after a couple of days you will see that Venus has opened her trap without digesting the food.
In winter, the plant “falls asleep” and feed it strictly prohibited. The winter period begins around November and lasts until the beginning of spring, then Venus comes to life again. During this period, it can only be watered, but only if wintering takes place at an air temperature with a plus sign.

This unusual plant will not leave anyone indifferent, but it, like all living beings on this Earth, needs care.

With a little effort, the Venus flytrap will become your unique pet, which is interesting to watch and very interesting to interact with.

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General information about plants And Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

Carnivorous plants can be considered a miracle of nature. According to various sources, about 400-500 species of carnivorous plants are known. All of them receive part of their nutrients from animals, which they catch in various ingenious ways.

All carnivorous plants grow in poor soils; in such conditions there is less competition among plants, and the ability to catch live prey, break down and assimilate animal protein compensates for the deficiency of mineral nutrition. As a rule, they are brightly colored, and this attracts insects that are accustomed to associate bright coloring with the presence of nectar.

One of these plants, the Venus flytrap, is the only plant in which the catching of insects by the rapid movement of the trap can be observed even with the naked eye.

Although it is called a flycatcher, it catches more often than other insects. Prefers large black ants. It is not found in the tropics or subtropics. Lives in the temperate zone. In North America. And even then not on the entire continent, but only in North Carolina in the swamps among pine forests. Loves bright sun and moisture. Settles on cushions of sphagnum mosses, where it is always damp.

And so the fishing begins. Attracted by the sweet nectar, the fly lands on a leaf. Inadvertently he touches one of the spines. It would seem that now the fatal moment will come, and the fly will end up in the trap. But the mechanism does not work. Not because it's spoiled. This is just a precaution in case the spine is touched by a random object: a speck that fell from a neighboring pine tree, or a grain of sand carried by the wind. After all, having slammed shut in vain, the trap can only open the next day. Time and energy will be wasted.

Finally, the insect touches the spine a second time. Here the mechanism works accurately and without delay. The fly finds itself sandwiched between two halves of the leaf. True, she is still alive and can see what is happening in the wild. The cilia edging the leaf came together loosely, forming a lattice. If the fly is small, it can slip between the cilia teeth and move away.

If a large prey is caught, it will not slip between the eyelashes. It will fight until it hits the spike again - the trigger. The third time is decisive. After the third signal, the leaf trap closes tightly. No cracks or emergency exits. The leaf is then filled with digestive juice. The insect drowns.

Digestion takes several days. Finally the trap opens. Rain and wind, acting as wipers, cleanse the leaf of mortal remains. The sheet is ready for use again. Om can catch two or three insects. But no more. After this it turns black and is replaced with a new one.

And the fact that the leaf, having digested three victims, dies itself is only salvation from gluttony, which is more fatal for plants (and for all living beings!) than malnutrition. While a new leaf grows to replace the withered one, the plant receives a forced rest from food.

Depending on the time of year, the appearance of the trap changes noticeably. In summer, when there is a lot of prey, the trap is brightly colored and reaches its maximum size. In winter, when there is little prey, the trap decreases in size. By winter, the Venus flytrap goes into a dormant period, stops growing, and gives the impression that it is dying.

The soil: High-moor peat, perlite or karst sand (1:1).

Lighting: Bright light and several hours of sun.

Watering: The soil should always be moist.

Temperature: In summer 22-27 °C, but not higher than 35 °C. In winter 3-7 °C.

Air humidity: Air humidity 40-70%.

Reproduction: By division, seeds and leaf cuttings at a temperature of 20-21° C.

Pests, diseases: Aphids, spider mites, gray mold, black sooty fungus and bacterial damage are when the trap cannot digest the captured insect and begins to decompose.

Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

Wikipedia writes about this plant as follows: “ The Venus flytrap (lat. Dionaea muscipula) is a species of carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionaea of the sundew family (Droseraceae), which also includes Aldrovanda vesiculosa and representatives of the genus Drosera. The Venus flytrap is a plant of the marshy areas of the east coast of the United States of America (North and South Carolina). The Venus flytrap catches its victims (insects, arachnids) using a specialized trapping apparatus formed from the edges of leaves. The slamming of the trap is initiated by thin trigger (sensitive) hairs on the surface of the leaves. To close the catching apparatus, it is necessary to exert a mechanical impact on at least two hairs on the leaf with an interval of no more than 20 seconds. This redundancy provides protection against accidental slamming in response to falling objects that have no nutritional value (rain drops, debris, etc.). Moreover, digestion begins at least after five times stimulation of the sensitive hairs».

