How to grow a flycatcher at home?

Venus flytrap (dionaea muscipula) is a predatory herbaceous plant of the sundew family. It feeds mainly on small insects and molluscs. It grows in the damp peat bogs of the Atlantic coast (in Florida, North and South Carolina, New Jersey). It is widely distributed throughout the world as an ornamental plant. But how to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds, is it possible to do this at home?

Flycatcher description

Venus flytrap is a flower that personifies fertility and prosperity. Symbolizes love and sympathy, and can also symbolize the feminine principle.

On a short underground stem of the plant, there are no more than 7 leaves collected in a rosette, 3-7 cm in size. It prefers to grow in swamps with a low nitrogen content in the soil. This shortage is compensated by eating nitrogen-containing insects - trap leaves are intended for this.

They appear after flowering, on short stems not exceeding 15 cm in length. The traps are green with a reddish tint. A kind of trap is formed from two sheets, with hairs placed at the edges for better adhesion to each other when triggered.

The glands of the trap produce a special sap that lures insects. To feast on them, the victim sits on the inner petals and collects nectar. At the same time, special hairs on the trap are irritated, and it instantly slams shut. After the blades are completely closed, a kind of stomach is formed, in which the extracted food is digested. After a week of over-etching, the trap opens, the cycle repeats several more times until it dies off.

How to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds

Venus flytrap flower

In the spring or early summer, the Venus flytrap begins to bloom. Small graceful white flowers appear on long peduncles. This process takes up a lot of the flycatcher's energy. Therefore, you should only leave the buds if you need seeds.

The Venus flytrap is not capable of pollinating on its own at home, this will need to be done manually:

• after opening the buds, you need to take a thin brush;
• with its help, collect pollen from one flower;
• with gentle movements, transfer to the pestle of another, trying not to damage it;
• continue to cross-pollinate each flower.

After the ovary appears, the seeds will ripen in about a month. They need to be planted no later than 3-4 months after pollination. Growing from seeds is a rather laborious process.

Stratification process and soil preparation

Venus Flytrap Seeds

This method is carried out before sowing to increase the seed's chance of germination. Seeds wrapped in a cloth moistened with fungicide or potassium permanganate are placed in the refrigerator. You need to regularly monitor that the seeds do not dry out, moisturizing them. The whole process lasts no more than 8 weeks.

Dionea loves sour soil. For its preparation, take two equal parts of perlite, peat, one part of moss and quartz sand. Perlite must be pre-soaked in water for a week, and the sand must be boiled. No drainage is added to the bottom of the pots.

How to plant Venus flytrap seeds

As soon as the soil is prepared, you need to do the following:

1. Sow seeds in small pots or seedling boxes, sprinkle lightly with moss without burying them.
2. Cover containers with glass or plastic wrap.
3. Maintain a constant temperature around 24-28 ° C.
4. Take care of the availability of good bright lighting, at least 15 hours a day.
5. Regularly monitor the moisture content of the soil, it should not be allowed to dry out.

If all the rules are followed, each seed should germinate in two to three weeks, some longer.

First shoots

After the first shoots, as soon as a couple of leaves appear on the shoots, they must be hardened. To do this, for a short time, the seedlings must be ventilated by opening the glass. After hardening, each small dionea is supposed to be transplanted into an individual container. The transplant must be carried out very carefully, not forgetting about the exceptional fragility of the small roots. The plant will grow into an adult only after five years.

Flycatcher cuttings

Growing flycatchers by cuttings is best done in spring. This requires:

1. Cut a few leaves off the rosette. To improve the rooting of cuttings, a growth biostimulant can be used.
2. Before planting, you need to prepare a substrate consisting of quartz sand and peat.
3. Pour the prepared soil in a small layer into containers, and plant the cuttings.
4. Cover the plants with a jar or plastic bottle and place in a lighted place.
5. The disadvantage of this method is the great possibility of rotting and fungal infection. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to ventilate the pots by removing the shelters.
6. After three months, the sprouts will take root - the root system will get stronger. Then they can be transplanted into separate containers using soil for adults.

