Flycatcher plant. How to grow a predatory flower in the house? Venus flytrap

Venus flytrap or Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that grows in peat bogs among pine forests in the eastern United States, near Atlantic Ocean where the wet reigns temperate climate. It became carnivorous in the process of evolution due to a lack in the soil of the main nutrients necessary for the growth and development of the plant.

The soil on which the Venus flytrap grows has a lack of nitrogen, and its balance is shifted to the acid side. Without a sufficient supply of nitrogen to the plant body, it is difficult for the plant to synthesize proteins and thus continue to grow. Therefore, to replenish nitrogen reserves, the Venus flytrap hunts for insects and digests them. This means that every fly or ant caught and digested by this plant acts as a nitrogen fertilizer, stimulating the growth and development of Dionaea muscipula.

The Venus flytrap hunts for insects with the help of leaves (there are from 4 to 7 of them in a plant), which have a unique structure. The leaf of a plant has two main areas:

• The wide part is called the base of the leaf. There are all conditions for photosynthesis and nutrition with the help of the root system.
• The part that acts as a trap is called the leaf blade.

The blade is located along the edge of the sheet, which consists of two halves connected by a longitudinal vein. Each flycatcher trap has two to five "trigger hairs" on each lobe (usually three). Along the edge of the blade are denticles shaped like fingers. In Latin they are called cilia. When the trap closes, these fingers intertwine. The base of the leaf and the blade (trap) are connected by a piece called a petiole (a botanical term for the stem of a leaf).

Closing mechanism

The top of each side of a Venus flytrap trap is colored with anthocyanins, pigments that give the surface of the trap its red coloration. This coloring is the main bait for insects in this plant. The cells of the trap also secrete a sticky substance, which is a type of protein. After the insect crawls into the trap, it begins to wallow on the slippery and sticky surface, greedily licking this substance, touching the trigger hairs that signal the trap to close.

The trap closing mechanism of the Venus flytrap can be divided into four main phases:

1. Initial slam.
2. The compression phase.
3. sealing phase.
4. reopening phase.

"Trigger hairs" are indicators for the plant, which determines by their fluctuations that potential prey is trapped. If two hairs are touched at once or one is touched twice in a row within 30 seconds, the trap closes in a tenth of a second.

The flapping movement of the Venus flytrap is one of the fastest movements that plants are capable of. The amount of time it takes Dionaea muscipula to slam shut is highly dependent on ambient temperature, lighting, plant health and other factors. However, the trap of a healthy plant in warm conditions closes very quickly.

The details of the slamming process are actually quite complex. Scientists are currently investigating this process and are putting forward various hypotheses, which include an instantaneous increase in cell size and an “unstable latch state”, which are under the control of this plant.

Recent studies conducted in 2005 by Harvard scientists show that the Venus Flytrap's trap closing mechanism is based on biochemical and elastic processes. They cause the leaf tissues to stretch to the point of instability, and when the hairs are touched, the plant instantly pumps water into the leaf, causing it to collapse.

Compression phase

If the initial closing of the trap is successful, the contraction phase begins, which lasts about half an hour. The process looks like this. In the process of fighting, the insect inside the trap continues to touch the “trigger hairs”. This signals to the flycatcher that it is necessary to clamp the doors further in order to keep the victim inside. If the insect is small enough, it is able to slip through the teeth of the trap and escape.

The contraction phase does not occur if the slam is unsuccessful in finding prey. This happens if, when the flaps collapse, the insect managed to get out of the trap or there was a fluctuation of the hairs caused by other sheets, raindrops, or a person who put a finger in there. Then the trap begins to slowly open and opens completely in a day or two. But if this touching of the hairs occurs several times, it can lead to blackening and death of the trap. In subsequent times, the collapse rate of the same trap drops significantly.

Sealing and opening phases

If the trap has successfully captured the prey and the insect has not escaped before the contraction phase begins, the sealing phase begins. During this phase, the teeth of the trap move forward and outward, so that they no longer intertwine with each other. As a result, the edges of the flycatcher lobes (blades) on both sides are tightly pressed against each other. When the seal becomes dense and impenetrable, digestive enzymes begin to be released. The insect sinks in them and is gradually digested.

