How to Grow a Venus Flytrap

Video Transcript

"Hi this is Yolanda Vanveen and in this segment we're going to learn all about how to grow a Venus fly trap. Now I remember Venus fly traps when I was a little girl because every time we went to a garden center or even at a lot of the state fairs or county fairs people would be there with Venus fly traps. And they are just mystical, they just look really weird. They have these little hairs that come off of the ends and they just eat the bugs and they eat all types of bugs. And they are just fascinating. And they remind of The Little Shop of Horrors too. So you just think that one of them is just going to grow to be this big plant that is going to wake you up in the middle of the night and scare you. But they're really not that scary at all. And they're really easy to grow. And to know how to grow them is to find out where they are native to. So the Venus fly trap is actually an American plant. It is from North and South Carolina and it grows in the very moist, boggy, mossy areas near the ocean. Where it's really hot and very, very muggy, and very humid. So when you're growing them in a climate that's not humid and that's not really warm in parts of the year, they can be a challenge. But they are really easy. So if you live in a tropical area where it's very moist and very, very humid and it never freezes or really gets below even 55 or 60 degrees, than you can put them right outside. As long as you live in a humid area and you keep them on the moist side. But you never want to sit them in water so that they're going to rot either. And if you don't live in a really warm climate you can still grow them as a houseplant. And the trick is to put them in a terrarium. And you should have a sand or gravel on the bottom so that there's really good drainage. Then use any kind of peat-moss or even regular moss. And keep it on the moist side and treat it as a terrarium. So put plastic cover, a clear plastic cover over the top with just a couple air holes so it can get some air and it'll grow really well. If you've ever had a Venus fly trap you realize after awhile they always seem to die on you. They die. But in reality they're not dying they're just going dormant. They're like a bulb, they go dormant for part of the year. So you haven't lost it. They just need a cooling time. They need a rest period. And the easiest way you can do that is just put them right in with some moss in a bag in your refrigerator. Don't freeze it. But put it in your refrigerator for about three months and then bring it back out, and the winter time is the best time, so bring it back out in February back into the house. Or if you live in a warm climate, outside. And put it right into the moss outside or inside. Keeping it moist but never too wet. And just by having that break it'll grow again. And never feed it too much too. They only need one or two flies a year to survive. So if you're giving them a lot or playing with them a lot you can kill them too. They don't like to be handled too much. They are just a really exotic plant that's carnivorous. That means they eat meat, in that they love bugs. But you can't really give them too many either. So do your research on different varieties and plant them and don't be afraid of them. And if they die, throw them in the refrigerator and bring them back out in three months and try again. They are a great plant."