Dividing a bush for planting

A very easy way to breed a flycatcher. When transplanting, it is removed from the pot, rid of the earth. Gently movements, using a knife, separate the accrete sockets. Then, the resulting flowers are seated in separate containers and carry out the usual care at home.

How to care for the Venus flytrap at home

Despite the great difficulty of growing Dionea, it is much easier to care for it than for other exotic plants:

• indoor flower dionea, can be planted in the garden or placed on the windowsill, preferably on the east or west windows;
• every day you need sunlight for at least 6 hours in the morning or evening;
• when growing a flycatcher in a florarium, an artificial light source is required. It is located at a height of 25 cm from the flower with daily light for 15 hours;
• it is imperative to monitor the humidity of the air, its lack has a bad effect on the plant;
• Dionea needs fresh air without drafts. In the summertime, the flycatcher can be taken out onto a balcony or street, hiding it from direct sunlight on hot days;
• for the flower to feel normal, the temperature in summer should not go beyond 18-28 ° C. In winter, this figure drops significantly, and can become 8 ° C.

Features of watering the flycatcher

It is necessary to ensure that the soil always remains moist, drying out the soil is detrimental to your plant. Also, water should not flow through the top, which will impede the flow of oxygen to the roots. Water is poured into the trays so that the drainage holes are immersed in it. If necessary, the plant itself will compensate for the lack of moisture.

Distilled water or rainwater is most suitable. Small plants in the growing stage need to be hydrated 3 times a week.

Fertilizing and feeding dionea

Feeding Dionea

The use of any dressing is prohibited. Dionea is a predator, therefore she receives all the necessary fertilizers through food - insects. You also need to know a few simple rules:

• you only need to feed the flycatcher once a month. For the entire growing season, 2-3 insects (flies, mosquitoes, spiders) are enough for her;
• the insect should no longer be a trap;
• you cannot feed the flycatcher with worms and insects that have a hard shell, as well as leaf beetles that can damage Dionea;
• it is forbidden as fertilizer, to feed meat, products of general consumption to the venus flytrap;

DO NOT FEED FLOWER

with a disease;

if care measures are not followed (insufficient lighting, waterlogged soil);

when transplanting.

In autumn and winter, feeding stops.

Winter Venus Flytrap Care

Like other plants, the Venus flytrap needs rest during the cold periods of the year. For this, when the cold weather sets in, it is necessary to stop watering. Reduce lighting gradually and reduce temperature to 5 ° C. The entire dormant period (3 months), the flycatcher can be stored in the refrigerator. All the time you need to monitor the condition of the soil, not allowing it to dry out, and not too much moisturizing, otherwise the flower may wither. In the spring, taking out the dionea from the refrigerator and gradually increasing the temperature, you can continue caring for it.

Venus Flytrap Transplant

Spring is the best time for a Dionea transplant. You can repeat it after 1-2 years. When transplanting, you need to adhere to some rules:

• due to the long roots, the container for the flower needs to be taken deep, but not too wide;
• when replanting a flycatcher, be extremely careful, do not damage fragile roots;
• after removing the dionea from the pot, remove the stuck earth by watering the roots with water;
• as previously written, the soil for planting a flower is prepared by mixing two parts of perlite, two parts of peat, and one part of quartz sand.

Having transplanted Dionea, it will take a month to settle down. During this period, watering must be increased, and the flycatcher must not be exposed to the bright sun.

Pests

Dionea is a Venus flytrap, although it is very rare, but still susceptible to attacks of harmful insects. Most often it is aphid that settles on a plant, especially traps. As a result, they deform and die. To combat aphids, special aerosols are used.

Also, in addition to aphids, the flycatcher can suffer from spider mites. This can happen if the humidity is low. Acaricide solution is able to get rid of these intruders.

Venus flytrap diseases

All flycatcher diseases appear due to improper conditions of detention:

• with constant waterlogging of the air, black spots may appear on the flower. This could mean a mold infestation. Fungicides deal effectively with this problem.
• after the appearance of a gray cannon, you urgently need to get rid of the infected parts and treat the flycatcher with a fungicide;
• it happens that an insect cannot be digested by a flycatcher, and rotting of the trap begins - the most dangerous disease. If the affected area is not removed, the disease will spread to the entire Dionea.