Over the next 5-12 days, the trap remains closed for the duration of digestion. At this time, digestive enzymes continue to be released, dissolving soft tissues insect. stand out nutrients contained in the tissues of the insect in the form in which they can be absorbed by the leaf of the flycatcher.

The amount of time required to completely digest the prey depends on the age of the insect, the trap and the temperature. environment. The larger the insect, the longer it takes to digest. The older the trap, the slower the release of digestive enzymes, the warmer the weather, the faster digestion.

For a perfect "lunch", the insect should be one-third the size of the trap. If the insect is too large, or if any part of it hangs from the trap, the seal may not be tight. Because of this, the trap may die. It turns black, dies and falls away from the plant. Basic part The leaf will continue to supply energy to the plant through photosynthesis, but new blades with teeth capable of hunting will no longer grow on it.

After the end of dinner, the leaf absorbs substances along with the digestive fluid that the plant received as a result of the digestion of prey. This signals the plant to open the trap again. All that remains after dinner by this time is the external skeleton of the insect. It can be washed away by rain, blown away by the wind, but it can also serve as bait for the next victim. Very often, spiders or ants are lured by a corpse, which ends with the next dinner for the Venus flytrap.

After several successful hunts in a row, the trap ceases to function. The plant itself lives much longer: with favorable conditions it can function for twenty years.

Growing a plant at home

Although the Venus flytrap is found in nature only in the eastern United States, it can also be grown at home. The plant is very picky, so it requires careful care. Experts recommend growing Dionaea muscipula in an aquarium that will provide the plant with the necessary level of humidity. Venus flytrap should not be placed in the shade or in the sun, otherwise it will quickly die. The ideal option is to grow on the window, which is located on the east side of the house.

You can't touch the Venus flytrap. If you touch the trap a couple of times, after a while the trap will turn yellow and fall off.

Dionaea muscipula should not be watered with tap water: better rain or distilled, fertilizers should not be added to the water. This must be done carefully, making sure that the earth is moist, and not wet, otherwise root system plants will start to rot. Spray the Venus flytrap several times a day.

The flycatcher needs to be fed once every fourteen days. It is undesirable to put dead insects: only live ones. Even better if Dionea hunts on her own. For this purpose, live insects must be lowered into the aquarium. Then Dionaea muscipula can handle itself. At the same time, she will be able to independently decide when she needs to have lunch.

In winter, the Venus flytrap will hibernate for 2-5 months - and decreases in size. The leaves are getting Brown color and fall away. This allows the plant to continue its life as long as possible.

Are you familiar with the Venus Flytrap flower? It is one of the most famous insect eaters and has a special trap for this purpose. Today it has been brought to our country and is very popular among flower growers. Venus flytrap, care at home for which is not difficult, will become not only a decoration of your home, but also its main attraction. How to grow this unusual, exotic plant? We invite you to get to know him better.

Venus flytrap home care

How to care for a Venus flytrap?

Since the flower is native to the hot east coast of the United States, it is very difficult to tolerate cold, drafts and lack of sunlight. If you purchased such a plant, then be sure to take care to put it in a well-lit place. Another prerequisite for the full growth of the flower is the presence of prey. Therefore, caring for a Venus flytrap is more like caring for a pet. It is not necessary to feed the plant often - no more than once every 10 days.

As for the prey, it must be alive, not too large so that the plant valves can completely close and infection does not get inside. Why does a fly have to be alive? In order for the plant to understand that it is food, the prey must move by irritating the plant's hairs. As soon as the hairs touch each other, the trap will work and the shell will completely close.

IMPORTANT! It is best to grow a Venus flytrap in special glass containers with well-thought-out ventilation. In this case, insects can be released to fly, and the flower will decide for itself when it will “dine”. If the shutters work too often, the trap will quickly die. Then you have to cut it off from the main trunk, waiting for a new one to grow.

Caring for a Venus flytrap at home consists of:

• Proper lighting. The flower needs bright light and no shade. But you do not need to put the pot under the direct rays of the scorching sun, especially in summer period time. It is better to slightly cover the window, not blocking the flow of ultraviolet radiation. What to do in winter? AT room conditions the plant is recommended to be placed under fluorescent lamp so that it does not lose its bright color and leaf shape.
• Regular watering. It is not recommended to water the flower with tap water, since it consists of a large number of additional compounds that have a detrimental effect on the plant. It is better to use purified or rain water. In the bottom of the pot you need to make a good drainage system, thanks to which the water will not stagnate in the pot, and provoke rotting of the root system.
• Additional nutrition. Once every ten days, the plant needs to be fed with insects. But it is imperative to get a large dose of sunlight.