In America, this species is included in the list of endangered plants. Floristic predator is the only perennial insectivorous herbaceous plant of this species of the Rosyankov family. The plant is not tall; in adulthood it does not grow higher than 15 cm. The stem of the Venus flytrap is bulbous. Small white flowers are collected on tall peduncles in a corymbose peduncle.

Since the soil where this amazing plant grows has a very low nitrogen content, the source of this chemical element is various insects and even slugs.

The leaves, forming a rosette, grow from a short underground stem from 3 to 7 pieces (depending on age). These insect traps grow back after flowering. Their length is from 6 to 15 cm. The “mouth” is green, but when well illuminated, its inner part turns red. Inside there are glands that are capable of producing odorous nectar to attract insects. Along the edges of the trap there are hairs and triggers; when a victim gets inside, they are irritated and the trap slams shut, and the plant begins to produce digestive secretions.

Digestion lasts several days, then the predator opens the insidious bait leaf again. After several successful hunts (5-7 times) for insects, the leaf can no longer produce digestive secretions in sufficient quantities. It dies off, giving way to a new predator leaf. As stated above, the Venus flytrap prefers open sunny and wet meadows of North Carolina or swamps with peat and sandy soil in South Carolina. Despite the fact that the plant prefers to live in a swamp, it does not tolerate stagnant water.

Kinds

Currently, about 25 domestically cultivated species are known. Some types are especially popular.

Venus flytrap Mouth (Dionaea Jaws.)

The traditional shape of a flycatcher, only the teeth are triangular in shape. Feeding and care are the same.

Dionea Mouth

Venus flytrap Bristly ( Dionaea Bristletooth)

Distinguished by bright red traps. The teeth are short and sparse. This species produces a fairly large number of children.

Dionea bristly

Venus flytrap Fondue (DionaeaFondue)

This species is highly mutated. There are species with traps of different colors, sometimes completely devoid of teeth.

Dionea Fondue

Venus flytrap Low giant (DionaeaLow Giant)

Has the biggest traps. Looks very interesting at home. Feeding looks the most obvious.

Dionaea the Low Giant

Venus flytrap Long red fingers(DionaeaLong Red Fingers)

A very mutated species, has bowl-shaped traps. The teeth are bright red, often fused. They grow close to each other.

Dionea Long Red Fingers

Venus flytrap Red dragon(DionaeaRed Dragon)

It has original leaves and burgundy-colored traps. With a lack of lighting, the color of the traps fades.

Dionea Red Dragon

Plant cost

The price of the plant varies depending on the age and rarity of the species in our country. The lowest price is 100 rubles (discounted and small plants, the best option for the first growing experience) and rises to 700 rubles (selected, best specimens). Seeds can be ordered in St. Petersburg for 100 rubles per package. Check expiration dates carefully.

Care

Feeding

The most difficult, and at the same time fascinating process is feeding the plant. Do not use fertilizers To avoid this procedure, Dionaea is a predator, and it receives all its nutrients from insects. Suitable food sources include spiders, flies, small cockroaches and mosquitoes. If a large insect (such as a cockchafer) gets into the trap, the trap will not be able to digest it. And then it turns black and dies; it must be carefully trimmed.

Digestion of food takes the flycatcher from 10 days to two weeks. Only when the trap opens completely does it mean it is ready to eat. The question always arises: where to get live insects for feeding?

In summer, you can take the plant out onto the terrace; the smell of nectar will attract food. You just need to make sure that large insects do not fall into the traps;
Some people raise flies from maggots, which are found outdoors in rotting meat or fish. But this procedure is not suitable for everyone, just like growing mosquitoes from bloodworms;
Sometimes in a garden plot they lay out adhesive tape not far from the anthill, and catch the ants with tweezers in a jar;
You should not feed the flycatcher if the plant is weakened by disease or after transplantation.

You should not feed the flycatcher pieces of meat, and under no circumstances feed gnawing caterpillars. During the winter, the Venus flytrap goes without live food until spring, when insects begin to emerge.

