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Can plants carniverous plants take the heat

M

MadCow

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Hey everyone. Im another newbie to these kind of plants, but im a fast learner (and i want more&#33
wink.gif
. Anyway, I just recieved my Green Dragon Fly Trap in the mail today (from petflytrap.com). I live in Miami, Florida where don't REALLY have winter, but it gets a little cooler.

My questions -

The plant came in a nice tiny pot, is the pot big enough for now? When will i need a new one?

What kind of food will my plant like? I had my little brother catch a few small spiders and fed those to the plant, but i dont know what to feed it and how often.

If I leave my plant on the window sill (where it will only get full sunlight for a maximum of 5 hours a day) will it be OK?

How do fly traps reproduce? If i clipped one of the traps off and planted it, would it work?

My plant is very small right now, I think. In otherwords, how big can the "Green Dragons" actually get?

Thanks for all of your help!

-MadCow lets the experts handle this one
 
Hi,
   First off, welcome to the forums, ok,
The pots that the plants are in will do for a while (few years) you do not want to feed your plant, this will cause the plants traps to die, and it could kill the plant if you feed it to much. A fly every once in a while will do, just not to often, in florida, you can leave the plant where you have it now. Vft's reproduse by flowering and cuttings,, you pull down on one of the traps untill it comes off, but make sure you get part of the rhizome (the white stuff). In a few years your plant will gradually get bigger probably around 4 inches across, with 1/2 inch to 1 inch traps. Hope it helps, and merry christmas and happy holidays,
                            Kevin
 
Hey MadCow, welcome to the addiction..er...forums!
wink.gif

Anyway, here it goes:
1) That pot is definately ok for now. I've heard the traps actaully grow a little bigger when the roots are a little cramped. Actaully read that here in the VFT forum...
2) It will eat any bug, really, that it can COMPLETELY close around. Gereally no bigger that 1/3 the trap size. It needs to be able to create a seal to keep out bacteria and fungus. Also, you should stay away from moths...in my experience the rot traps sooner than other bugs.
3) 5 hours of sun is sufficient
4)You can reproduce via seed, leaf cutting and TC (tissue culture). Leaf cuttings work only if you manage to get some of the rhizome (spelling?). Gently pull the leave off from the base so some of the "white stuff" from under ground (the rhizome, kinda like a tuber, I guess). However, I would wait a while to do this, the plant is most likely still in shock from shipping.
5) VFT's, in general, don't get huge. My biggest one is about 4 inches across. I depends on the variety. My green dragons are small, too, but they are young. But I don't think they'll get too big as they are a cross between typical and red dragon (someone correct me if I'm wrong here), and the red dragon is a smaller type.

Ok, fingers are tired.
wink.gif

Go check out the VFT section of the forums. More good info there.
 
your traps will not die if you feed them each trap can feed
3-5 times before thay die off if you want to feed your plant
do it about once a month very small crickets are good or flys- or any other bug as schloaty said
1 of my green dragons is 6 in. across its 2 at years
and dont use tap water use rain or distilled water
keep water in the saucer at the bottom of the pot weight till it dries then add more the saucer dry not the soil
and give a misting acouple times a day it will love it
and i would not let the temp. get over 90 on your window sill
good luck to you
your plant will live fine with out feeding but it will help it grow do not feed it any thing but bugs
 
i dont think it will need dormancy but keep an eye on it
sorry i was wrong just checked gd vft only 5 in.
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (MadCow @ Dec. 24 2002,04:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hey everyone. Im another newbie to these kind of plants, but im a fast learner (and i want more&#33
wink.gif
. Anyway, I just recieved my Green Dragon Fly Trap in the mail today (from petflytrap.com). I live in Miami, Florida where don't REALLY have winter, but it gets a little cooler.

My questions -

The plant came in a nice tiny pot, is the pot big enough for now? When will i need a new one?

What kind of food will my plant like? I had my little brother catch a few small spiders and fed those to the plant, but i dont know what to feed it and how often.

If I leave my plant on the window sill  (where it will only get full sunlight for a maximum of 5 hours a day) will it be OK?

How do fly traps reproduce? If i clipped one of the traps off and planted it, would it work?

My plant is very small right now, I think. In otherwords, how big can the "Green Dragons" actually get?

Thanks for all of your help!

      -MadCow lets the experts handle this one[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
This year your plant will be fine. Next year you will have to pop it into the refrigerator. It's pritty simple. VFTs reproduce in a number of ways but the best is by planting a leaf that has been removed. Most VFTs of the 'robust' style(like green dragon) will have a 6-7 inch diameter at max, however, individuals do varry a bit depending on what clone(line) they belong to and their growing conditions. Thankfully, since yours is a green dragon you will probubly have the predictable 7 inch max (rather then things like typical wich range all over the place, my oldest one is also my smallest clocking in at 3 inches, lol&#33
wink.gif
in 2-3 years from now.

Should your plant try and flower, cut off the flower stalk, VFTs can reproduce via seed, but a lot of times the effort kills the adult and it's not recomended to propigate this way if your a beginer.

The best food is flies. Since you are in a warm climent, I recomend you set your plant outside for a few hours on a warm day and let it get it's own prey. Spiders are usually good to avoid, but I'm sure this one time won't be to bad.

Replant your VFT after it's first winter in the fridge, right when you take it out.
smile.gif
Good luck and have fun!
 
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