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VFT roots, how deep?

  • Thread starter Keith
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Hi guys, I am wondering if any of you have grown VFT's enough to give me an idea how deep its roots will go? I recently picked up a half dozen that I want to pot together in a nice little group, but I cant seem to decide what container to go with. The stores always seem to sell them in 2" - 3" deep containers, so I am wondering if they need any more depth than that?
 
I recommend about a 1 quart or 6" pot for a mature plant and a 3-4" pot for immature flytraps. Flytraps rarely need more than a 6" pot unless they're insanely old/large. Just make sure it's tall enough that the crowns of the plants can be kept 1-2" above water when set into a tray.
 
While small flytraps may not "need" deeper pots, in my experience they grow much better with a lot of vertical room for their roots to stretch down. If space and the amount of soil isn't an issue, don't limit yourself to anything smaller than a 8 inch deep pot. They'll appreciate the depth and make quite a display when they fill the pot.
 
I second what Matt says. I have grown flytraps in small containers and large ones and have found that there roots would go as deep as the pot would let them. In fact, I have repotted some plants that had roots longer than eight inches or so.

Whether or not longer roots increases their vigor much I cannot say. I don't see how it hurts, however, and I prefer the extra soil mass for tray watering and winter dormancy. I grow most of my flytraps in cheapy foam beer coolers and don't have to water them from October to May most years in my area.
 
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