It's interesting - Rosyanka

Sundew

Venus flytrap in nature grows only in North America. But in temperate latitudes, another insectivorous representative of this family grows.
The sundew is a predator, the most common carnivorous plant. Like Dionea, it feeds on small insects. It grows on all continents except Antarctica: in the mountains, on sandstones, peat bogs in Europe, North and South America, Asia. Most of all grows in Australia.

The root system is poorly developed, and is needed so that the sundew can hold onto the ground. Any kind of soil was chosen by these silent killers. Instead of two predatory petals, the sundew has a leaf with large villi that secrete a sticky paralyzing substance. After the victim falls into the trap, the sundew quickly folds the leaf, enveloping the insect. After several days of digestion, the leaf opens up again.

The indoor flower Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), an insectivorous plant from the Droseraceae family, is very popular among lovers of home exoticism. His homeland is South Carolina (USA). Poor in composition and acidic soil made this amazing flower provide itself with additional food in the form of insects.

Venus flytrap flower. Home care

Appearance

The flycatcher is a small plant, the height of which is no more than 20 cm, with 4 to 7 leaves formed on a bulbous underground stem. Traps are located at the end of each leaf - this is how they attract florists. Each of them consists of two valves equipped with thorns along the edges. When an insect gets inside, they slam shut, not giving the victim a chance to get out. The color of the leaves is bright green, juicy. But from the inside, the traps sometimes have a reddish tint.

Venus flytrap blooms at home, usually 1.5–2 months. The flowers are white and rather small, located much higher than the traps so that the insects pollinating them do not suffer.

At the end of flowering, a fruit is formed, which is a box with small black seeds.

The mechanism of action of the flycatcher trap

Next to the bristles located at the edges of the traps, there are special glands that secrete nectar, attracting insects to this. As soon as an insect falls into the trap, it instantly slams shut, and the digestion mechanism is immediately triggered. After the end of this process, which lasts from 1 to 5 days, depending on the size of the insect, the flaps of the trap open again, and the plant is ready to capture the next victim. After about seven slaps (regardless of whether the victim is caught or not), the trap dies off. Therefore, it is not recommended to make it work. in vaingrowing this plant in the house.

Sowing seeds and growing a flycatcher

Predatory flower Venus flytrap is able to reproduce both by leaves, by dividing the bulb, and by seeds. The last method is more laborious and is carried out in several stages:

1. In order for the seeds to have a higher germination rate, stratification is necessary. Wrapped in a gauze cloth, pre-moistened with solution fungicide (2 drops of the drug per 1 glass of distilled water), the seeds are placed in the refrigerator for 5–7 weeks. It is necessary at this time to ensure that the fabric does not dry out.
2. After that, the prepared seeds are sown in small containers filled with a soil mixture specially designed for predatory plants. Seeds spread out on the surface are lightly sprinkled with soil. Then the container with them is covered with a plastic transparent bag and placed in a warm, well-lit place.
3. As soon as the first leaves appear, each plant gently transplanted in a separate pot.

Ground requirements

The Venus flytrap flower prefers acidic soils, poor in nitrogen. Such conditions ensure the growth of traps, since the plant receives the nitrogen necessary for protein synthesis from the caught insects.

Experienced flower growers advise preparing a mixture of peat and perlite (in a ratio of 2: 1). In this case, perlite must first be soaked in distilled water for 7-10 days. You can prepare soil from two parts of high-moor peat with the addition of one part of washed quartz sand... It is not recommended to use sand other than quartz sand, since this will lead to the death of the flower.

Watering the flycatcher

Caring for the Venus flytrap involves timely moistening of the soil, which should be done only with pallet... Watering from above often results in compaction of the soil, and the roots may lack oxygen. The moss spread on it will help to prevent the topsoil from drying out.

How to grow a Venus flytrap. Photo

Suitable for watering only distilled water. You can also use melt or rainwater for these purposes, the main thing is to prevent its long-term storage in a metal container.

