Venus flytrap plant - how and what to feed

The plant world is so diverse that, in addition to the usual fruit, flowering representatives of the flora, there are real predators. This is a predatory flower flytrap, which can become a real thunderstorm of unpleasant insects. You can grow this amazing plant at home, because it is quite unpretentious.

Short flower description

The full name of the flower is Venus flytrap, in Latin it is called Dionaea Muscipula. Despite its small size, the plant is widely known in scientific circles. At one time, Charles Darwin flatteringly described it as "the most beautiful plant in the world." But it is not known for this. Growing on nitrogen-poor soils, the flycatcher has developed a unique adaptation mechanism: it is able to capture live insects with its leaves and use them to fill the deficiency of the element.

A predatory plant will become a real decoration of a home flower garden

This is not to say that a flycatcher is a plant that feeds on insects. She does not digest them, but replenishes her own lack of nutrients due to the chitinous layer of “victims”.

Flower Overview

The following characteristics of the amazing dionea plant can be distinguished:

• The diameter of the bush is not more than 15 cm. Height - up to 10 cm.
• The leaves are collected in a basal rosette, their number is from 3 to 7.
• Opposite spiked leaves are a trap.
• Small flower stars are concentrated at the end of the stem.
• The flowering period falls on the end of May - the beginning of June.
• Seeds are black, small.
• The average life span is about 7 years.

The peculiarity of the structure of the trap: due to the location of special hypersensitive antennae-villi, the plant picks up movement and instantly reacts to it, closing the leaves. The reaction time is only 1/10 of a second. Such a cunning system avoids the slamming of the trap from a gust of wind or raindrops. Scientists still have not been able to accurately understand the features of using such an unusual adaptation mechanism.

Catching the prey, the plant secretes special digestive enzymes. They help completely dissolve the victim in 14 days. After which the predator of the plant world is again ready for hunting.

You can grow an amazing predator even at home

Since the flycatcher’s historical homeland is the poor soil of the savannah, it is not surprising that it gradually developed a unique mechanism that helps survival.

It is possible to grow a predatory plant at home, however, it is important to take into account its specificity and offer suitable food. It can be spiders, flies, bees - always alive, only in this case the digestive enzymes will be released.

The main species of flycatcher

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, several unusual varieties of plants have appeared that are much better than the original, suitable for growing at home.

Akai Riu

This dionea is distinguished by rich burgundy leaves; a green stripe stretches along the outer side of the plates. An interesting view is the reason for the variety's popularity.

Crocodile

Leaves are arranged horizontally, painted green on the outside and light pink inside. With a certain degree of imagination, they very much resemble the mouth of a crocodile, which gave them such a name.

Dracula

Green leaves and scarlet traps - these are the hallmarks of plants of this variety. Inside you can observe small "teeth", due to which the plant got its frightening name.

A blood trap with blood-red traps can scare even a person

Triton and others

Triton differs from all others in its non-standard shape of traps - they are elongated upwards and partially connected.

A few more interesting varieties:

• Dantail Trap. Trap leaves are green outside and bright scarlet inside.
• Bohemian Granet is the owner of wide plates of juicy green color. A large number of traps are horizontal.
• Fannel Trap. It has traps of two varieties, which from green at a young age gradually become saturated red at maturity.

In addition, there are a variety of hybrids, characterized by increased decorativeness and bred specifically for growing a house. Such varieties are not toxic, and are completely safe for humans.

How to Plant a Venus Venus Flytrap from Seeds

A fly trap is a plant that can be grown from seeds. But since it is almost impossible to meet him in the wild, you will have to buy the seeds of a flytrap. It is important that the seed is fresh, without traces of rot, mold and an unpleasant odor.

Before sowing, the seeds are stratified - placed in gauze folded in several layers and saturated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It is important to maintain humidity. As soon as the gauze begins to dry, it is gently moistened or sprayed. It is impossible to allow full drying.

Step-by-step process of planting finished seeds:

1. Pour fertile soil into small boxes, place seeds on top of it, sprinkle with a layer of moss on top.
2. Cover the container with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect (desired temperature and humidity).
3. To create the duration of daylight for germination of seeds - from 15 hours.
4. Check the greenhouse every day and moisten the soil as it dries.

After about 2-3 weeks, the first sprouts will appear.

