Some people do not even suspect that predator plants exist in nature! And this is not from the genre of fiction, but real reality. Moreover, there are more than six hundred species of these amazing plants. They are distributed around the world. These representatives of the flora did not become predatory of their own free will. This was primarily due to their habitat.
general information
Such plants are usually found on peaty or marshy soils, in sandy soil and even in ponds, where a constant shortage of nutrients is compensated only by hunting. Predatory cultures, necessary for the existence of trace elements, make up for by eating captured insects, and sometimes even very small animals. As a rule, they are incredibly bright, and therefore attract prey. These plants hunt in different ways.
Each species has its own traps. Some glue prey to their leaves thanks to the liquid being released, others have a “jug” with a slam lid, and others have leaves, which are peculiar shell shells that instantly close after the victim gets inside. One such crop is the Venus flytrap. This is a carnivorous predator, which was brought into our country from pine forests in the eastern part of the USA. There it grows in peat bogs near the Atlantic Ocean in a humid temperate climate. In this article we will talk about what the Venus flytrap plant is, describe how it can be grown at home and what care this predator needs. I must say that she is considered the most exotic representative of the family sundews.
Description
Venus flytrap is the only one of all predatory plants that looks like a real monster from a horror movie. At the first glance at her, many say that the leaves resemble the open mouth of some unknown monster. The fact is that at the edges they have spiky “fangs”. Using its leaves as a trap, Venus flytrap can capture insects with lightning speed. This plant grows to fifteen centimeters. Leaves arranged in a rosette are traps. The flycatcher grows low to the ground, as a result of which insects easily creep into it.
Her small flowers are in the shape of a regular star. The life expectancy of this plant is up to seven years.
How a predator hunts
Inside each trap, composed of two leaves, there are small hairs that act as “sensors”. Once an insect that has been trapped is touched two or three times in succession, the wings close in an instant. The exact principle of the death trap is not fully understood, but scientists suggest that it is associated with an incredibly fast intercellular transmission of water. After the insect is inside, the Venus flytrap begins to secrete special digestive enzymes that literally in two weeks completely dissolve the prey. After that, she opens the leaves again in anticipation of her next sacrifice. Each such trap is capable of capturing up to seven feed objects.
We grow a predator at home
Despite her predatory nature, Venus flytrap is incredibly popular among gardeners. Home care for her is quite complicated, because the plant is quite capricious. For the normal growth and development of Dionaea muscipula, conditions that are as close to natural as possible are required. Caring for a Venus flytrap has its own characteristics. The grower will have to provide high humidity in the room where it grows, the required temperature. A prerequisite is timely watering and periodic feeding with insects, which, in fact, feed the Venus flytrap.
Caring for her is not only a difficult task, but also troublesome, because, in addition to observing all agricultural standards, the owner of this predator will have to get food for her - insects. Nevertheless, this does not deter fans of exotic indoor crops.
Venus flytrap: home care
The best place for Dionaea muscipula is a windowsill oriented west or east. The home Venus flytrap requires good lighting for about four to five hours a day. In the hot summer season, direct sunlight should be avoided. It must be remembered that the Venus flytrap at home does not like changing the location of the light source, so it is not recommended to rotate the pot or rearrange it often. Otherwise, the plant may react negatively to movement. And only in winter does he need peace. It is optimal to transfer the plant to the basement. Venus flytrap is propagated not only by seeds, but also by cuttings or bulbs. The easiest is the first way.
Sowing
The seeds of the Venus flytrap must be cold stratified before planting. To do this, they are wrapped in a napkin or gauze moistened with fungicide, and placed in the refrigerator for a month. After stratification, the seeds are sown in small containers with a clean soil mixture suitable for predator plants. The composition of the soil should include sphagnum moss, as well as coconut substrate and perlite. The seeds of the Venus flytrap should not be buried: they must be carefully laid out on the soil surface, sprinkled with a thin layer. The container, after landing, is covered and placed in an illuminated warm place. The following mode should be provided: temperature within 25-27 ° C with a lighting duration of 15-16 hours. Seed growth will occur at 2-4 weeks. After the appearance of the first two main leaflets, it is necessary to begin a gradual "airing" of the sprouts until their final formation. And only after that the Venus flytrap should be transplanted into the main pot.
The soil
A mixture of sphagnum moss (1 part), perlite and coconut substrate (3 parts each) is used as soil for this predatory plant.
You can also use a composition of high peat with clean quartz sand in a ratio of 2 to 1. The pot for planting a flytrap should have a depth of at least ten centimeters. Moreover, it should not be too narrow, and not very wide. In a container with a diameter of 75 mm, it is possible to plant up to five young shoots.
Humidity and temperature
Venus flytrap at home requires a certain regimen. The temperature in the room should be at the level of 22-27 degrees. Of course, the plant will be able to tolerate hotter conditions, but not higher than 35 °. In this case, the air should always be fresh, but without drafts. Many lovers of exotic plants grow Venus flytrap in a closed aquarium, believing that in this way they provide their pet with high humidity. But, according to experts, this is not quite the right approach. The fact is that the Venus flytrap grows well with relatively low humidity. The main thing is that its roots should be constantly in the soil saturated with moisture. And in closed aquariums, where there is always high temperature and high humidity, but there is no good ventilation, the plant can not only get sick, but also die.
Nutrition
Venus flytrap does not require any fertilizer. She needs to be fed! Only live insects are suitable for this, which will be at least two times smaller than the size of its trap. Feeding this predatory plant with beetles having a solid chitinous shell should be avoided. It is not necessary to use as feed and insects that are able to gnaw a trap, as well as earthworms, bloodworms or tubule. They contain a sufficiently large amount of moisture, and this can lead to decay of the trap. Adult Venus flytrap at home eats just two or three insects over the summer.
And if the plant grows in the garden, then it does not need to be fed at all: it takes care of itself. With the onset of autumn frosts, feeding should be completely stopped until spring.
Wintering
A venus flytrap requires a resting period of 3-4 months for normal growth. Otherwise, the plant may die. In mid-autumn, it needs to be prepared for wintering. You should gradually lower the temperature. At home, Venus flytrap itself gives a signal of its readiness for the winter regime. Wide leaves adjacent to the ground appear on it, and traps become smaller. For wintering, a glazed balcony is quite suitable for this plant. It, as before, will need good lighting and watering, but at the same time one must not allow too much waterlogging of the soil.
Its light day is reduced to eight hours.
Growing Features
If there is no suitable place for wintering, then the plant can be put in the refrigerator. However, the temperature there should not fall below 0 and rise above + 5 ° C. Only in this mode, the flycatcher will not need lighting and will retain its trap leaves. At subzero temperatures, the latter, blackening, die off.
Wintering in the refrigerator also requires preliminary preparation - a gradual change in the thermal regime. After that, the Venus flytrap should be thoroughly sprayed with warm water, pack the pot in a bag, on which several ventilation holes are made, and only then place in the lower chamber of the refrigerator. About once a month, the substrate will need to be watered with distilled water.
Plants that winter on the balcony do not require wintering. With the onset of longer light days, they themselves will begin to return to their usual lives. But the flycatcher, who was waiting for spring in the refrigerator, needs to be removed from there after about three months, removed from the pot and put in a relatively cool place under the lamp. After wintering, the plant must be transferred to a new substrate.
Like other insectivores, the venus flytrap is rarely affected by pests. It is mainly attacked by aphids or spider mites, although in conditions of excessive humidity the plant may also be affected by a black soot fungus or gray rot. In all these cases, Dionaea muscipula will need to be treated with a fungicide.