The Carnivorous Venus Flytrap can be self-propagated by harvesting its seeds. We show how to breed the carnivore yourself.
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) can be propagated in two ways: On the one hand, you can sow the self-harvested seeds of the light-germinating exotic, on the other hand, the carnivorous plant can also be propagated by division multiply. We explain step by step how to proceed so that the multiplication is crowned with success.
Venus Flytrap Seeds: Pollination and Seed Maturity
For many, the flowering of the Venus flytrap is only secondary and sometimes even annoying. In most cases, the flower stalks are even cut off shortly after they have sprouted in order to channel the entire growth energy into the catching leaves. However, in order to be able to harvest your own seeds, you have to forego separating the flowers. The flowers develop in early spring at the end of the approximately 30 cm long flower stalks and mature by the end of April at the latest.
In order for seeds to form at all, the flower must of course be pollinated. In closed rooms, however, pollinating insects tend to be the exception. To be on the safe side, you can use a fine brush to help by gently tapping the stamens of the Venus flytrap to get the pollen on the pistils.
Venus Flytrap Seeds: Harvesting and Storage
The ripe seeds are very fine and deep black. If the flower has dried up, you can assume that the seeds are ripe too. There are several ways you can harvest the seeds. You can cut off the dried flowers and gently tap them into a bowl to get to the seeds, or you can wait for the seeds to naturally detach and simply place a bowl under the mature flower to catch them. Alternatively, tie a bag around the dried inflorescence to catch the ripe seeds.
Important: It takes almost a minute before the seeds are sown againnine months. It is therefore particularly important that you store the seeds correctly in order to maintain their germination capacity. A dark, cool and above all dry place is ideal for this.
Sowing Venus Flytrap Seeds
The right time to sow the seeds is in early spring. Prepare one or more small pots with plant substrate. In contrast to adult plants, the seedlings still need nutrients from the substrate, so you can use commercially available seed substrate to grow them. Later, however, you should transplant your Venus flytrap into special carnivore soil. Moisten the substrate in the pot well and press it down very carefully. Then sprinkle some seeds superficially on the substrate. The seeds do not need a top layer of soil as the Venus flytrap needs light to germinate. After 20 to 30 days, the seeds will begin to germinate. Wait until the seedlings are about 2 cm tall before pricking out the plants. When pricking out the small Venus fly traps, you can transfer two to three plants to a new pot.
Tip: Put a transparent and perforated bag over the plant pots and place the well-watered seeds in a warm and sunny place. The plastic bag has the same effect as a greenhouse and helps maintain high humidity. Even after pricking out, the mini greenhouse helps the small Venus fly traps to establish themselves quickly and quickly grow into voracious plants. However, the foil should only be used as an aid for as long as necessary and for as short a time as possible, as it promotes the spread of harmful fungal infections.
Reproduce Venus Flytrap by Sharing
In addition to propagation by seed, you can also propagate your Venus flytrap by division. This is possible because the plant also multiplies through subterranean shoots (rhizomes) that repeatedly sprout. To do this, carefully remove the plant including the root ball from the pot. By gently plucking or using scissors, you can separate the rhizome and thus get viable new plants. When separating, make sure that there is (at least) one shoot or stalk as well as enough roots on a "new" plant. The little plants will then, likewhen pricking out, placed in new pots filled with plant substrate. After transplanting, you should put the plant in a warm and sunny place so that the small Venus flytraps can establish themselves quickly.
Venus Flytrap: Care After Breeding
After you have successfully multiplied your Venus flytrap, you can use various care measures to help ensure that your darlings continue to find the best conditions. The North American exotic makes some demands on irrigation water, plant substrate and insists on being repotted regularly. Special treatment during the winter months is also extremely important so that your Venus Flytrap can continue to look its best the following year.
In order to give the new Venus fly traps the best possible start in life, you should attach particular importance to a suitable plant substrate. As bog plants, Venus flytraps prefer a soil with a stable and balanced water balance and a low pH value. Too many nutrients, on the other hand, are a nightmare for them - ideally, the substrate in which they are planted should therefore be low in nutrients. Carnivore soil, such as Floragard special soil for carnivorous plants, meets these requirements perfectly and is therefore the first choice if you want to propagate Venus flytraps.
"Read more about watering Venus flytrap here and get many more great tips for caring for your Venus flytrap.