Questioons on VFT's

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

I have 3 Venus Fly Traps coming in the mail from a grower that told me the plants will reach me in 7 to 9 business days.
I was wondering if these plants come bare root which they might, How long can the plants survive this way?
I also need to know the maximum temperature in Celsius these plant can handle? I live in Newfoundland where our provincial flower is the Pitcher plant that grows wild here and does well despite the snow and frost we get every winter, Can VFT's also tolerate these conditions??

[lloyd]

In full sun, they might get too hot in a shallow pot. Shipping will be no problem. With good mulching they might survive a NF winter but it's safer to over-winter them in a protected place about -3->+3C.

[H2O]

Lloyd said most of it, just use peat and corse sand as a mix, give it as much sun as possible and watch them grow. Also remember the Flytraps like a lower water table than plants like sarracenia, don't keep the water level too high.

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

Thanks everyone for the help I will keep people updated on these plants once I get them planted .

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

These are only going outside to feed on the numerous insects that collect around the light over the door, other than hibernating they will be indoor plants, we have a bee problem as well and I ordered a big jaws fly trap can this one catch and digest bees?

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

I bought a Venus flytrap from a nursery that told me the flytrap I bought was called BIG JAWS and produces 1 inch traps but des not require dormancy since it was a cultivar made in a US tissue lab and imported into Canada.
I plane to put this plant into dormancy anyway
will I shorten the plants life or harm the plant putting it in dormancy even though according to The Nursery told me the plant does ok without winterization?

[stevebooth]

Well, if the nursery is to be believed, this is the only VFT in the entire universe that doesnt require a dormancy. What you propose doing and putting it into dormancy is quite correct and I wouldnt put too much creedence on what the nursery have told you, all VFTs require a dormancy period to maintain health.

Cheers
Steve

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

I think the nursery told me that so these would die on me and I would order more nd try growing them again!
This thing is going into dormancy anyway. I do plant to order the B52 and another cape sundew but not till next spring,shipping is cheaper because I do not need a buy a heat pack for them.and they ship method impressed me although these were shpped bare root,they got to me across the country fast and healthy with a wet paper towel wrapping the roots and each plane was in its own seled plastic bagI thought it funny to all flytraps need dormancy every year this on did not?

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

That's like I was told tap water left overnight was fine so I used this method..I read a few pages,this method gets rid of the chlorine but leaves all the other elements that kill them and I was killing mine slowly! The nursery did not tell me to use tap water they were against it! but the jackoffs that are lucky enough not to kill theirs write web pages like one method works for all plants or something.

[canadaone]

Don't use tap water. Even left for awhile until the cholorine goes out of it, it has other minerals and additives. Carnivorous plants thrive in a nutriant deprived enviornment. Use rain water, distilled water or melted snow in winter.

And yes, ALL flytraps need a winter dormancy. If they don't get that, they will die.

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

This is a direct quote from the Nursery that I ordered the flytrap BIG JAWS from:

This cultivar does not go dormant. You should remove the plant and plant it in a pot 2" diameter, 2.5" high.
How is that for getting the wrong info? lol !!

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

I know that when a Venus Flytrap seal it secretes a digestive enzyme to break down the soft parts of its prey.
I also know the trigger hairs are what makes it close
How come it does not digest the trigger hairs?

[H2O]

The trigger "hairs" aren't actually hairs, they are elongated plant cells, they wouldn't get digested just the same way the walls of the trap wouldn't.

Hope that makes sense.

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

Aug 19, 2013 16:12:17 GMT -5 H2O said:

The trigger "hairs" aren't actually hairs, they are elongated plant cells, they wouldn't get digested just the same way the walls of the trap wouldn't.

Hope that makes sense.

It did make sense I was thinking everything in the trap got covered in this exzyme and everything inside after it closed was digested
On a youtube clip I seen a guy feed the trap and it took the insect he then fed the others he had and he squezzed the trap a little but not hard,was there a reason for this? The insect was a live one the trap accepted.
I was also thinking the inside of the trap had a wax like coating so the enzyme would not eat through it!!
I will tell ya how much of newbie I was......I did not know what a midrib was lol !!!

[Dennis A(cook1973)]

Can a B52 or a BIG JAWS that makes 1 inch traps take down a large insect like a bee?

My friend had a B52 that caught a adult moth but died shortly after!, was this a chance thing or can large flytraps catch prey larger than a house fly?

I am also tending to a flytrap that had a broken root.
I saved it because it has 2 rap stems growing,thing is 2 looks like they will make trap while the 3rd just looks like a flat leaf growing,it has no bud that opens into a trap just looks like a flat green leaf! will this leaf ever make a trap or will I get a "freak" trap?