In summer it is recommended to carry out spraying plants with a spray bottle 1-2 times a week. It is worth remembering that excessive moisture can be detrimental to the flycatcher.

Lighting

Under natural conditions, Venus flytrap prefers to grow in well-lit places. Caring for her at home requires providing at least 4 hours bright light during the day. In such conditions, the leaves of the flycatcher acquire the most intense color. If you cannot get enough sunlight, it is recommended to use fluorescent lamps as additional lighting. In this case, it is required to comply with a number of conditions:

• lamps must have a power of at least 40 W;
• the distance to the flower is about 20 cm;
• the location of the light source should not change;

Venus flytrap at home. Photo

The optimal place for placing a flower is windowsill, located on the south side. In the summer, you can take the plant out to the balcony for a while. It is important to avoid exposure to direct sunlight for long periods of time. To scatter light, a gauze cloth is pulled over the flower.

Temperature regime

At home, this plant feels great even when the air temperature rises to 40 ° C. Nevertheless, the Venus flytrap at home can die if the air heats up to 30 ° C and above. In order for the flower to develop normally, it is necessary to provide such conditions that the soil always remains cool... This can be achieved by periodically pouring colder water into the sump.

Recommendations for preparing for winter

To provide a plant with a normal existence, it is necessary to create for it for 3-4 months dormant period... In autumn, the air temperature is gradually lowered to 5 ° C. At the same time, daylight hours are also reduced to 8 hours. The optimal place for placing a flycatcher for wintering is a glazed loggia or a greenhouse. Here, caring for the plant will consist in maintaining the necessary lighting and humidity.

You can put the flower in the refrigerator for the winter, where the temperature should be from 0 to 5 ° C. The plant is pre-sprayed and placed in a bag with holes for ventilation. In this case, lighting is not required, and the substrate is watered no more than once a month.

Top dressing

Caring for the Venus flytrap does not provide for the introduction of any fertilizers, since this plant is capable of obtaining its own food. Only feeding with live insects is allowed, but no more than 3 times during the entire summer period.Earthworms, tubifex, bloodworms are not suitable for this - a high moisture content in them can cause rotting of trap leaves. Also, do not feed the flycatcher with insects, the chitinous cover of which is too strong.

Diseases and pests

This plant is practically not attacked by pests, which greatly facilitates its care. Danger can only be aphids and spider mites, against which spraying with special preparations is used.

Careful observation of the appearance of the plant will help to recognize this or that problem in time. So, yellowing leaves mean that the water used for irrigation is too hard. If the leaves fall off at the same time, it means that the plant does not have enough moisture. Brown specks are caused by sunburn or fertilization.

Among the diseases that the plant is susceptible to, it is worth highlighting gray rot (botrytis). When this fungal infection appears, the affected parts are cut off, and the whole plant (as well as the substrate) is treated with a fungicide.

Only knowing all the features of a flower and studying the recommendations of specialists on how to grow a Venus flytrap at home will allow you to have this amazing and very unusual plant in your apartment.

Venus flytrap. Home care

When we think of predators, we immediately imagine a wolf, lion or shark. Hardly anyone would think of the charming Venus flytrap plant. Although it is considered the most popular among insectivorous representatives of the flora, it would not hurt to get to know it better.

The flower was first noticed in the 60s of the 18th century and was named - Dionea, after the ancient goddess. In Roman mythology, her name was Venus, therefore the flower is also called the Venus flytrap. An exotic flower is found in America, along the eastern shores of the United States. Today the flower is included in the list of endangered plants, therefore it is under the protection of American conservationists. Despite this, the plant is bred in houses and apartments, as a result, it is known about it in many parts of the world.

Meet the adorable predator

Venus flytrap belongs to the species of insectivorous representatives of the plant world, the Rosyankovye family. It grows up to 15 cm in height. It has bulbous stems. Snow-white buds are collected in inflorescences that appear on a long flowering shoot.

Since a predatory plant grows in a natural environment on soil where there is not enough nitrogen, it needs special feeding. Various insects, slugs and even mollusks make up for the lack of this element.

