Life Hack: I bought a Venus flytrap plant — how do I keep it alive and should I feed it flies?
The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant that is famous for its teeth-like leaves which trap insects to devour them for nutrients.
After its starring role in this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert, sales of Venus flytrap plants have skyrocketed.
Media reports indicate Venus flytrap sales have jumped 40% in Britain since the TV advert aired and Irish plant stores and garden centres are likely to see a similar trend.
Ciarán Burke, head of horticulture at Johnstown Garden Centre, told RTÉ radio’s Ray D'Arcy Show that Venus flytraps have always been a popular plant, particularly for children.
“Kids love them, we sell a lot of them here and I suspect lots are bought by parents of kids,” he said. At the time of writing, Venus flytraps have sold out at Johnstown, a sign of the renewed interest in the plant thanks to its starring role in the John Lewis advert.
If you want to pick one up for your home after seeing the advert, here’s what you need to know.
The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant that is famous for its teeth-like leaves which trap insects to devour them for nutrients. They can keep a home insect-free by catching and digesting small insects.
They lure insects to their leaves with a sweet-smelling nectar and when the insect touches the trigger hairs in the ‘jaws’ of the leaf, it snaps closed and traps the creature. An enzyme dissolves the insect for digestion and the leaf will reopen in up to 10 days to await its next meal.
Despite being a carnivorous plant, Venus flytraps are safe in your home and are not harmful to children. Equally, they are not toxic for pets such as cats and dogs.
Do not poke the plant to make its leaves snap closed. Each leaf can only open and close an average of seven times in its lifetime. In addition, it wastes the plant's energy. Venus flytraps also flower, growing a white bloom. It is recommended by many experts that you remove developing flowers as these can also drain energy from the plant.
You do not need to add fertiliser to the plant as the insects it attracts and digests provide the needed nutrients. Venus flytraps prefer moist, peat-free soil so keep them in a dish with rainwater in the base and in bright direct sunlight. As the plant is acidic-loving, it best tolerates rainwater, which has a lower pH than tap water. You can feed them fortnightly with live flies, including mosquitoes and gnats.