If you want the Venus flytrap to live at home for a long time, it should be at rest for some time. If you ignore this requirement, the plant will quickly begin to weaken and lose strength. During sleep, the plant is not very attractive and even gives the impression of a sick person. But it seems so only at first glance. Usually this condition lasts no more than 3 months and begins somewhere in November. The only thing that needs to be done to maintain the life of the plant is watering. Watering should be small, it is impossible to fill a flower during this period.

So, Venus flytrap, home care behind which is simple, will be a real attraction of your home. This plant can be grown by anyone, even a beginner grower. You just need to follow our recommendations.

See also video:

Venus flytrap. Caring for Dionea

In nature, there are predatory plants. Venus flytrap or dionea (Dionaea muscipula) is one of them. This herbaceous perennial of the sundew family has a rosette of 4-7 bright leaves with teeth along the edges and digestive glands. When touched, each leaf can close like an oyster shell. An insect or other creature attracted by a leaf that touches the hairs in its center is almost instantly trapped. Both halves will close and remain closed until the prey is digested. This process can take five to 10 days. If a leaf of dionea misses, or something inedible gets into it, it will reopen in half an hour. Each trap leaf can process up to seven insects during its life.

The flower behaves this way because its habitat in the wild is infertile soil, and insects become for it additional source nitrogen, phosphorus and other necessary substances.

The Venus flytrap lives only in the United States, in wetlands in North and South Carolina. However, with success and with some trouble, it can easily settle on the windowsill of your apartment. For information on how to grow a Venus flytrap and about the features of caring for it at home, read our material.

Did you know? It takes approximately 30 seconds for the flycatcher to recognize its prey.

Choosing a place for a flycatcher

Immediately make a reservation that the process of growing this plant will not be simple, since Dionea will need to provide natural conditions for her. So, the flycatcher needs to be watered with rainwater, make sure that the ground under the plant is constantly wet, take care of it, and also feed it periodically.
However, first things first. And we will start with recommendations for choosing a habitat for the flycatcher.

Temperature

Dionea is a heat-loving plant. At the same time, year-round being only at room temperature She won't be able to live long. The temperature regime must be maintained artificially.

The optimum temperature for its growth in autumn and spring will be + 22-28 ºС. The highest temperature limit for a plant in summer will be +35 ºС. In winter, for 3-4 months, the flycatcher is at rest, at this time it needs to provide a temperature of 0 to +10 ºС.

Since the plant is very sensitive to changes in temperature regime, most often it is planted in glass greenhouses, florariums. It is also easier to maintain the optimal air humidity for the plant - 70%.

Did you know? In its homeland, Dionea is under the threat of extinction, since its collection for illegal trade is widespread there. The Venus flytrap is listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Lighting

The exotic carnivore likes well-lit places, but not in direct sunlight. It is better if the light to it will be diffused. For its cultivation, windows, balconies, loggias facing west or east are suitable. It could be South side, but in this case it will be necessary to take care of shelter from direct rays. It is important that the light source is always on one side. You should not rotate the pot with the flycatcher - she does not like it. With insufficient natural light it is possible to use artificial lighting. The flycatcher needs access to light for at least four hours a day to thrive. Artificial lighting during the growing season will need to be used for 12-14 hours a day.

Important! If suddenly the trap leaves of your flycatcher change color to a duller one, stretch out and become thinner, then most likely the plant is deprived of sunlight.

The choice of dishes for planting

The best place to plant a Venus flytrap would be an aquarium or other glass container. They will protect the plant from drafts and at the same time give access to fresh air. The container in which the flower is planned to be planted should be at least 10-12 cm deep and have drainage holes. It is desirable to have a pallet in which to maintain required humidity you need to put moss.

Soil for Venus

In order for the Venus flytrap to please you at home as long as possible, you must follow certain rules on lighting, watering and selection of soil for planting.

