A Venus fly trap is a carnivorous plant generally found in tropical climates. However, over time they have become popular as houseplants due to their unique characteristics. Since the Venus flytrap is a wild plant, keeping it healthy as a houseplant can be tricky.
So, how do you keep a Venus fly trap plant alive at home? The secret lies in providing it with customized care to ensure that the Venus fly trap is provided with conditions that resemble its native habitat. Several factors need to be kept in mind to provide the plant with the required care as the plant may otherwise be subject to severe stress. Over time, such stress may lead to the death of your plant.
How to keep a Venus fly trap alive?
So, let us explore the factors that decide that your Venus flytrap stays alive and healthy –
- Light
- Water
- Soil
- Nutrition
1. Light
Providing the Venus flytrap with good lighting is critical for its growth. Since it originates from the tropical climate, it optimally needs around eight to twelve hours of direct sunlight. Poor lighting can severely affect your plant. If the plant is left to grow in low light for a long period, it will start to look sluggish, grow slowly, and lose its green color.
Solution
The ideal solution is to place the plant in a location where it has access to direct light for at least a few hours every day. If your Venus flytrap is grown indoors, place it near a south-facing window or use a florescent bulb to ensure that it receives the adequate amount of light required to grow and stay healthy.
2. Water
Water is another important factor for the survival of the plant. The Venus flytrap requires abundant amounts of pure water devoid of any minerals. So, if you keep watering the plant with tap water that is high in dissolved minerals, it is highly likely that you will oversaturate the plant. It prevents the plant from absorbing the required nutrients and causes it to die.
Solution
Ideally, the Venus flytrap requires rainwater to thrive. However, as rainwater may not be available throughout the year, distilled or reverse osmosis water can also be used as an alternative. Further, frequently water the soil with enough water to keep it moist and ensure that the soil is not swamped.
3. Soil
The Venus fly trap requires soil that is devoid of nutrients and is acidic. So, regular soil or potting mixes which are enriched in minerals are not ideal for the Venus flytrap. They may saturate the roots and prevent them from absorbing the required nutrients.
Solution
The best way to tackle this problem is to prepare your own potting mixture at home for Venus fly trap plant. Mix equal parts of peat moss and perlite. It ensures that the mixture is acidic and lacking in organic matter. Thus, it prevents the Venus flytrap from oversaturation.
Thus, these are some of the factors that you need to keep in mind while deciding the type of care you want to provide to your Venus fly trap to keep it alive.