How on earth do they survive in the wild?

[venusflytrapman]

I know there has already been loads of threads on this, but I can't find them if there is: How come venus flytraps just die when it rains in the wild, and all the traps get closed? I wanted to put mine in my mini bog, but the same problem is at hand. Is there any way to avoid this?

[I_Pereira]

You don't need to, because they don't die 8)

[venusflytrapman]

But they must, if the rain wastses all their energy by closing the traps.

[greenBen]

I believe the trigger mechanism the trap uses to catch insects is designed to prevent accidental tripping by rain water!

If your VFTs die in a bog garden then I would guess the cause is something else.

greenBen

[randomstranger]

The quick answer is they don't, the trigger hairs detect whether there is live prey in the trap so assuming they do close from heavy showers, they will reopen again when there is no movement from inside the trap.

I have several in minibogs and they're fine, a little slow to get growing in spring but nothing terminal. :)

[CPsinSC]

Not sure where you heard this from, but it's not true. I live about 4 hours west of vft's natural habitat and I have numerous (all growing outside) and have never experienced anything you're talking about. Why would they die when it rains?

My vft's have been through rains that caused flooding and even marble sized hail - Not a single one has died and the traps usually only close for prey (if they don't have prey, they'll reopen).

[venusflytrapman]

I would prefer to repot after all this rain, though, I'd like it to get off to a good start with some strong photosynthesis.

[Guest Aidan]

But they must, if the rain wastses all their energy by closing the traps.

I guess this must be the reason why Dionaea is extinct...

[Stephen Crane]

I doubt the species would survive this long if each movement triggered a response...It may well have evolved its own greenhouse to put up when weather became inclement

[glider14]

i dont quite understand what your saying either.... trigger hairs have to be touched twice within somthing like...20 seconds. even if one does close the trigger hairs would have to be touched several more times to make the trap close tighter. teasing the traps dosent waste energy because of this. they only possible way to make the trap close fully with out a bug is to get a toothpick...force it inside the trap and continually tease it. mother nature wouldnt create VFTs if they would die from rain :)

its not a smart move to repot now...in the middle of the growing season that will have a better chance of killing them. and then i dont know how repotting would help with photosynthesis.

rain wont kill your VFT. there is somthing wrong with 1)your water or 2)your soil or 3)your growing conditions other than the first 2.

Alex

[brad]

The traps do not typically close in the rain.

The natural range of Dionaea receives upwards of 45 inches of rain per year. Often by torrential violent thunder storms, also they are the central target of the most hurricane land falls on the planet. Dionaea is not only, very rain tolerant, it is absolutely rain dependant for its survival. The most common site for Dionaea is at pocosin streamheads which are the headwaters of the land they grow in and are completely dependent on the overhead rainfall. They do not rely on snowpack melt like Darlingtonia, or often long distance water seepage like many Sarracenia sites. (There are however rare Dionaea seepage sites in existence).

Dionaea sites are exceptionally unique, they occur between the dry savanna and the true wetland dependent sites. Dionaea gets its water directly from the rain. Between storms the sites tend to dry. Dionaea often grows with Sarracenia, but the true Sarracenia areas tend to be wetter with less drying with more seepage water passing through them. Still farther down where the water eventually collects and becomes near stagnant in the true wetland sites which all CP avoid, except some aquatic utrics.

Summary, Dionaea requires abundant year round rain, and the plant is adapted to rainfall, and the traps do not typically close in the rain.

Brad

Ventura California

[Guest FredG]

<---- detects an overloaded cell

[venusflytrapman]

I see. I'll repot just after dormancy, so then there is no leafs that can be accidentally triggered.

[glider14]

no...repotting shocks the roots....ITS NOT GOING TO DIE/GET WEAK FROM TRIGGERING TRAPS. the leaves will die faster...but the plant will make more leaves.

Alex

[Guest Aidan]

ITS NOT GOING TO DIE/GET WEAK FROM TRIGGERING TRAPS.

Repeatedly triggering traps will do plants absolutely no good at all and is detrimental to their health. If nothing else, it prevents the capture of prey items.

Triggering the odd trap during potting is not a problem and they will soon reopen

[Guest FredG]

Just don't repot at a whim...... leave the plant in peace

[EdaxFlamma]

I always thought they grew in those little plastic cubes in the wild... Still wish mine would grow those little cubes...

I'll just have to keep waiting

-J.P.

[jimscott]

While I wouldn't recommend repotting in the growing season, it still can be done without setting back the plant. All one needs to do is prepare a new pot first, with a depression in the middle, and gently coax the entire contents of the pot, as one unit. Then place the "plug" in the depression and water from above.

[Guest Sheila]

but what would be the point Jim? Vfts have two or three long roots that go straight down, so the plant wouldn't even notice the fresh peat let alone make any use of it.

[venusflytrapman]

Oh, I thought it took energy out of the rhizome to shut it's trap. Ah, but, the plant has more room to spead into if there is more room.

[Guest FredG]

There's that simple volume again

[Nepenthesfreak]

I once repotted a VFT very violently and it showed pretty much no sign of shock at all. I was trying to dig under the roots to kind of push the plant gently up, and the whole thing just popped out about 2 feet into the air and landed on the grass. Now, about a month later, it's exploded with growth and now has 10 traps, and when I got it it had 4.