We have already written that in nature a predator plant grows on poor soils. Therefore, in an apartment, it will also be able to live in such soils, however, with good drainage. The best option will be a mixture of quartz sand and high-moor peat (1: 1) or a mixture of perlite and high-moor peat (1: 1). Perlite seven days before planting must be soaked in distilled water, changing it twice during this time.

You can also use the substrate in the following composition: peat, perlite and sand (4:2:1). It is recommended to change the soil every two to three years.

Important! When choosing peat, it should be noted that the natural acidity of the soil in which flycatchers grow is 3.5-4.5.

Planting, reproduction and transplantation of venus

Dionea, purchased in a store, is better to immediately transplant into a pre-prepared soil. To do this, the plant must be carefully removed from the pot along with a clod of earth. Next, the roots from this earth must be cleaned, you can rinse them in distilled water. After that, the flycatcher is planted in a container prepared for it with a substrate, having previously made a small hole. The stem of the Venus flytrap must be sprinkled with earth; when transplanting, it is not necessary to compact the soil.

In the future, carnivorous transplant better in spring, however, transplantation is also allowed in autumn period. The plant gets used to the new soil within five weeks.

Dionea reproduces in three ways:seeds, dividing bulbs and cuttings. Let's describe the features of each of them in more detail.

The method of dividing the bush

The older the plant becomes, the more daughter bulbs it will have. Bulbs can be carefully, without disturbing the roots, separated from the mother flower and planted in a new container, which is desirable to be placed in a greenhouse. It is better to use this method no more than once every three years.

With the help of cuttings

For cultivation, a cutting is taken without a trap. It must be planted at an angle in a container with wet peat at the bottom. white color. Place the container in a greenhouse, where to maintain one hundred percent humidity and lighting. Sprouts should appear within a month. Plants that can be used for planting will grow in two to three months.

seed way

The seed method is more complex than the vegetative method. To grow dionea from seeds, you need to buy seed material in a specialized store, prepare a substrate (70% sphagnum moss and 30% sand) and a greenhouse. The greenhouse is made from any container small size. It is covered with a lid or film.

Seeds before planting in the ground should be treated with a solution of "Topaz" (add two or three drops to distilled water). Then they must be placed in the substrate, without sprinkling with earth. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Place the container in the sun or under artificial lighting. Optimum temperature for seed germination - + 24-29 ºС. The period for which seedlings should appear is 15-40 days. During this time, you need to maintain the required level of humidity.

After the appearance of the first two leaves, the cover will need to be removed periodically in order to harden the plants. A little later, after a month or two, the seedlings can dive into pots.

An even more time-consuming way would be to propagate the flycatcher using self-extracted seeds. Flowering should be expected from Dionea two years of age and older. It blooms with beautiful white flowers. In order to obtain seed material, the flowers will need to be pollinated by hand. A month after flowering, the flycatcher will give fruit in the form of a box. Seeds extracted from a dry box must be planted immediately (within two days) in the ground, because over time they lose their ability to germinate.

plant care

An adult dionea, or a Venus flytrap, requires special care. Firstly, the soil in the pot must be constantly moist, its drying out is unacceptable. However, in winter period waterlogging can lead to root rot, so watering should be moderate.

Watering a Venus Flytrap

Watering should be done with distilled or rain water. Tap water, even settled, is prohibited.

Water the flycatcher under the root or pour water into the pan. It is important to avoid liquid stagnation. The flower also requires regular spraying.

The Venus flytrap plant, or, as it is also called, Dionea, is one of the types of insectivorous predatory crops belonging to the sundew family.

General information

In the wild, the flower grows in swampy areas in the peatlands of North Carolina and New Jersey. This plant is endangered in America, so conservation organizations are monitoring it.

The Venus flytrap was discovered in 1760. At the same time, botanists named her Dionea in honor of Greek goddess Venus, who was the mother of Aphrodite. As a room culture, the plant is very popular and is grown all over the globe.

Monotypic genus Dioneus

The Venus flytrap is the only member of its genus. However, botanists still distinguish several varieties of culture that have minor differences among themselves.

Dionea is a predatory herbaceous perennial belonging to the sundew family. Plant height is up to 15 centimeters. The stem of the culture is bulbous, the inflorescences are white, corymbose, located on a long peduncle.

