- Why feeding is not necessary
- What Does a Venus Flytrap Eat?
- Never feed dead animals or leftover food
- How often are you allowed to feed?
Some plant lovers don't like growing carnivorous plants like Venus Flytraps. Because the question arises as to what the feeding looks like - especially in winter, when there are hardly any insects. The good news is that you don't even have to feed a Venus Flytrap. If you still want to do it, there are a few things to keep in mind.
A Venus Flytrap doesn't actually need to be fed
Why feeding is not necessary
In the wild, the Venus flytrap feeds on the ground and on insects that are attracted to the snap trap. Even if you keep the carnivorous plant on the windowsill, it will attract and digest flies, mosquitoes and other insects.
Additional feeding is unnecessary when kept as a houseplant. The substrate usually contains more nutrients than the plant needs. Therefore fertilizing is completely superfluous. Should a nutrient deficiency actually occur, the Venus flytrap supplies itself from the stores in the leaves.
Therefore, lovers of exotic plants do not have to do without breeding Venus flytraps, because they do not have to provide supplies of insects in winter.
What Does a Venus Flytrap Eat?
The Venus flytrap mainly eats smaller insects such as mosquitoes and flies, but does not dislike woodlice either.
The insects are attracted to the red interior of the snap trap. As soon as they touch the trap, it closes and locks in the "food". Digestion occurs through certain secretions. After a few days, the trap opens again to catch again.
Never feed dead animals or leftover food
- Live animals only
- no large insects
- never dead animals!
- no leftover food
Although you don't really have to, you're welcome to feed your Venus Flytrap occasionally. As a carnivore, she will accept all animal products.
However, you should refrain from adding milk, leftover food or similar to the snap trap. The plant absorbs this, but in most cases the food spoils and causes the trap to rot.
Only feed live animals that must not be too big. Wasps, for example, are already too big, so the trap then dies. Feeder insects should not be larger than a third of the trap.
How often are you allowed to feed?
Opinions differ on how often you can feed a Venus flytrap. Some plant lovers feed regularly at intervals of several days.
Better be careful about giving food. Too much in the case of the Venus flytrap leads to the premature death of the plant because it simply absorbs too many nutrients.
Feeding a Venus flytrap occasionally to enjoy the spectacle of the trap snapping shut is fine, but don't overdo it.
tips
The trap of the Venus flytrap will also close if you stick just one finger in it. As interesting as snapping the snap-trap of a Venus flytrap may be, don't try it too often. If the trap has opened seven times, it dies.