Leaves are a kind of visiting card of the predatory plant Venus flytrap. It is interesting that on one copy they are of different types, but each is very important for the favorable development of the flower. When spring comes, 4 or 7 leaves grow from a short underground stem, which form a pretty rosette. Over time, long shoots with white inflorescences appear on it. During the flowering period, the rosettes die off and dense leaf plates grow in their place. They are a great support for future traps.

An original "trap" for careless insects is formed at the tips of young rosette leaves. As summer approaches, they become longer, standing vertically to the rosette. The traps themselves consist of two plates, which are framed by sharp spikes. The inside is covered with fine hairs that secrete nectar.

The insect flies to a pleasant aroma and becomes a delicious delicacy of a predatory flower - the Venus flytrap. A light touch on the sensitive bristles causes the trap to snap shut instantly. The leaves close and the insect dies over time. Interestingly, within only 30 seconds, the plant determines the type of victim trapped.If it is a dry leaf, branch or water, the flaps open, and if it is small living creatures, it is time to start your meal.

The processing of insects takes up to 5 days. Some are over-etched for a whole week or even 10 days. After full saturation of the Dioneus - the Venus flytrap - opens its exotic "jaws", waiting for a new victim.

The trap stops working if at least 3 digestion processes have occurred in it. Some flycatchers can digest up to 7 insects in a row.

An exotic plant grows on the territory of Russia, mainly on window sills in residential buildings, and sometimes it is found in personal plots. Within the main species, plants have some differences:

• coloring traps;
• direction relative to the outlet (vertical or horizontal);
• the number of valves (two or three).

Based on these data, the original varieties of the flower, the Venus flytrap, were bred, the description of which helps to imagine them.

Akai Ryu

This type of Dionea is distinguished by red leaf plates and traps. The hue does not change with the light. It always remains rich and juicy. A thin green line is visible on the outside of the cute trap.

Dante Trap

This plant grows no more than 10 cm, but it has more than a dozen miniature traps. They are located vertically to the leaf outlet. The outside of the trap is painted a deep green, along which a red line runs. The inside is usually scarlet.

Funnel Trap

The originality lies in the fact that different types of traps are formed on the same plant. When the "predator" is still young, all the elements of the plant are colored green. Only a few years later, the traps turn red.

Giant

The variety is characterized by traps up to 5 cm in length. They form quickly enough on a predatory plant. At first, the flaps are painted in a bright color, but over time they acquire a dark red color.

Dracula

The flower has luscious green leaf plates. The trap is red on the inside and green on the outside. A graceful red stripe runs along the outside along the miniature spikes. A truly charming variety.

Crocodile

Dionea has horizontal leaves and traps that are bright green. The inner region, in young specimens, is usually pink, but later takes on a more reddish tint.

Triton

The variety is distinguished by an unusual type of traps. They are slightly elongated and open only on one side. They often stick together arbitrarily.

Rules for caring for an unusual plant

To successfully raise a charming predator at home, you need to create favorable conditions for her. To do this, you need to choose a suitable place. Undoubtedly, the best option is a windowsill, since the plant needs sunlight for at least 5 hours a day. If it is not enough, additional lighting should be arranged. Some color lovers grow the "predator" in terrariums to create a suitable humidity. In this case, the backlight is required.

The window should face east or west. Otherwise, the plant may get sick.

With proper home care, the Venus flytrap takes root well on the balcony in the summer. In this case, the temperature should be monitored. In summer, it can reach a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius, in winter - only up to 7 ° C. If the plant is indoors, it should be regularly ventilated, but without drafts. The flycatcher does not like sudden movements and extreme situations.

It is better to water Dionea with rain water (you can use distilled water). The natural liquid is collected in plastic containers, defended, and then used for watering. The soil in the plant pot should always be moist. With a lack of it, traps can die.

The best way to replenish the amount of moisture in the pot is to place it in a container of water. The flower will independently absorb the required amount of moisture for active growth.

Interestingly, the plant does not need additional fertilization. After all, she receives important elements by feeding on various insects. For the entire growing season, it is enough to feed the plant with two or three live flies, mosquitoes or small spiders. The Venus flytrap shown in the photo feels great after such a meal.

