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Thinking about growing VFTs from seed...

Okay, so now that I think I've got the hang of VFT care, I want to try and grow some from seed. So naturally, I have a few questions. I know they need humidity and heat, which we have plenty of around here in the summer time. Since it isn't summertime here, can I just create the conditions inside with a small little grow chamber? I am still figuring out what to use for one. Maybe an old gladware container? I have some. I can poke holes on the bottom to allow for drainage and then place that in a larger gladware container. Of course I'm just going to use peat and perlite for the soil, and use a spray bottle to water. I know not to bury the seeds too deep, but rather just sprinkle a very light layer on top.

As for seeds, is Amazon a good place to buy them? Or does someone on here have some they are willing to sell?
 
I'm very much a proponent of utilizing favorable environmental conditions if you've got 'em. VFTs are native to the Carolinas so you should have no problem starting and growing them outside. You could certainly start the seeds in protected trays or something to help maintain favorable conditions near the seeds, but starting them in the middle of the winter doesn't make too much sense to me. They'll need dormancy every year, so it makes sense to keep them in sync with the normal growing season. If you do that, there'll be less babying involved, and you're more likely to have better results and more survivors. And less babying means you have more time to deal with more, other plants.

I like to avoid using perlite in seeding mix due to its large size, but that's not a rule. I like to water from the bottom, especially given that spraying the soil surface can move the seeds and cause them to group together too closely. A tupperware container would be fine to start the seeds, just make sure you give them enough space.

As for procuring seeds, it wouldn't surprise me if there's a decent seller on Amazon, but I'd make Amazon/ebay a last-resort. You're much more likely to have consistent results obtaining seeds from somebody on the forums.

I hope that's helpful, and best of luck.
 
For myself, heat really hasn't been an issue with germinating VFT seeds. I sprinkled them on top of my usual 1:1 peat / sand mixture and plopped them in a terrarium (20 gal. aquarium), which the light fixture alone keeps at around 70F during the day (4' 4-bulb T8 fixture).

Unless you're going to grow them in an enclosed aquarium with a light sitting directly atop it, I would suggest an under-tank heating pad for them. Like Est said, starting them in the middle of winter doesn't make sense is fine if you're doing it in a terrarium to give them a couple extra months of growth before their first dormancy.
 
Dionaea seed can remain reasonably viable for a year or more if stored properly. By "properly" that means refrigerated. Buying Dionaea seed online is a gamble, because you have no idea how long, and under what conditions they've been stored. Since VFT seed purchased at this time of year is almost certainly going to be at least six months old, you have no idea how good germination is going to be. Best to buy seed in the summer. Often members here will just give away surplus seeds. I have done so several times. (usually August, as soon as seed is ripe)
 
It's a crapshoot buying seeds of any sort from places like Amazon. Since they opened up to third party sellers there isn't even a hint of quality control. I would never purchase CP seeds from anywhere but a CP nursery (even some of those are pretty iffy) or another grower.

On another note, make sure you don't cook the seeds if you do it indoors. I tried flytrap seeds two years ago and even though I had very high quality seeds I didn't get a single one to germinate and I'm pretty sure it was because I got them too hot. The combination of a heat mat and a mostly closed germination chamber under lights was apparently too much.
 
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