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Chomp Care

D

Deb

Guest
I have heard conflicting advice on cutting the flower stalk off. My VFT has just produced it's first stalk with the little bulb at the top. Should I trim it and if so, should I trim it at the bottom?
I have not put "Chomp"(my VFT's name) into dormancy this year. He sits in the window, eats bugs that get to close, and seems happy enough.
 
Yes, I would trim it off. Otherwise it will put all it's effort into the flower and then grow slowly for months, exhausted.
Trim it off as far down the stem as you can manage.
If you have had Chomp for about a year and he hasn't hibernated then I would consider doing it soon, otherwise he'll go to sleep in summer, missing out on all that sun and warmth
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Hey Welcome to PFT! Well you need to put "Chomp" into dormancy this coming Nov. OK? Now CLIP IT OFF! Flowering has a negative effect on VFT's in cultivation. So clip it as clost as you can get to the center of the plant without damaging it. Then your done!
 
deb,

i agree with nep and alvin..lose the flower so that your traps thrive.

i have lots of flytraps so i usually let a few of them flower each season, but for the most part i cut any flower stalks so that my plants develop tons of big traps.

nep and alvin, does the same apply for butterworts and sundews? does flowering tax these plants also? what about nepenthes?
 
Hey Chris
smile.gif

I asked the same question about a week or two in the sundew section. The answer I got was that it doesn't make a difference and to just let it do its thing. I have no idea about the nep though.
 
Sundews may lose dewness and slow down but I usually let them flower. Butterworts I have not observed any drastic changes with them flowering. So sundews may change a little but butterworts no. So I let them both flower. Nepenthes will not be affected by flowering as they will be very large when they flower. So NO Nepenthes will NOT be affected. Of course Nepenthes have to be mature to flower. VFT's do to but they are a much smaller plant then a Nepenthes.
 
follow everyones advice here as far as cutting the flower.

However, if your plant is a yearling, meaning you bought it this year, don't worry that it has not been dormant this winter.

Keep it in a bright sunny spot this summer, and on thankgiving day, or week, put it into dormancy. Give it a nice long one, I would actually wait until the end of march since you skipped this year, and take it out then. Normally, you would take it out on valentines day.

(Mine will be sleeping long this year too... they don't get to come out of dormancy until I have eradicated my aphid infestation!)
 
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