The traps are fed with tweezers by dropping a fly or ant into the trap. For the entire growing season of Dionea, 3 flies or large mosquitoes are enough.

Watering

The Venus flytrap is not watered, it is given water in a tray, and through the holes in the pot it flows into the roots. Most importantly, the water should be rainwater (of course, not from a dirty city roof) or distilled. It is very important for the plant that the water is as soft as possible. During the active growth stage, water at least three times a week.

You cannot use ordinary water, melted, filtered, settled, this will lead to the death of Dionea!

Check the soil for moisture every day. Drying out the earthen coma is detrimental to the exotic plant. Choose a pot for the plant that is tall and has a small diameter, since the roots of the Venus flytrap are long. In nature, the plant lives in flooded meadows or peat bogs, where there is a lot of underground water. Therefore, it does not need watering from above. Water can get into the traps and damage them.

Lighting

The most favorable location for a predatory flycatcher in an apartment is south-eastern and south-western windows. The plant should receive at least 6 hours of light in the morning and the same amount in the evening. If the plant is planted in a florarium, which provides high humidity, artificial lighting may be needed. A 40-watt lamp is placed at a height of about 25 cm, depending on the size of the plant, and left on for 15 hours.

In summer, Dionea can be taken out to a balcony or open loggia, but care must be taken to ensure that the flower is not exposed to direct sunlight. For proper development, the plant needs light, but everything needs moderation. There is no need to rotate the pot as you do with other plants - the Venus flytrap does not like to be disturbed.

Temperature

In summer, the optimal temperature for the plant is from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. Therefore, you can easily take it to the warm side of the veranda or terrace. In winter, during the rest period, the temperature is reduced, but not below +8 degrees.

Humidity

The Venus flytrap loves humid air of 50-70%, but this is difficult to achieve without spraying. It’s good if it is planted in a florarium, natural humidity is maintained there. She also doesn’t like stagnant air, but drafts are also contraindicated for her. Ventilate the room as needed, but not for long. If it grows in a pot, then you can put a bowl of water. The evaporation will moisten the dry air of apartments directly near the flower.

The soil

The most suitable substrate should correspond to natural conditions and consist of:

4 parts sour peat (better to buy at a flower shop);
2 parts perlite, soaked in water for a week;
1 part coarse river sand (boiled in distilled water).

In this case, drainage is not needed, since the roots are fed with water from the pan. The tray must be high enough. It is important that the plant is planted only in plastic or glass pots. Ceramic and clay are prohibited due to the high acidity of the substrate.

Transfer

An adult plant is replanted only in a healthy state in the spring. This procedure is carried out once a year, after wintering. When replanting, care must be taken, since the roots are very fragile, any damage to the roots leads to difficulties for the plant to take root in a new place.

Using the transshipment method, remove the root system and clean it of old soil. If it is difficult to separate, soak the roots in water and then rinse with a spray bottle. After transplanting into a new pot, the plant will need about a month to adapt, so the transplanted flower should be protected from bright sunlight and watered more often.

Fertilizer

No fertilizer is added to the soil for the Venus flytrap in any form, since it receives all the necessary nutrients from insects.

Reproduction

Seeds

During flowering, artificial pollination must be carried out using a cotton swab or a soft brush. If pollination is successful, small seed boxes are formed. After three months, the seeds are ready for sowing. Seeds quickly lose their viability - so you need to sow right away. You can also purchase ready-made seeds.

Seeds need special preparation. To do this, you need to take a fungicide solution, moisten a cotton pad or cloth with it, place it in a tight, airtight package, and close it to maintain high humidity. Then the seeds in the package are put into the refrigerator for 5 weeks. Periodically moisten them with a fungicide solution and make sure that mold does not appear. Seeds should not swell or germinate.
Then the seeds are scattered over the surface of the prepared soil, consisting of 70% sphagnum and 30% sand, without covering. The substrate must be watered with a fungicide diluted in distilled water at room temperature;
Cover with film or glass to create a small greenhouse. It is placed under bright diffused light.
The temperature should be between 24-29 degrees;
Check the soil moisture all the time, and if necessary, moisten it on top of spraying from a spray bottle;
Shoots will appear in two to three weeks. You have to wait the same amount of time before planting the seedlings in separate pots;
It takes about 5 years for a Venus flytrap to become an adult plant.

