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Growing and Cloning B52 Venus Fly Traps

  • #61
flyinthetrap said:
Is a winter dormancy absolutely required for VFT?
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Under the assumption that this is a legitimate question. Yes, absolutely. You may skip it and grow your plant as a tropical but you can expect it to get weaker each year until it eventually withers away.

flyinthetrap said:
Won't they just keep on growing in the right conditions?
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They will, but they will suffer in the long run. The only exception to this rule seems to be recently germinated VFT seedlings, who could stand to skip the first dormancy to put on some size.

--Addendum--
flyinthetrap said:
I understand that a seed from a B52 does not a B52 make.

Symbioses is not the right word, but it was beneficial for those maggots.

Can someone confirm that these are VFT seedlings?

11gubeg.jpg
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Didn't see anyone else respond to this. I can tell you now that those are not VFT seedlings. Sorry!
 
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  • #62
I heard of people buying fake seeds on eBay, and they were only 80 cents.

I'll let the seedlings develop, but they don't look right to me either :(

So during the winter I shouldn't use any extra lights in the window?
 
  • #63
Never buy seeds from eBay or Amazon or etsy or Alibaba
...etc especially Chinese sellers the seeds are fake.

What part of mass do u live cause im in MA and i grow bunch of plants and you can't keep them outside year round unless u want them dead or frozen. And if ur not far i will gladly ride my broken down scooter to your place and help u get a good set up for your vfts so they don't die!
 
  • #64
I keep my VFTs outdoors year round in zone 5. Michigan. That said, they are in ground, and I mulch the bejesus out of them every fall. They do fine.
 
  • #65
Btw seedlings are most likely some kinda grass or veggy/herb not cp or anything worth the space they take up that could be replaced with ur b52s!

This is what u need to do:
1. Do what i said in my first post.
2. Give your plabts atleast a 7 to 8 hour rest period without lights to ensure health is maintained for them to grow strong and healthy.
3. Move yr darn lights away from ur plants! More light doesnt mean theyll grow faster it means theyll get burned or over heat if they are too close...touch a light bulb after its been on for hours...HOT, correct? Imagine thats ur plant not ur hand...not good!
4. Let them go into dormacy as required so they can thrive. Put them in the fridge for a few months or leave them in a room under 45-50°F until spring/summer.
5. Slowly acclimate them back up to full strenght light over a period of a few weeks or so to ensure they dont burn to deatg ir die of shock.

Anyone wanna ad anything?
 
  • #66
Lucky u dragoness mine got frozen last year on my old sumporch greenhouse cause the elderly lady i care for left the window open in -10°F weather...grrr.
They say vfts can survive up to 20°F i think i read somewhere
I dont wanna chance it! Lol
 
  • #67
flyinthetrap said:
I heard of people buying fake seeds on eBay, and they were only 80 cents.
Click to expand...

If it's too good to be true, it probably is. :nono:

flyinthetrap said:
So during the winter I shouldn't use any extra lights in the window?
Click to expand...
VFT dormancy is primarily triggered by light, and then temperature. So no supplemental lighting because it will probably throw off their dormancy schedule.
 
  • #68
KATastrophe said:
Lucky u dragoness mine got frozen last year on my old sumporch greenhouse cause the elderly lady i care for left the window open in -10°F weather...grrr.
They say vfts can survive up to 20°F i think i read somewhere
I dont wanna chance it! Lol
Click to expand...

They can get a -lot- colder than 20F. Mine survived single-digit night-time temps. It was bringing them inside into 50F temps that killed them early. Next year they're getting bundled in damp sphagnum and stuck in a cooler in the garage all winter.
 
  • #69
Listen to eric no extra lighting in dormacy or they'll break dormancy thinking it's spring/summer. They need a different light scedual during dormancy and need cold temps to take a break and store up energy.

Forgot to add.. If ur b52 flowers cut off the flower stalk that will ensure it puts its energy into making traps and splittingthe its rhizome instead of using all its energy into making flowers and seeds when pollinated. And since yours isn't too healthy at the moment it's not the best idea to let a flower stalk grow until it has had time to get back to being healthy.
And then u can plant the cut 3in flower stalk u removed and it'll prop. Into more vfts!
 
  • #70
Those almost look like carrot seeds. Some kind of herb or veggie indeed.
 
  • #71
Yup i kno they are i got fake seeds soo many times trying to get lithop seeds online..trust NO1 on those sites
 
  • #72
Not a Number said:
How do you know it is a baseless claim? Seems like the last time I remember somebody that had the same fears and was bullied into putting their plants outdoors where they were promptly stolen. And not a word of apology from the "dude you gotta grow them outdoors" crowd.
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Apologize for someone else's choice in where they live, or not understanding the implications thereof? You're attempting to shame people for giving good advice. Who's the bully now?
 
  • #73
Not a Number said:
How do you know it is a baseless claim? Seems like the last time I remember somebody that had the same fears and was bullied into putting their plants outdoors where they were promptly stolen. And not a word of apology from the "dude you gotta grow them outdoors" crowd.
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All right, yes that is legitimate. I didn't think of that, I'm sorry.
 
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  • #74
Really zath single digit i had someone tell me they've left their out it 5°F i was like ...screw that im not chancing it lol
Mine will prob get wrapped up and left on the enclosed sun porch with the windows wrapped so it don't get super freezing. Cause the soil in my pots was frozen last year and not one survived...grr
 
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  • #75
The unlabelled Dionaea in my last video were at 0F (-18C) in 2010/11
 
  • #76
All of my Dionaea are grown in bogs outside in Boston, MA. They get a light mulching of leaves and are exposed to temps down to -10ºF. I only started mulching them 2 years ago after a prolonged cold snap with absolutely no snow cover did them in. Previous to that they had been growing completely unprotected in winter for around 12 years.
 
  • #77
Mine saw low single digits in an unprotected, above ground half barrel.
 
  • #78
The plants are less likely to survive freezing temperatures in small pot than in large containers or bogs. It takes longer to freeze and thaw out large containers and that seems to be what makes the difference.
 
  • #79
terrarium growing is possible, but in my comparison it is more work than growing out doors. this is a example of a friend's set up.
 
  • #80
Mine were in 4" pots @ 0F
 
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