Recommendations for growing an overseas plant

To grow dionea at home, you need to follow simple guidelines. When spring comes, the plant blooms in lush white inflorescences. They need to carry out pollination by hand, doing it carefully, but carefully. A month later, miniature boxes with planting material are formed on the pedicels. 90 days after pollination, flowers can be planted in pots.

If you know how to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds, an exotic "predator" will appear in the house to the delight of the household. They should be sown in warm soil, consisting of sand and sphagnum moss. The containers are placed in a special greenhouse. For 20 days, it is advisable to ensure that the soil does not dry out. If the seeds of the Venus flytrap are planted densely, the seedlings will have to be planted. 2-3 plants are placed in each separate pot. There they develop for about 3 years before fully maturing.

In order for Dionea to be able to delight household members for a long time, she needs a regular rest period of about 3 months. The dormant plant doesn't look very attractive. Some even think it is dying. The overwintering of the Venus flytrap begins with the cessation of plant growth. The leaves darken, turning brown and dry out over time. They should be trimmed.

Usually, winter dormancy lasts from late autumn (November) to the end of February. All this time, the plant is moderately watered, preventing the substrate from drying out. It also needs daylight, albeit in less quantity. The temperature in the room where the flycatcher hibernates should be no higher than 8 degrees. When winter ends and the days get longer, the plant comes to life. Tender shoots appear, which will grow only at the end of spring. And a charming predatory plant will again settle in the house - the Venus flytrap.

Preparing a flycatcher for winter - video

If you want to have a flower at home with the habits of a predator, then the Venus flytrap is what you need. Watching a flower slamming its traps is fun. Caring for the Venus flytrap at home is quite difficult, you need not only to feed the plant on time, but also to provide suitable conditions during the growing season and winter dormancy.

Types and varieties of plants

Venus flytrap or Dionea belongs to a small community of plants capable of rapid movement. In its kind, Dionea, she is the only representative of the species, although she has distant relatives in the person of Aldrovanda bladder and sundew, from which, apparently, she descended.

The natural distribution area of ​​the Venus flycatcher is small: swamps in the southern part of the United States (Georgia, North and South Carolina, Florida). There she is on the verge of extinction. But in the room culture, Dionea is widespread enough, but mainly abroad.

In nature, the Venus flytrap is a compact plant and 15 cm is its highest height. From a short underground bulbous stem, from 4 to 7 leaves grow, forming a rosette. Blooming is observed in spring. The peduncle is long so that pollinating insects that arrive on white flowers do not accidentally fall into the trap.

When flowering ends, new traps form at the ends of the elongated leaves. In a natural species, their inner walls have a reddish tint. After introduction into the culture by the method of hybridization and subsequent selection, hybrid forms were created, which are distinguished by great decorativeness.The number of plant hybrids has exceeded 25 - they differ in the color of the leaves, the shape and size of the denticles, and there may be differences in plants of the same variety.

The following hybrids are the most decorative:

1. Red Dragon. The color of the leaves and traps is red-burgundy. Requires maximum illumination, otherwise the color fades.
2. Low Giant. Has the biggest traps.
3. Jaws. The traps are reddish on the inside and green on the outside. The shape of the teeth is triangular.
4. Long Red Fingers. The hybrid is prone to mutation, can form crossed and accrete traps, their shape is cup-shaped, and the color of long teeth, which sometimes grow together, is red.
5. Bristletooth. The traps are red, the teeth are rare and short, and forms many babies.
6. Fondue. It has a high mutation capacity, so plants within a variety can be very different from each other.

Venus flytrap: cultivation features

This exotic plant naturally lives in swamps, therefore it requires high humidity in the pot. There is practically no nitrogen in the peat soil, and therefore the plant has adapted to eliminate its deficiency by feeding on animal food - small insects. In nature, there is no shortage of them, and in the room, the grower should provide food for the Venus flytrap.

Home care

Caring for the Venus flytrap is in many ways different from that of other indoor plants, and all because of the specific conditions in which the flower is used to dwelling. He will not tolerate even the slightest disturbance in care and can respond to it with illness and even death.