Since the flower grows in swampy soil with a low content of nitrogen, this element, necessary for growth and development, it receives from insects and slugs, which it catches with its traps.

The leaf plates of the culture grow from a short stem, forming a rosette. Usually, one flycatcher bush has from 4 to 7 bright green leaves. Flower traps appear after flowering. Their length is from 8 to 15 centimeters. They have green tint outside and red inside. They grow on short petioles collected in rosettes. Petioles begin to lengthen over time and take a vertical position.

The traps are two slamming flaps with teeth along the edges. Inside them there are glands that produce a sweet substance that attract insects. In addition to the glands, there are three small outgrowths in the traps that close as soon as the dionea grabs a fly or a slug.

After the insect is in the trap, the culture begins to secrete digestive juice, with the help of which the prey is digested, lasting from 5 to 10 days, after which the trap opens again. The death of leaf traps occurs after they have caught and digested two to three insects, but it also happens that they continue to live until their catch reaches seven victims.

Venus flytrap home care

For normal growth and development of the plant, it must be placed on the eastern or western windowsill. You can put the culture in the south, but only if you shade it from the midday sun. The plant really likes fresh air, so the room in which it is located must be constantly ventilated, but at the same time it should be protected from drafts.

In summer, the culture must be taken out to the balcony so that it can catch insects. In order for Dionea to have enough light in the spring and autumn period of time and its leaves not to turn pale and not stretch, it should be illuminated with a phytolamp, making sure that its daylight hours are at least 12-14 hours.

If the culture is grown in terrariums in order to maintain high humidity air, in this case, the phytolamp must be used up to 15 hours a day. Since the flycatcher is thermophilic culture, during the vegetative period and the formation of leaf traps, the temperature indicators of its content should be 22-30 degrees.

During the dormant period, which lasts from three to four months for Dionea, it should be transferred to a cool room where the temperature will not exceed 7-10 degrees.

Rosyanka is also a member of the Rosyankovye family of carnivorous plants. Grown in home care without special trouble, if you follow the rules of agricultural technology. You can find all the necessary recommendations for growing and caring in this article.

Watering a Venus Flytrap

Since in natural environment Habitat The Venus flytrap grows in depleted soil, its root system reacts poorly to components found in normal tap water. Therefore, the plant should be watered with rain, distilled, filtered or boiled water, which should be stored in glassware.

The soil in a pot with a carnivorous plant must always be moist, otherwise Dionea can get sick and die. Watering the flower is carried out only in the pan. Top watering is unacceptable due to the fact that the soil begins to compact, depriving the root system of access to oxygen. To upper layer the earth of the mixture dried out less, it is necessary to mulch the pot with sphagnum moss.

For a better soil drink, pour so much water into the pan so that it is only enough to cover the bottom of the pot with drainage holes, then the soil will be well moistened and the flood will not occur.

It is necessary to monitor the quality of the water in the pan. It shouldn't be stagnant. In summer, when the temperature begins to rise, the flycatcher should be sprayed daily to maintain the required humidity. In winter, spraying is excluded, but the state of the soil must be constantly monitored so that it does not dry out and is not waterlogged.

soil for the venus flytrap

The soil for the Venus flytrap should be lunch. If she is planted in nutrient soil, then its root system will not be able to absorb mineral salts from the earth and the culture will die.

The best substrate for a flower will be high-moor peat mixed with quartz sand in equal parts. Quartz sand can be replaced with perlite, previously well soaked in distilled water.

When choosing peat, it should be borne in mind that in nature the plant grows in soils with an acidity of 3.5 to 4.5 pH.

Venus flytrap pot

The Venus flytrap should be planted in a light-colored pot, but many growers grow it in aquariums or terrariums. Under such conditions, the plant will be protected from drafts, but at the same time fresh air will flow well to it. If the planting of the crop is carried out in an ordinary pot, then its diameter should not be more than 12 centimeters, and the depth should not be more than 20 centimeters.

The color of the container also has great importance. If a dark pot is chosen, the roots will begin to overheat in the sun, which will eventually lead to the death of the plant. The surface of the substrate to protect the roots from the sun and dry the mixture to the ground must be covered with wet sphagnum.

The pot must have drainage holes and a tray. Drainage is not needed when planting a dionea. The pallet should always contain a large number of fresh water to maintain optimal soil moisture.

