The Venus fly trap is a carnivorous plant that has caught the liking of botanists and houseplant enthusiasts from across the globe. Once you have developed the hobby of keeping it as a houseplant, you might want to get another Venus flytrap.
You can buy a new Venus flytrap from the store, but buying a new plant can considerably add to your expenses. So, the best way to grow new Venus fly trap plants is from seeds.
While seeds can be bought at the store; why buy the seeds when you can get them from the existing plant through pollination. Further, pollination also allows you to choose the number of plants as per your need without an increase in the cost.
How to pollinate Venus fly trap flower?
Pollination is the process of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma to fertilize the plant. Venus flytraps are self-pollinating plants. Thus, the plant can be fertilized by its own pollen. So, to pollinate your Venus flytrap, use a cotton swab and gently rub the anther of the Venus flytrap to pick up a few pollen grains. Simply touch the stigma of the flower to fertilize it. Use a magnifying glass to check if the pollen grains have been properly deposited in the stigma. It ensures that pollination occurs.
A simpler way to pollinate the plant is to take two flowers that have receptive pistils and rub them together. Further, if you are growing your plant outside, insects would likely pollinate the plant for you.
When to Pollinate Venus fly trap flower?
The best time to pollinate your Venus fly trap is when the pistil of the plant is receptive. The pistil is a greenish round structure in the center of the flower. Stigma is the outgrowth on top of the pistil. A stigma is said to be receptive if it appears fuzzy.
What happens post Pollination?
Once the pollination is complete, the flowers will wither and die within a few days. Once the entire flower and stalk are dried and blackened, look carefully it using a microscope.
If you have successfully pollinated the flower, there will be a little pod full of shiny, black seeds in place of the flower. However, if there is nothing on top of the stalk except the remains of the dead flower, it means that the process of pollination was unsuccessful.
If you see the seeds, immediately sow the seeds as the germination percentage decreases over time. If you plan to store the seeds, put them in an air-tight container and place them in the refrigerator. However, it may still decrease the chances of germination, although at a slower pace.
Sow the Venus flytrap seeds in a mixture of peat moss and perlite. Water the Venus fly trap plant frequently to ensure that the soil remains moist but be careful not to overwater it. Over time the seeds will germinate, and you will have a new set of seedlings of Venus flytraps.
Thus, this is how we can pollinate a Venus flytrap flower and endure that it produces seeds.
