Got to put something in the VFT forum...

[PlantAKiss]

So...I thought I'd post a couple of flytrap pics from the trip to the Green Swamp at the end of January. It was sure a thrill to see these growing as nature intended...NOT in a pot!



Large clump growing along a highway.



Close up.



Saw lots of different color varieties all growing in the same area.



VFTs framing a beautiful purp.



Oops...fire ant mound! By the way...if you ever think about picking up some fire ants, putting them on the back of your hand and smacking them to make them mad--just for the experience---don't. ;D

[jrl1265]

Nice pics PAK!!!!

[brad]

Nice photos of VFT in winter growth phase. If anyone really wants to know what healthy VFT look like in winter take a look at the photos above. If you someone wants to call it dormancy go ahead, but VFT grow year round when given a chance to grow properly as they do in the wild. VFT grow in a predictable annual growth cycle determined by change in day length.

The third photo nicely shows a VFT with nice large old Autumn Fall Traps, contrasted with the smaller Winter Traps.

Beautiful S. purpurea. Neat to see it growing side by side with the Dionaea. I have previously seen wild VFT growing with S. flava and S. minor, and in Florida with S. leucophylla, and in California with Darlingtonia.

Brad
Ventura California

[PlantAKiss]

You've seen flytraps growing with Darlings in CA?? In the wild? How did that happen? I've heard some grow in FL but never CA.

Yes, the flytraps were quite robust and healthy. "Dormant" wasn't the word that came to mind when I was looking at them.

It was an awsome sight to see.

[brad]

Well the S. leucophylla and Dionaea in Florida were both introduced to the site they were growing at.

In California the same, both the Darlingtonia and the Dionaea were introduced to the site.

Both these sites have been frequented by many CP hobbyists. Years ago by growers introducing CP and now visited by many observing the introduced CP.

Brad
Ventura California

[jrl1265]

I had thought the same thing about the "dormancy" of these plants.

[Steve D]

In my own experience Venus Flytraps don't require very cold conditions during their yearly "less active phase" (to avoid the word dormancy). Instead, the mid-40s to mid-50s at night during the low temperature of the day, and possibly not even that cold, seems sufficient. They still grow, slowly, and while the traps may be sluggish I give mine plenty of sunlight for photosynthesis even during their winter rest. In addition, during the days the temperature even in the winter often reaches into the upper 60s, 70s, even 80s in the greenhouse/sunroom where they are grown.

I grow my VFTS with orchids, where I set the thermostat to 55 during the winter. This is the lowest temperature that many of the orchids are comfortable at. My concession to the Venus Flytraps and other CP is to place them on the floor beneath a floor-to-ceiling window where they are "washed" by the cold air that drops from the inside surface of the window. So on days that are colder than 55 degrees the floor of the greenhouse is considerably colder than the orchid benches at waist height, giving the VFTs and other CP colder conditions.

But I live at a fairly southerly latitude in the U.S. (New Mexico), so even the winter temperatures are relatively mild. My Venus Flytraps typically slow their growth dramatically in late November to enter their less active phase, and wake up from their "dormancy" sometime in March (early March this year, 2007), suddenly growing very vigorously and often producing their largest traps of the growing season.

Typically with my VFTs many of last year's traps don't die back nor freeze during dormancy, and become active and quick to close again when the plant awakens and often catch the first insects of the season for the plant.

So, from my viewpoint, all the VFTs need is a yearly rest, not a die-back or deep-freeze, and they let one know in no uncertain terms when that time comes and they choose to "sleep." I'm not sure how important the cold is, or exactly how cold (or warm) they require or prefer, but one thing that I'm sure to do is to accommodate their disinterest in much water during their resting period. Their water needs greatly diminish and I allow them to dry out until just barely moist before watering them thoroughly (usually in the morning, so they are not soggy at night) and allowing them to dry til just moist again over a period of many days (perhaps 7-14 days in the larger pots with colonies of several VFTs planted in them). I never leave them in a tray of water during their winter resting period.

This is just my own experience and technique. Everyone has their own characteristic approach to the culture of these great little plants.

[heimdall]

Yeah! Great s. purpurea! We in Polish habitat have only same aldrovandas, droseras and ultriculairas

[loakesy]

Lovely!!!

It always amazes me how VFTs survive in the wild. After all mother nature isn't known for going around every plant pulling off the dead leaves every few weeks, yet they don't die out! ;D

[PlantAKiss]

In my opinion, one of the best methods to learn how to grow VFTs is to look at their habitat. Countless times I've seen the question "Can I top-water my plant?" Well, they are rained on regularly in the wild. "How wet is too wet?" They can grow even if totally submerged in water at times. "Do you have to prune off the dead traps?" Doesn't happen under natural conditions nor is anyone removing the flower stalks so the plant "won't die from flowering exhaustion." We see them mostly in pots and tend to forget they are tough little plants thriving out in the wild under a range of different conditions--as long as human beings leave them alone.

And yes, that was a stunning S. purpurea. I saw quite a bit of those.

[ozzy]

Hey I know those plants. That's a great vft site. Unfortunately The land is for sale. So I don't know how long this site will have vft's on it.

That S.purpurea is from another site that is planned for development.

I have some summer pics of those same vfts in the "News from the field" forum.

icps.proboards105.com/index.cgi?board=northamerica&action=display&thread=1174197849


Vft's are tougher than people think. It can get quite cold here where they grow. It's been down to 0f. It drops below freezing numerous times a year. I have even grown them in the north outside where it the temps won't get above freezing for weeks. They survived just fine.