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ID jit
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Re: Carnivorous plant - Venus Flytrap from seeds

Yes the VTF's... It amazes me that you people can do that - weird seeds to maturing, healthy weird plants.

My guess is Allyn's chickens are just like the others I have encountered - noisy, nosy, often in the way, sometimes a bit aromatic, and if they are not annoying you, you had better go check on them... sort of like when kids get quiet. :lol:

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applestar
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Thanks, but I want to emphasize that the plants I'm posting about now are store bought seedlings because mine died. But this is good practice for me and maybe next time I can do better -- there are some interesting variations and mutations that some enthusiasts are carrying forward :cool:

Here they are in the Winter Indoor Garden. I opted not to put any of them in dormant state this year and that may or may not be a good idea, but they are experiencing night time temps as low as 50's and, even though inside the plastic covered shelves, the one closest to the northwest window in the largest pot has probably had severe chills when lower half of that double-glazed window was encased in ice with outside temp in the negative single digits. We can sometimes still get temps like that into early Feb. Most likely definitely as low as 40's during the coldest early morning before the lights turn back on, but once the lights are on, the enclosed shelves are warmest (and can be maintained at mid 70's to low 80's with front flaps secured -- hence designated "Winter Paradise" :wink: ).

The single in the hanging SIP is probably staying the warmest average daily temp, and catching bugs flying up around and against the lights. Big bulges that are being digested I think are ladybugs. :roll:

Image

I'm wondering if the VFT's grow larger with deeper root space, so I'm not going to uppot the ones in the small plastic pot and if I do, will continue to pot in shallower container.

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Allyn
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I'm not sure about root space. I've never planted them in anything deeper than a Solo cup. I saved three plants from last year's poultry-apocolypse but I'm considering buying started plants this year instead of doing seeds. I like doing seeds, but I don't feel like I have the time this year to do the long germination thing and then feeding the itty-bitty traps.

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applestar
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Update --
Image

...would you agree I should snip off that flower stalk to preserve the plant's energy?

When you groom them, do you just snip off the spent trap heads or the entire petiole?

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Allyn
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First, I gotta say, I love the paper-clip hanger. :)

I clip off the whole petiole after it turns black. There is still photosynthesis happening on the parts that are green, so I leave them. Once the whole petiole turns black, I clip it off. Other folks have a different opinion. They'll clip the trap when it turns black and then clip the petiole later when it turns black, or clip the whole petiole when the trap turns black. There doesn't seem to be one 'right' way. I just find the flytraps seem to do better when I leave them alone -- well, other than giving them rainwater and a bug now and then.

If you don't want seeds, you can go ahead and clip that flower stalk.

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applestar
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Thanks! ...about the petioles, I was thinking along those lines, too. Since the traps are meant to supply nutrients to the rest of the plant, maybe as long as the petioles are green/healthy, the plant continues to suck whatever nutrients are left in the blackened trapheads? I think I will wait until the petiole fails, too.

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applestar
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Again, these are NOT the ones I started from seeds but the ones I divided from the store bought cluster pot.

...they are barely surviving. I thought there were none left in the bigger plastic container, but looking at the photo, I think I see one little teeny tiny trap in the middle....

Image

— they are in the Garage on the V8 Shelf (GV8S) and temperatures hovered at and just below freezing during the deep freeze, which should be just about right for their necessary winter chill. So hopefully, they will come back in the spring. I keep a bucket of melted snow/ice for watering them.

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applestar
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Venus Flytraps are still hanging in there (along with marjoram) on the storage shelf across from Garage V8 Nursery with just a double t12 fixture to supplement. This might be a viable solution for overwintering them.
Image

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applestar
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...and the Venus Flytrap in the hanging water bottle self-watering container is still alive, although not thriving. I may try uppotting it to a 2L soda bottle version since I have heard that they like plenty of root space.

Image

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TomatoNut95
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Wow. VFT's look seemingly picky. If I get one it probably wouldn't last as long as @Applestars.

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applestar
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I haven’t killed them yet — They are still alive :()

Image

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TomatoNut95
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Those are adorable! 8) But what's the ferny looking leave growing from it?

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applestar
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Well, it’s a Fern. I don’t know how or from where the spore managed to set roots in my little VFT pot, but I haven’t had the heart to weed it out. I’m sure I should st least separate them though....

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applestar
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What Are Venus Flytraps Doing With Magnetic Fields? | GIZMODO
a Venus flytrap’s “jaw”—really a specialized leaf—and when the team turned up the heat, the jaw summoned the energy to try to close. In that moment, a magnetic field emanated from the trap.

The field was picked up on an atomic magnetometer

....this reminded me — I need to check on my neglected Venus flytrap in the Garage V8 Nursery, and see If it’s survived the last week of super cold.... I might bring it inside now since it has had the chance to experience a bit of “winter chill” — certainly should be sufficient now — lengthening daylight is another reason to coax some of these to start waking up.

We still have good deal of snow on the ground outside — chance to collect some for watering the VFT. :D



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