Dionaea muscipula (Venus Flytrap)

Dionaea muscipula – Venus Flytrap

With hinged traps, tooth-like edges and lightning-fast movement, Dionaea muscipula is one of the most fascinating plants you can grow. Each trap is a modified leaf that closes when an insect touches its sensitive trigger hairs, allowing the plant to absorb nutrients that are scarce in its naturally boggy habitat.

The Venus Flytrap is not a typical tropical houseplant. It needs abundant direct sunlight, mineral-free water and a cool winter dormancy to thrive over the long term. Given the right conditions, it will reward you with compact new growth and increasingly vivid trap colouration.

Why You’ll Love It

• Living insect traps: Watch the plant capture small flies and other insects using its highly adapted leaves.
• Striking colour: Strong sunlight encourages vivid red colouring inside the traps.
• A remarkable species: The Venus Flytrap occurs naturally in only a small region of North and South Carolina.

Care at a Glance

• Light: Provide at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. A sunny outdoor position is ideal during the growing season.
• Water: Use only rainwater, distilled water or reverse-osmosis water. Keep the substrate consistently moist, preferably by standing the pot in a shallow tray of water.
• Substrate: Grow in an unfertilised carnivorous-plant mix. Standard potting soil is too nutrient-rich and can damage the roots.
• Feeding: No feeding is normally required. Outdoors, the plant will catch its own insects. Never give it meat or fertiliser.
• Humidity: Average humidity is sufficient when the roots remain moist. Good airflow is more important than very high humidity.
• Winter: Allow a cool dormancy period each winter. Growth will slow and some or all traps may turn black as the plant rests.

Good to Know

Avoid touching or repeatedly closing the traps for entertainment. Each trap can only open and close a limited number of times before it naturally dies back.

The Venus Flytrap is generally considered non-toxic to cats and dogs, although chewing should still be discouraged. It is best suited to a sunny windowsill, balcony, terrace, greenhouse or outdoor bog garden. It is not a good choice for a dark room or a warm indoor position without seasonal changes.