Carnivorous plants

[Browser]

Hi all, just anted to bend your ears for some advice on the above. Wifey and myself went to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year and bought a starter pack consisting of a Pitcher Plant, Venus Fly Trap and a Sundew (Drosera) and we watched with interest as they consumed various flying bugs and grew. Come winter I was concerned that they would starve but was reassured by advice from websites dealing with eaty vegetation that they would 'go dormant' in winter and re-grow in spring.
When they say 'go dormant', with the exception of the pitcher do they mean 'snuff it completely', as that's what the Sundew and Venus Fly Trap appear to have done. Their leaves have all turned grey and died off leaving me to think we should have been feeding them live flies to keep them going until the weather warmed up.
Any advice/help welcomed

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

My Venus fly trap is a dead lump again.
It is sat on a warm(ish) window sill, it does this every year and does grow back.

All we do is keep the compost moist with de min water(Melted ice cubes) and it is happy.
We do give it a summer holiday each year. It goes to the garden.

It is about 4 years old and that's all we do.

 

[Richard.]

I would physically feed my Venus fly trap during the winter months and keep it warm. Small Bits of ham in a couple of traps saw it through a few winters. It trebled in size.

 

[julianf]

Dont feed them.

Also, what is your water like there? They are very intolerant of hard alkaline water. Also never plant them in normal compost.

 

[Browser]

We always use rainwater as this was the advice given us and its been OK so far.

 

[chris y]

I have a flytrap, it doesnt die off in winter.

I water it with rainwater, they don't like tapwater apparently..

No need to feed them, although they can eat flies they are still plants so can use nutrients from the water and photosynthesis to live like any other plant. I don't think they need flies and mine certainly doesn't get any for most of the year and only what it catches naturally in summer.

Don't repot in normal compost, apparently that can kill them.

 

[Richard.]

Dont feed them.

Your right. Google advises against feeding them anything other than bugs.
Mine was quite happy with its winter ham and it got very big (until the ex threw it in the skip ) but probably best the op ignores my advice

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Just don't go buying any Triffids.

 

[Browser]

.....(until the ex threw it in the skip ).......

One imagines you were quite miffed you'd not fed your ex to the plant at some point?

 

[Browser]

Just don't go buying any Triffids.

Now there's an idea!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Now there's an idea!

Honestly Officer, I have no idea what could have happened to my wife............

 

[Richard.]

One imagines you were quite miffed you'd not fed your ex to the plant at some point?

Never crossed my mind

 

[Browser]

I'd imagine it galloped through it rather than crossing it, with scenarios similar to The Empire Strikes Back and the desert/Sarlacc scene featuring prominently

 

[daedalusminos]

Try and encourage Venus flytraps to go dormant through winter they need that to recover. They'll die off, remove the dead black traps, cut back on watering until spring.

 

[bigegg]

I'd imagine it galloped through it rather than crossing it, with scenarios similar to The Empire Strikes Back and the desert/Sarlacc scene featuring prominently

[Mode="geek"]
That was return of the jedi.
You're thinking of the big worm in the asteroid - which *was* in empire.
[/Mode]

 

[mcostello]

WE have stink bugs here and I sense a plan forming.

 

[bump]

Pitchers do go into a dormant state over winter. They'll just spring back to growing when it warms up.

I've had mine for 15 years and it does it every year.

 

[MattF]

Never crossed my mind

I'm banking there'd be high demand and a lot of fledgling botanists if any plant was large enough/capable.

 

[Richard.]

I'm banking there'd be high demand and a lot of fledgling botanists if any plant was large enough/capable.

Hence feeding it ham through winter.
I was plumping it up to take a proper bite.

 

[MattF]

Hence feeding it ham through winter.
I was plumping it up to take a proper bite.

I like your logic.