Cuttings

If you want to breed a flycatcher cuttings, you need to cut off the leaves of the plant, treat the sections with heteroauxin, and plant them in the soil (the composition of the soil is the same as for a greenhouse). The planted leaf should be covered with a transparent plastic cup. The signal that the plant has taken root will be the growth around the mother leaf. The only disadvantage of this method of propagating flycatchers is the frequent damage to the leaf by mold fungi.

Dividing the bush

Most often, the plant is propagated by transplantation. After washing the roots, carefully separate the young rosettes from the old bush. In this way, the old plant is renewed and young rosettes are obtained for propagation. They are planted in separate pots and placed in trays with water.

Bloom

Dionaea begins to bloom in May - June. Flowering continues for several weeks. The plant produces tall peduncles on which corymbose inflorescences are formed. The flowers are small, up to one cm in diameter, very attractive and have a pleasant aroma.

If you do not plan to carry out pollination and collect seeds in the fall, then it is better to cut off the arrows during the budding period. Flowering and seed ripening greatly weakens the plant, especially the traps. If you want to get seeds, use a plant that is older than a year and wait until the capsules are completely ripe.

Winter dormant period

The rest period begins when the outside temperature drops to +5-8 degrees. In the fall, around November, the Venus flytrap begins to shed its leaves. As soon as you notice this, you need to reduce watering. Then prepare Dionea for wintering by treating it with Fundazol (this will prevent the formation of mold). The flycatcher overwinters in light partial shade at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius. You can place a pot with a Venus flytrap in a glassed-in loggia if there is no severe frost. Even in the lower section of a household refrigerator, the plant will overwinter well, because... no lighting needed.

During this period, the flycatcher does not need food, but the substrate needs to be checked once every two weeks. It should remain slightly moist, so we recommend placing the pot in a bag with a hole. The average wintering duration is from 2 to 4 months. The end of the dormant period comes in the spring, when insects begin to appear on the street. You should take out the pot and place it on the window in a pan of water. We gradually accustom him to bright sunlight; the light should be bright, diffused. Further care as usual.

Dionaea in natural conditions

Diseases and pests

Surprisingly, a plant that eats insects can also suffer from them. For example, aphid, having settled in the trap and sucking out the juice, deforms it, and the trap stops functioning. To combat aphids, you need to use aerosol insecticides, which are sold in flower shops.
In dry conditions, Dionea may start spider mite You can get rid of it by treating it three times with an acaricide solution at intervals of a week. In the future, the humidity needs to be increased. Spider mites cannot tolerate excess moisture.

Due to the increased humidity of the constantly wet ground, the flycatcher is susceptible to various fungal diseases:

If a black coating appears on the leaves of the plant, then most likely it is a sooty fungus infection;
Gray rot appears as gray fluff. All infected parts must be removed immediately;
If the trap captures a large insect, it cannot digest it and begins to rot. If you notice blackness appearing on a closed trap, it will have to be removed.

After removing the infected parts, the plant must be thoroughly treated with any fungicide for home flowers. You will also have to treat the walls of the pot, florarium and window sill.

Errors when leaving

The most common mistakes occur during feeding. Often gardeners get carried away with this process and provide food that the flycatcher cannot digest. Do not feed food into all traps.
Be sure to give the plant a winter rest. If you store the Venus flytrap in the refrigerator, do not forget to moisten the soil, otherwise it will wither and it will be very difficult to return it to a healthy appearance in the spring.
Dionaea needs careful care, so this exotic plant is best practiced by those who have a lot of free time.

In the collection of carnivorous plants that Thomas Jefferson, the third President of America, was very fond of, the Venus flytrap occupied the most honorable place. He fed her only with his own hands;
Charles Darwin dedicated a whole book to this plant, where he wrote in detail what and how to feed it;
Another unique feature of the Venus flytrap is that the traps not only emit a pleasant aroma, but also glow slightly with a bluish light, all to lure insects;
Some types of flycatchers determine the size of the insect and if it is larger than it needs, the trap doors open and the insect regains freedom;
To date, breeding scientists have developed subspecies of the Venus flytrap with red and crimson wings. They are found only in botanical gardens, and the cost of an exotic plant is very high.

Surely many have heard about the bizarre flytrap plant. The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a member of the Sundew family (genus Dionaea).

