PlantAKiss
Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
If your Venus Flytrap is flowering and you are unsure about what to do, read below:
In the spring, a flower stalk will grow straight up in the middle of the plant on a round stem. The young tip will look a bit like a closed fist. It will continue to grow and form buds. These buds will open into little white flowers.
You may have heard that allowing your VFT to flower will kill it. THIS IS A MYTH. Allowing your plant to flower is a purely personal preference. If you want VFT seed and/or you just like the naturalness and beauty of the flowers, then by all means let it flower.
Any plant making flowers (and later seed) will expend "plant energy" on this production. Its the same for a VFT. It may slow the overall growth of the plant down a bit temporarily but it will NOT cause the plant to die.
Always think about what occurs in nature. No one is tippy-toeing around in bogs snipping off flower stalks so the wild VFTs don't die. Plants in the wild enjoy their natural cycle of flowering, making seed and growing just fine without us human's crazy interventions.
If you have a plant that is in poor health for whatever reason (lack of care, excess heat/dehydration, impure water, damage, etc.), it would probably be beneficial to remove a flower stalk so the plant's energy can go to recovery.
Otherwise, the rule is simple: Like the flowers? Let it grow! Don't care? Cut them off!
Whichever way you prefer it is just fine.
In the spring, a flower stalk will grow straight up in the middle of the plant on a round stem. The young tip will look a bit like a closed fist. It will continue to grow and form buds. These buds will open into little white flowers.
You may have heard that allowing your VFT to flower will kill it. THIS IS A MYTH. Allowing your plant to flower is a purely personal preference. If you want VFT seed and/or you just like the naturalness and beauty of the flowers, then by all means let it flower.
Any plant making flowers (and later seed) will expend "plant energy" on this production. Its the same for a VFT. It may slow the overall growth of the plant down a bit temporarily but it will NOT cause the plant to die.
Always think about what occurs in nature. No one is tippy-toeing around in bogs snipping off flower stalks so the wild VFTs don't die. Plants in the wild enjoy their natural cycle of flowering, making seed and growing just fine without us human's crazy interventions.
If you have a plant that is in poor health for whatever reason (lack of care, excess heat/dehydration, impure water, damage, etc.), it would probably be beneficial to remove a flower stalk so the plant's energy can go to recovery.
Otherwise, the rule is simple: Like the flowers? Let it grow! Don't care? Cut them off!
Whichever way you prefer it is just fine.