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Anonymous
Hey /an/,

I'm not a frequent lurker here, so pardon me if this topic has been done before.

I want to raise something, but don't feel like cleaning up after a pet. After some deliberation I settled on a venus flytrap from one of the various online dealers.

What is anon's opinion on venus flytraps? My research shows that they can be "fed" dried crickets, anyone have one that might be able to confirm this? I'd hate to kill the my 19 dollar plant a few days after getting it.
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
Where do you live? If you live in an area that is even remotely cold, you're gonna have to shell out the bucks for sun lamps...

I live in SoCal, and before I knew how to treat these things properly (lamps and misting), I had a couple die on me during the extremely brief/mild winters we have here. If you live in a place where it snows or rains frequently, you might not want to bother.

Other than that, they're pretty sweet. Not as kickass as you might expect (that is to say, they DON'T act like the piranha plants in Super Mario), but it's fun to catch a few houseflies and trap them under a Ziploc along with the plant, then watch as they land on the jaws, one by one.

That's a Saturday night right there.
>> Anonymous
Oh yeah, if you do get some make sure you don't force open the closed jaws. Don't even do it a little, cuz it's insta-death.
>> Anonymous
Just remember, no human food (no hamburger or bread or anything like that). Also: don't pay 19 bucks. That is way too pricey.
>> Anonymous
They require full sun, high humidity, distilled water, and an acidic substrate with good drainage (peat moss with ground charcoal works great). That's easy to accomodate in a terrarium. The biggest problem I find is they NEED to go into hibernation every winter or they'll run out of energy and die so if you live somewhere where it doesn't get cold enough to trigger hibernation you need to artificially trigger it. During hibernation they're also prone to fungal infections and rot.
>> Anonymous
>>208603
...I meant dormancy, not hibernation. I know they're not animals.
>> Anonymous
mine is hibernating in my fridge

i should take it out soon, thanks for reminding me
>> Anonymous
>>208603

they don't like full sun dewd

they like indirect sun all day
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
I've always been more partial to pitcher plants myself.
>> Anonymous
I made the mistake of buying a venus flytrap last month. Fortunately the first thing I did after I got home was to google some cultivation advice. And what do I find out? I have to throw the bugger in the vegetable drawer of the fridge for 3 months so it can winter! I can only hope it survives until the spring, so I can proceed to kill it through neglect or overfeeding next summer.

Here's a bunch useful advice:
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html
>> Anonymous
>>208616
In the wild they grow in full sun and every grower and botanist I've spoken to have told me to grow them in full sun.
>> Anonymous
>>208784

they are native to forest floors in the carolinas

not really full sun

it's very dappled and diffused
>> Anonymous
>>208793
They grow predominantly in the acidic peat bogs where during the peak hours of the day the sun bears down directly overhead; there isn't a lot of trees to provide shade. They'll grow in partial shade but you won't get the vibrant red coloring on the interior of the traps and growth won't be as rapid.
>> Moonbarker Osbourne
Beleive it or not, they can eat a frog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymnLpQNyI6g