Carnivorous plant - Venus

This plant grows in a humid, temperate climate, usually in the forests of America, and is also found in Australia. The Venus flytrap is a herbaceous plant, a few leaves (up to 10 pieces) form a rosette, the stem of the flytrap is short and underground. The leaves are not long, up to 7 centimeters. In nature, the flycatcher grows in soils lacking nitrogen. The Venus flytrap can easily be considered one of the strangest plants, first of all, this is due to the way the plant feeds. The Venus flytrap actually feeds on insects, usually flies, mosquitoes, and small spiders. The leaves of the plant have pointed edges, these very edges act as teeth, these “teeth” emit an aroma that attracts insects, after they land on the plant, the leaves slam shut, the insect is trapped. After this, the plant begins to secrete juice, the properties of this juice resembles gastric juice, the insect is digested, and the plant receives the necessary nutrients, including nitrogen, which is scarce in the soil. Previously, this plant was not grown at home, but now the flycatcher flower is a frequent guest in homes and even more common in various greenhouses and terrariums. This plant is very exotic, interesting, children especially like it, this explains the wide popularity of the Venus flytrap. Buying this plant is not difficult, but growing it is not so easy. Flycatchers are not large in size; the average size for a flycatcher is 25-30 centimeters in height and the same in diameter.

Venus flytrap care

flycatcher plant - home predator

Caring for this special plant requires a lot of attention.

The plant prefers fairly low temperatures. Temperatures in summer should be around 13-15 degrees Celsius. Winter temperatures should be 7-10 degrees. At the same time, the flycatcher normally tolerates low temperatures, but a strong increase (20+ degrees) can significantly harm the flycatcher.

The Venus flytrap requires bright lighting. Light can be either diffused or direct. In summer, the lighting should be plentiful; in winter, the plant can be placed in partial shade, this is due to the winter dormant period.

The plant requires high air humidity, about 90%. The plant must be sprayed generously daily, and trays with wet peat or moss are also needed. At low humidity, the plant begins to wilt and its activity decreases.

Venus flytrap photo

In the spring-summer period, the plant needs abundant watering, the ground should be moist all the time, the soil should not be allowed to dry out, however, excessive waterlogging is also dangerous. Watering is reduced only in winter, but the soil should still remain moist. Water only with settled water; you can also use rainwater.

In the spring and summer, the flycatcher needs “live” food. In the garden, the plant will be able to feed itself, but at home you will have to monitor this. The flycatcher should be fed with small flies, mosquitoes, and larvae. You should ensure that the food is not too large; large pieces of food will not be able to be digested and eventually the trap will begin to rot. Do not under any circumstances feed the plant with meat. Sometimes dead mosquitoes and flies can be added to the plant's soil (organic fertilizer). In autumn, the plant begins to prepare for hibernation, the leaves stop growing. During this period, the plant no longer needs “live” food, watering is slightly reduced. The plant's dormancy begins in late autumn or early winter. At this time, the plant is not fed, the temperature drops, and it is also worth reducing watering. Lighting at this time should also be reduced or removed altogether; the plant can grow in shade or partial shade.

Soil and replanting

The substrate should consist of sand, peat and fresh sphagnum moss in equal parts. You can also buy a ready-made mixture for the Venus flytrap.

The plant does not really like replanting, so the flytrap should be replanted as needed. Replanting should be done carefully so as not to damage the stem. You don’t have to replant, but partially replace the soil with the plant.

Reproduction

Predator on the windowsill - Venus flytrap

It is easier and more effective to propagate the flycatcher by dividing the bush. Over time, the plant ages and develops several growth points. Having noticed these same growth points, the plant is removed from the pot. The divisions should be carefully separated from each other; if this does not work by hand, you should carefully separate them using a sharp knife or blade. After separation, the sections are carefully powdered with crushed coal, and the sections are planted in separate soil.

The Venus flytrap (lat. Dionaea muscipula) is a species of carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionaea of the Sundew family (Droseraceae).

