FAQs

Q: Do the plants eat mother in laws, children, pets, etc.

A: Yes, but only if you cut them up small. (Actually, no, of course not.)

Q: Do the plants need to be fed

A: The plants require a few insects per year for survival, so they do not need to be fed. If you are worried they have not eaten throughout the summer, stick your plant outside on a sunny day.

Q: Why did my Venus Fly Trap die in the winter.

A: The plant could have gone dormant, which often means they look very poor or nearly disappear from view. Often the plant will come back in the spring. Overwatering during the dormant period can result in the plant rotting.  If the plant was outside, in a small pot, the pot and roots could have frozen. 

Q: My Sarracenia leaves are going brown, what is happening.

A: The plant is probably going dormant, which often means the leaves start to brown off and die back (they look dried and crispy). This is perfectly normal and happens every year. Some Sarracenia keep their leaves (Sarracenia purpurea varieties) but they will all not look as good as in the summer. Cut the brown bits off and make sure you keep the plant just damp – overwatering may make it rot, but do not let it dry out completely.

Q: Is it harmful to close the Venus Fly Trap artificially

A: Yes, because it takes a lot of energy for the plant to close and open up again.

Q: Should I let the plants flower?

A: It is a debate between experts, and we think it is a personal choice. Ours have never died because of letting them flower, but expert opinion often feels that it costs too much energy for the plant to flower and produce seeds (to the detriment of leaf production). We only remove flowers from small Venus Fly Traps

Q: Why did my plant die, even though I fed it cheese, chocolate, etc

A: Do I really need to answer that???

Q: Can I plant them in the garden?

A: The soil in the garden is not really suitable, it is too rich for the plants. Sarracenia’s are often grown (in their pot) as marginal water plants.

Q: I know where they grow in the wild, can I dig them up?

 A: These plants are rare enough as it is, with their habitat under threat, without people adding to this by digging them up. Ours are grown artificially, and in no way affect the wild population. Most areas where these plants grow are protected, which means it is illegal to dig anything up.