the venus flytrap

[graye]

I've got a bit of an issue with fungus gnats in my white worm cultures for my fish. Given the garage location of my fishroom, I've been hesitant to start from scratch. The sticky traps in my terrestrial plants have been helping to keep them somewhat under control, with a few getting caught every now and then.

Picked up a venus flytrap on a whim at a plant sale, and I'm hoping it'll snag the occasional gnat. I've placed it over a humidity source in a sunny spot, and I'm watering from the base to keep things happy. Room humidity is around 60%, so I'm curious to see how it'll do.

Any advice on caring for this little guy would be appreciated.

[starlord]

I'm not sure the Venus Flytrap will be effective, considering the size of the fungus gnats. Sundews might be a better option - they tend to capture smaller insects.

[geniusOfSalt]

I agree with starlord on sundews, Cape sundews or binata/multifida plants are good options - they're relatively easy to care for if you're following standard CP culture techniques. They can catch both fungus gnats and fruit flies. If you're looking for something even more low-maintenance, you might want to consider Mexican butterworts, or Mexi pings. They tend to do well with fungus gnats, although they might struggle with fruit flies due to their size.

[graye]

About half of the traps are shut, so it seems like the fungus gnats are getting caught. I've been having a hard time finding carnivorous plants in my area, but I've got some research subjects to study now. Thanks for the advice, I'll have to learn more about these plants and how to care for them effectively.

[Burgermuncher]

@graye, I've had sundews and venus flytraps for a while now. Check the closed traps to see if they've caught anything - usually, the leaves will seal around the trap sides just below the teeth if they have. But more often than not, insects trigger them and still manage to escape. When the traps reopen, the insect's usually still there, just without any soft parts.

I've found that the cheap flytraps from Canadian Tire are actually pretty robust. There's a store near me that sells all sorts of carnivorous plants - they're at carnvivorousplantstore.com. My sundews mostly catch fruit flies, while my venus flytraps get the occasional house fly. This year, my three venus flytraps have only caught about 10 flies on their own. And don't forget, venus flytraps need to go dormant during winter.

[graye]

My Venus flytrap is quite small, but I've already seen two of the tiny traps seal shut, so I'm assuming it's caught something. I do plan on getting sundews in the future, though. I'm curious to know how to set up my Venus flytrap for overwintering, as I don't want to lose it. Being on the Atlantic coast, I have a slightly different climate than some of you, so any advice specific to my region would be appreciated. I'll definitely check out that carnivorous plant store in the spring, thanks for the recommendation.

[Burgermuncher]

I overwinter my Venus Flytraps on a garage window, where the temperature drops to around 5 degrees Celsius and it's relatively drier. To minimize evaporation, I let the sphagnum in the pots get slightly damp, then cover them with a loose-fitting clear plastic sheet until late February, allowing for some airflow. I occasionally check on them during this period. Although Venus Flytraps can survive a year or two without dormancy, they'll thrive better with it.

My recent Canadkento4Tire purchase has already outgrown some of the fancier cultivars I've had for a while. What's quite unsettling, however, is the prolonged time it takes for the trapped insects to die – I suspect they might still be alive during the initial digestion process.