The Venus flytrap flower slams its brightly colored trap leaves, studded along the edges with sharp and long thorns, at an unusual speed for a plant. An instant reaction occurs as a reflex, as soon as the victim touches the sensitive hairs on the surface. The slammed dense bivalve leaf immediately turns from a trap into the stomach of the flycatcher, where the digestion of the next portion of food begins.

origin of name associated with a mistake made by a botanist in writing Muscipula (Mousetrap), who wanted to write the actual muscicipula (fly trap). Literally it should sound like “Dioneа muscicipula” - Dione, in Greek mythology was the mother of Aphrodite, in the Roman version of Venus. The first American settlers compared the supposed leaves of the plant with female genital organs... or compared it with the shape of sea shells, which is also a symbol of the feminine, as clearly shown in the work of Botticelli.

Leaves- green, elongated, consisting of two, slamming parts, with teeth along the edges. The Dionaea trap is designed in such a way that the plant catches the insect with lightning speed and with a tight fixation. Thin bristles on the inside of the leaf are activated upon contact, and within 30 seconds the prey itself is “identified” from other external factors, such as a raindrop.

For landing dionaea, use a mixture consisting of 75% sphagnum moss and 25% mixture for rooting cuttings. The acidity index of moss is ideally 5.5; TDS (total dissolved salts) must be zero.

Before placing the plant in the prepared mixture, moisten it thoroughly. The most optimal time for planting and transplanting Dionaea is early spring (at this time the Venus flytrap begins to grow). The optimal size of the pot depends on the size of the dionaea: on the one hand, it should be roomy enough for the plant to live comfortably in it for a whole year, but at the same time, the pot should not be too large, because the Venus flytrap is a fairly miniature plant.

Location.

The natural habitat is a temperate maritime climate. The plant loves cool, fresh air, but dies in a draft. Lighting is moderate, can withstand bright sun for a short time, and can be outdoors in the summer. The best option is to place the plant in an aquarium or terrarium that needs to be shaded from the midday sun. Or grow it with fluorescent lighting. Can be left in the terrarium for the winter. Prefers a cool place, +3 +15 C. Avoids dry-warm air (proximity to a heater), high air humidity.

Lighting.

Dionea loves a bright location, but not hot sun. A window sill in a home that receives morning sun in summer and afternoon sun in winter is a great place to place a Venus flytrap. If there is no such suitable bright place, then the dionea will need additional lighting. Venus flytraps are grown in terrariums, greenhouses, covered glass vessels, and glassed-in loggias. Some plant lovers quite successfully grow Dionaea outdoors.

Watering.

Soft water, moderate in spring and summer, in winter during the dormant period, store in a dry place. Many experts recommend using lime-poor rainwater, but Western experts argue that rainwater contains organic and mineral elements, especially if the water has accumulated in metal vessels. Such water has a high concentration of metal salts, which is detrimental to the plant. must be constantly wet. Dryness is a poison to the plant's traps. In summer, you can water the plant by immersing 2 cm or the top of the pot in water for half an hour. It is not recommended to feed the plant with fertilizers, as this will cause its roots to die. And do not feed insects, only live ones and very rarely.

Air humidity.

The optimal air humidity level for the Venus flytrap is 70-90%. This is easiest to achieve by keeping the plant in a terrarium or glass containers of suitable size.

Dionea loves damp, cool conditions with plenty of fresh air. If the air temperature is high (+30 degrees and above), the flytrap may stop growing completely. After such stress, the plant resumes growth with extreme reluctance. By the way, the air temperature in the natural habitats of dionas stays at +40 degrees throughout the summer. But there Venus flytraps do not stop growing due to the fact that it always remains cool (cool moisture enters through capillaries from the depths and, evaporating, keeps the soil cool).

Fertilizer.

Despite the biological characteristics of this species, DO NOT specifically “feed” flies or other insects to your Venus flytrap. Otherwise, you will simply kill your “predator”. Dionea herself must “enjoy the excitement of the chase” - at the same time, digestive juices are fully released for further absorption of the victim.

If you still think that the plant is “starving”, feed it with a half solution of fish emulsion (you should water the soil in the container!). The flycatcher receives its main nutrition from the peat mixture in which it lives.

Rest period.

By winter, the Venus flytrap goes into a dormant state, stopping its growth completely. At times it may even seem to you that the plant is dying. Don't worry, this impression is deceiving. This is a natural stage of the Venus flytrap's life cycle. She simply needs a period of rest so that after winter rest she has the strength for the full growth of new traps, flowering and seed formation. Your task throughout the winter is to remove dead traps and leaves from Dionaea, and in the spring new ones will definitely grow!