If you are looking to grow a carnivorous plant, then one of the best options available is a venus fly trap. However, when it comes to plants, one of the most important things to keep in mind if you are going to keep it in your home is how big it will get.
Since growing a venus fly trap is quite popular due to how well known the species of plant is (also known officially as dionaea muscipula) there is a lot of information on growing it, and some of the most common information is how big it grows.
So, for a quick answer, venus fly traps will usually grow to be between 5 and 6 inches in their diameter, however, they can grow up to 12 inches in certain conditions, but this is not common. The trap of a venus fly trap will usually be around 1.5 inches big.
When growing venus fly traps yourself, you will notice that in the later period of spring they will start to grow smaller white flowers, and these will self pollinate.
You can actually gather seeds from the entire stalk in the late months of summer when it dries up and turns black.
The area that venus fly traps are native to is only a 90-mile radius surrounding Wilmington North Carolina which is a USDA zone of native habitat zone 8.
So, now you know more about how big and where venus fly traps grow, let’s give you more information about growing venus fly traps so you can be as informed as possible if you choose to grow this species yourself!
Growing Your Venus Fly Trap
So, we have already gone over how big your venus fly trap will get when you are growing one yourself, as well as where they grow natively, but there is much more to learn if you want to grow a venus fly trap yourself!
One thing to keep in mind is to ensure that you are getting your venus fly trap or your seeds from a trustworthy source.
You might not know, but one of the most common threats to venus fly traps and a big part of the reason why they are currently being evaluated to see if they are endangered is that they are commonly poached.
If your venus fly trap is weedy looking, and the soil it is growing in is not uniform, then there is a chance that it has been illegally poached and not sourced sustainably, so keep this in mind!
Where To Grow?
The best spot to choose when it comes to growing your venus fly trap will be outdoors, and more specifically you will want to keep it in a pot or some kind of container.
We love having venus fly traps on a sunny deck or a patio, however, it will also work well near a fountain or a pond. However, you want to ensure that the crown of the venus fly trap will be above water to keep it healthy.
It is also worth noting that because of specific soil requirements, you want to not plant your venus fly trap directly into your ground. The only time you can do this is if you have developed a specific type of bog-like garden that will specifically allow for this.
Sunlight
Now, during the growing season for your venus fly trap, you will want your venus fly trap outside where it can get full sun. You want it to have at least 6 hours of direct sunlight if you want it to grow as well as possible.
If you are not able to provide this full sunlight, then it will still be able to grow with 4 hours of direct sunlight, or with bright indirect light for the rest of the day as well.
If you grow it like this, it is not going to be as sturdy or as vibrant as one that has grown fully in the sun, however, the overall health of the plant can still be maintained.
Heat Tolerance
If you live in a warmer climate, then you do not need to worry too much about venus fly traps since they are able to tolerate this type of climate well naturally!
The area from which venus fly traps originate has temperatures that tend to be above 90 Fahrenheit consistently, however, the temperature of the soil is moderated due to cooler spring water, so this needs to be acknowledged as well.
If you are planning to grow your venus fly trap in a container, then you want to ensure that you are monitoring the soil temperature. You might not need to shade the plant in the hotter months, but you might need to water it more often to keep the roots cool.
The plant will start to overheat if the temperature goes over 110 Fahrenheit. Make sure to keep an eye on the soil when it gets over 100 Fahrenheit in your climate!
Water
When growing your venus fly trap, you want the pot to be in standing water the whole time and the soil should never be able to dry out completely!
When growing the venus fly trap you want to ensure that you are using mineral free water so using bottled distilled water should work fine, or collected rain.
If you are growing your venus fly trap near a fountain or pond, ensure the water is not higher than halfway up the pot!
Summary
Hopefully this guide has given you all the information you need when it comes to growing your venus fly trap, and specifically looking at how big it will get.
For most people their venus fly trap will not grow to be any larger than 6 inches, however, if it starts to get significantly bigger than this, make sure you find specific advice on how you can look after it properly since most advice for growing venus fly traps is based on their regular size of growth and nothing much bigger than this!