Ground requirements

Dionea does not need a primer in the usual sense.

But the growing substrate must meet the following requirements:

• acidity ranging from 3.5 to 4.5;
• a composition of high moor sour peat mixed with perlite, taken in a ratio of 1: 1 or 2: 1 (perlite is preliminarily kept in distilled water for 7 days, changing it at least twice);

Sometimes a mixture of high-moor peat and quartz sand is used in proportions of 2: 1 or 3: 1. Ordinary river sand will not work, and quartz sand is washed first with running water and then with distilled water. It is allowed to replace sand with ground quartz, which must be washed in the same way.

Optimal conditions of detention

Lighting

For Dionea, sunlight is very important, without which photosynthesis is simply impossible. 4-5 hours of direct sunlight per day is the minimum requirement. This amount is sufficient when the plant is also well lit the rest of the time. If you cannot provide the Venus flytrap with so much natural light, you need to supplement it with two small fluorescent lamps installed 20 cm above the plant or with a sodium phytolamp.

The length of daylight hours during the growing season should be from 14 to 16 hours. Do not be afraid to take your darling to a sunny balcony or garden in the summer. From spring to autumn, she will be there best. And she will solve the problem of eating in the open air on her own.

The position of the flower pot in relation to the light should not change. You cannot turn it.

Some growers place Dionea in a closed aquarium or florarium. Such content can be detrimental to the plant due to the lack of air exchange and high humidity. As a last resort, you can use a low aquarium without a lid, making sure to adjust the watering.

Humidity

For Dionea, air humidity can be within wide limits: from 35 to 70%. The plant has a positive attitude to spraying with water, and when kept outdoors, it is simply necessary. Venus flytrap loves fresh air, but reacts poorly to drafts.

The flower requires careful handling. The traps should not be touched with your hands, because of this they turn black and fall off. If there is no desire to propagate Dionea by seeds, it is better to cut the peduncle before flowering, which greatly depletes the plant, this is especially important for plants that have not yet been hibernated.

Watering the plant

Proper watering is one of the conditions not only for the health of the Venus flytrap, but also for life.

It is carried out depending on the method of keeping the plant. Basic patterns:

• watering only with distilled water;
• its temperature should not differ from the ambient temperature;
• use only the method of irrigation through the pallet;
• at room maintenance, water is poured into the pallet with a layer of 0.5 cm every 1-2 days;
• if the flower is on the street, there should always be water in the pan, it is poured so that the water layer is at least 0.5 cm;
• water for irrigation is acidified by adding 1 drop of 99% formic acid per 10 liters of water, but this should be done infrequently;

It is impossible to allow the substrate to dry out, the earth should be constantly wet, but it should not be brought to the state of dirt.

Top dressing and fertilization

This plant does not need traditional indoor flower feeding. His food is live insects, but not any. You can feed Dionea with flies, bees, she will not refuse spiders and even slugs. The size of the insect should be 2 times smaller than the trap, and it is better if they are very small. During the growing season, carried out in room conditions, only three feedings for 1 insect are enough. If Dionea spends the summer outdoors, there is no need to feed her - she will find food on the street herself. A plant purchased in a store is fed for the first time after 3-4 leaves have grown in new conditions. In winter, the flower does not need nutrition.

How to transplant correctly?

The frequency of replanting depends on the degree of mineralization of the irrigation water. If the salts in it are less than 5 mg per 1 liter, then you can transplant in a year, otherwise an annual transplant is needed. It is carried out in late spring or early summer. How to transplant?

• Spray the plant with Epin a day before transplanting.
• Prepare a tall, but not too wide, pot with lots of drainage holes.
• Cover part of the pot with substrate.
• Keep the plant above the bulbs without touching the traps.
• Immerse in the substrate so that all light parts are covered with it.

A plant purchased in a store is immediately transplanted into a self-prepared substrate, spilling it with Ribav-extra.

