How to Care for a Venus Flytrap in the Winter

Venus Flytraps go through a dormant period.

Part of caring for and maintaining a Venus Flytrap is helping it through the winter months. Venus Flytraps need a dormant period in the winter to help their growth process. While your Venus Flytrap can skip this winter nap and survive, this plant grows faster, develops more flowers and flourishes overall if afforded the opportunity. Accommodating its winter slumber is fairly simple on your part with a few simple tips to help your sleepy carnivorous plant.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Fungicidal spray
• Sphagnum moss
• Distilled water
• Plastic container

Instructions

1. Cut dead leaves from your Venus Flytrap with a pair of scissors and discard the trimmings.

2. Dampen the soil with water -- but be careful not to over saturate it. Keep the soil damp throughout the dormancy period.

3. Spray the plant with a fungicidal spray to help prevent mold. Reapply the spray as often as the manufacturers' instructions recommend.

4. Place the plant in an area that maintains a consistent temperature of 45 to 50 F degrees. Depending on your area's climate, a window in your garage or shed may be a good option. If the outdoors is too cold and the inside of your home is too warm, consider taking the plant out of its soil and placing it in a bed of sphagnum moss soaked in distilled water to make it moist. Store the plant in the moss bed in a plastic container with a few air holes in your refrigerator.

5. Allow your plant a little bit of sunlight for at least a couple hours every day. Your Venus Flytrap doesn't need nearly as much sunlight during dormancy as it does the rest of the year, so letting it sit in a windowsill for a couple hours should be plenty.

6. Allow your Venus Flytrap to be dormant for three months from as early as November.

Tips & Warnings

• Return your plant to its normal environment in the spring.

• Allowing your plant to stand in excessive water can harm it. Ensure the soil or moss stays only slightly damp.

References

• My Venus Fly Trap: Dormancy
• FlyTrap Care: Venus Fly Trap Dormancy in the Fridge
• The Garden Helper: How to Grow and Care for Venus Fly Traps