Propagation of the flycatcher by seeds

Care Organization

Many beginners are interested in how to care for a flycatcher so that it pleases the eye with its red-green traps for a long time. The process cannot be called complicated, but it must be drawn into it.

Illumination and temperature

Basic rules for keeping a flytrap:

1. Direct sunlight should fall on its leaves daily for 5 hours, so it is better to put pots with dionea on the south side.
2. For illumination, artificial devices are used.
3. The temperature in summer is + 22 ... +25 degrees, in winter - not lower than +10 degrees.

How to monitor humidity

To make the flower look attractive, the air humidity should be 30-75%. In addition, the plant must provide a stream of fresh air and protect it from drafts. Only distilled water is suitable for irrigation, since the bulbs are very sensitive to chlorine contained in tap water. Use the bottom irrigation method through the pan.

Soil and fertilizer requirements

The soil for the flycatcher can be made independently from a mixture of peat and perlite. The specificity of the plant and its ability to obtain nutrients from captured insects make fertilizer unnecessary. The plant is fed as follows:

• Small living insects are used, which are 2 or more times smaller than traps.
• It is impossible to give human food - the protein contained in it will cause the death of the predator.
• Fishing lures also will not work - they have a lot of liquid, which will lead to rot.
• Feeding regimen - once every 2 weeks, after complete digestion of past food.

Among the varieties of flycatchers there are many very beautiful

Transplant

Transplanting the plant is allowed only during the dormant period, which falls on the first days of summer. To do this, choose a fairly deep pot in which the roots fit. Procedure:

1. Carefully remove the flower from the pot, thoroughly clean the bulb from the soil.
2. Place the plant in a new container, sprinkle with earth and tamp.
3. Water the seedling with the addition of the Epin preparation.

A predatory plant can be planted in a pot and taken care of

Features of flowering and care during this period

To see the venereal flycatcher blooming is the dream of many gardeners who decided to grow such an unusual plant at home. It falls on the beginning of spring. An elongated peduncle “shoots” from a socket, at the end of which an inflorescence is located, consisting of a large number of small stars.

The flowers of the flycatcher are not particularly attractive, therefore, if there is no need to obtain seeds, the peduncle is cut. This will help the plant retain strength. Otherwise, flowering can last more than 2 months.

Blooming dionea

The main methods of reproduction

It is customary to distinguish three methods of reproduction of the venus flytrap. The seed option is considered the longest and most laborious, but it is practiced by some experienced florists. There are two ways to get seeds:

• to get;
• after flowering, take from your own plant (do it in early March), which was previously pollinated manually.

Before planting a venus flytrap with seeds, they are treated with distilled water, a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Instead, you can put them for 1.5 months in a zip bag in wet gauze and put in the refrigerator.

The second variant of reproduction is with bulbs. They are cut from the mother plant and transplanted into a separate pot.

Another option for breeding a flower is with cuttings. They are obtained from an adult plant, rooted, and then placed in a substrate.

Flycatcher with its prey - an unusual sight

Growing problems, diseases and pests

In general, the flower of the flycatcher is unpretentious, but certain diseases and pests can disturb it. The owner's task is to prevent problems or eliminate.

Flower Pests:

• Spider mite - prefers the same habitat as the flycatcher - a warm, dry climate. To get rid of it, the plant is sprayed with preparations of Karbofos, Vertimek, Antiklesh.
• Aphids - drinks juices from leaves, which is why the plant's life span is reduced. To combat use special sprays against aphids.

The main diseases of the predator:

• Sooty fungus. The reason for the appearance is excessive soil moisture. If black spots appear on the leaves, this is a sure sign of damage. Fungicides are used for treatment; it is important to stabilize the irrigation regimen.
• Bacterial damage. It happens that an affected trap cannot digest an insect, therefore it starts the process of decay. Treatment is the removal of diseased leaves.
• Gray rot. A distinctive feature is the appearance of gray mold on the sheet plate. Infected flower fragments are removed, the plant is treated with fungicide.

With proper care, the plant will delight its owner for a long time

Home care for a flycatcher plant is quite simple, but specific - not every grower likes the need to work with live insects. But if you approach this matter responsibly and competently, the result will not be long in coming. An unusual plant, and breathing exotic, will be a worthy decoration of a home flower garden.