Wintering

In this plant, the seasonality of the growing season is strongly pronounced. Therefore, in winter, it is in a state of deep dormancy for 3-4 months. Dionea needs to be prepared for wintering gradually, lowering the temperature and reducing the daylight hours. It will take about a month to prepare. The optimum temperature for keeping a flower is 0-5 ° C. For the first wintering, it is slightly higher - 5-7 degrees Celsius. If the plant has already wintered, it may be lower. The critical limit is minus 10 ºС.

Dionea herself will tell you that it is time for her to winter. With proper preparation, the leaves become wider and the traps are shallow and horizontal.

In the case of wintering at low positive temperatures, Dionea is watered into a pan if the top layer of the substrate dries out a little. At temperatures above plus 5 degrees, it is also illuminated with one cold-light fluorescent lamp suspended at a height of 20 cm above the flower, organizing an eight-hour daylight for it. The water that is watered on the flower during this period should not differ in temperature from the surrounding air.

If there is no cold place for wintering in the room, the flower can be placed in the refrigerator for a dormant period.

But first you need to prepare it:

• after a reduction in daylight hours and a gradual decrease in temperature, the flower pot is spilled with a fungicide diluted in distilled water (but only in cold water), the flower itself is sprayed with a solution;
• put a plastic bag on the pot with it, in which 2 holes are made for ventilation;
• placed in a refrigerator, where the temperature is from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius;
• the plant does not need light at this time, but once a month it is necessary to moisten the upper layer of the substrate with distilled water at the same temperature as in the refrigerator. After such wintering, the plant should be transplanted into a new substrate, all dead leaves and traps are removed.

During the winter rest period, Dionea does not need food.

Venus flytrap: reproduction

Dionea is propagated by daughter bulbs, sowing seeds and leafy cuttings. Before figuring out how to grow it from seeds collected from hybrid plants, you need to take into account that future seedlings will not repeat the parental traits.

Cuttings

For propagation by cuttings, leaves are suitable, cut as close to the bulb as possible with a sharp knife.

Cutting process:

• we lower the cutting into a solution of heteroauxin, holding time 20 minutes;
• we sterilize high-moor peat;
• pour it into a container with drainage holes with a layer of 2 cm;
• we dip the entire white and a little green part of the cuttings obliquely into peat moistened with a fungicide solution;
• we create greenhouse conditions - 100% humidity, temperature about 23ºС and maximum illumination.

After 5 weeks, the first leaves should appear, and after 3 months the plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

How to grow from seeds?

If they want to collect the seeds from their own plant, the flowers are pollinated with a soft brush, transferring the pollen from the stamens to the pistil. If the flower is pollinated, it will wither quickly. The seeds are ready when the boll begins to crack. They require stratification within 4 weeks if they have just been harvested and more than 6 weeks if they have been lying for more than 3 months.

Stratification can be combined with seeding:

• we sow in a pot on moistened peat or sphagnum moss;
• spray with a fungicide;
• put in a sealed bag;
• put in the refrigerator, where the temperature is from 5 to 7 degrees;
• do not forget to check for the appearance of mold, we fight against it with the preparation "Maxim" diluted in distilled water with a temperature of 5 degrees, then we dust it with colloidal sulfur;
• after 4-6 weeks we take out the pot and place it under fluorescent lamps with a daylight hours of about 16 hours, temperature - 27 ° C;
• when shoots appear, we begin to accustom them to the environment, airing a little, then remove the package;
• we sit down in 4-5 months.

Bulbs

Each bush of Dionea forms about 7 leaves, if their number is greater, the plant has children that can be separated during transplantation and planted in a separate pot. This is the best way to propagate hybrids - the new plant will be a copy of the parent.

Disease and pest control

When aphids appear on the plant, it is treated with insecticides, acaricides are used against spider mites. Fungicides will cope with black sooty fungus and gray rot.

Possible growing problems

1. With frequent irritation of the traps, they dry up, since they are designed for no more than 7 processes of food digestion. Any decayed parts of the plant are cut out to healthy tissue, dusting the cut with crushed charcoal or colloidal sulfur.
2. If Dionea's leaves turn yellow, you need to change the water for irrigation to distilled water. If the leaves not only turn yellow, but also fall off, the watering is adjusted upward.
3. If the leaves stretch out, and their bright color fades, the flower does not have enough light.