Venus flycatcher (flycatcher dionea) naturally grows in peat bogs located on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is a predatory plant that feeds on insects. The flycatcher has original leaves, along the edges of which there are small thorns that resemble sharp teeth.
Growing a flycatcher at home is quite difficult, it requires some experience and enough time to provide the predator with conditions close to natural.
Conditions for growing a flycatcher
The plant needs a sunny place, but the light should be diffused, since the flycatcher does not like direct sunlight. The best thing is to place the pot on a light window facing east or west. If the place is dark enough, the plant must be supplemented with a fluorescent lamp.
The substrate in the pot should always be moist, the earthen lump should not be overdried, since the plant may simply die. During the period of active growth, Dionea needs additional moisture, so you need to water it through a sump, in which water should constantly be present. Once a week, the flower must be completely submerged in water.
You don't need to feed the flycatcher. The plant feeds on insects very rarely and only alive. Each trap can only digest 3 times, after which it dies.
In winter, the flycatcher, like many other plants, has a dormant period. At this time, it should be placed in a cool, dark place with a temperature of 0-10 ° C. It is not difficult to provide such conditions to the predator, it is enough to put the plant on the lower shelf of the refrigerator or move it to the basement. The plant itself will tell you when it needs to be done, growth will stop and only a few trap leaves will remain.
Experienced growers prefer to grow the flycatcher in a glass container - a terrarium or aquarium. It is much easier to provide Dionea with the necessary humidity and lighting.
With the onset of spring, the plant must be gradually accustomed to new conditions, taking it out of the winter period. More traps and delicate white flowers on long stems will soon appear. Once they have bloomed, the leaves will increase in size by a quarter.
How to plant a flycatcher
Prepare a suitable substrate for the flycatcher. Mix up high-moor peat, quartz sand, and perlite. Dionea reproduces by bulbs (underground stems). During the development of the plant, a large number of them appear. The flycatcher must be removed from the substrate. This should be done very carefully, trying not to touch the traps. Then carefully separate the bulbs and reposition them.