Venus flytrap transplant

When buying a plant in a store, it should be immediately transplanted into a mixture prepared in advance. To do this, you need to remove the flower from the pot, clean the root system from the soil and rinse it in warm boiled water.

In the prepared pot, you need to lay out a layer of soil, then place the plant on it, carefully straightening the root system and sprinkling it along with the stem with the remaining earth. It is not necessary to press the mixture to the ground. After transplanting, the plant should be watered and transferred to warm place with light shade.

Adaptation in a new pot and soil will last about a month. At this time, the culture should be carefully cared for.

Dionea does not need to be replanted annually. The soil of the plant is not depleted and does not become saline, therefore, a transplant should be carried out every 3-5 years, or only in case of root decay due to waterlogging of the substrate.

How and what to feed the Venus flytrap at home?

The plant does not need fertilizers, since its root system does not take nutrients from the soil, but synthesizes them independently from insects caught with the help of leaf traps. Most often, the flycatcher feeds on bees, slugs, flies and spiders. From them, the culture receives nitrogen, which it needs for growth and development.

In the summer, you can provide her with such food without problems, but at the beginning of spring, you will need to purchase insects for feeding in a pet store and only alive. Meat and dead insects should not be given to the flycatcher!

Feed the green pet should be twice a month. Avoid feeding hard-shelled insects and large beetles to the plant, as they will damage the trap. A sick dionea can not be fed until complete recovery. It is also not recommended to feed a recently transplanted culture. This should not be done during the rest period.

Feeding Factors for the Venus Flytrap

It is necessary to ensure that the insects are small and completely placed in the trap. If part of the fly or beetle remains outside, the trap will not close completely. She will not be able to digest prey, as a result of which she will turn black and fall off. The ideal option would be small flies, occupying 1/3 of the trap in size.

You should also take into account the fact that dionea reacts to insects only when it lacks nitrogen, at other times they are simply not interesting to it.

And one more important factor associated with plant nutrition. Do not touch the trap leaves once again. Since touching them can lead to idle slamming, which as a result will cause rapid blackening and death of traps , as well as when large insects enter them.

One meal should be made for one or two traps, no more. After feeding, they should be remembered and not fed for two months, choosing several others for this purpose.

Due to overeating, the plant can get sick and die, so home culture this process must be controlled. And if she catches insects on fresh air, then no power control is needed.

venus flytrap flowering

The Venus flytrap blooms in late spring or early summer. A long peduncle grows from a leaf rosette with a corymbose inflorescence at the end, consisting of small white flowers.

The inflorescence, although it looks uncomplicated, but it smells very pleasant. Flowering culture lasts for two months, after which seeds are formed.

Venus flytrap pruning

The plant does not need pruning, but to maintain decorativeness, dried ones should be removed. sheet plates, traps and peduncles. The only case when this procedure may be required is the process of obtaining seeds.

If the grower is not interested in seed material that ripens by autumn, he needs to cut off the peduncle with inflorescences until they bloom. This is done in order not to deplete the flower with long flowering and to allow it to form healthy traps.

How to get venus flytrap seeds?

To obtain seed material, during the flowering of the plant, pollination of flowers should be carried out manually using a cotton swab, or the culture should be taken out on open air and let the insects do it.

If the process was successful, then in a month, miniature boxes with seeds will begin to form, which can later be used to obtain new plants.

Venus flytrap wintering

Starting from the end of September, a period of rest begins for Dionea. A sign of its onset is the cessation of the formation of new leaf plates, as well as the darkening and falling off of the old ones. In addition, the socket begins to decrease in size. During hibernation, the plant should stop feeding.

Feeding should be resumed only in the spring. Watering should be kept to a minimum, and water from the pan should be poured out. However, at the same time, the grower must ensure that the soil does not dry out, because if this happens, the plant will die.

With the onset of December, the flycatcher is transferred to a cool room, where temperatures will vary from 2 to 10 degrees. Some take the culture to the basement or to the insulated balcony, having previously packed the flycatcher in a plastic bag.

In February, the plant begins to slowly wake up from sleep. You can help him in this by transferring him to his usual habitat - a warm and bright room. The leaf plates remaining after wintering are cut off and they begin to care for the flycatcher in the usual way. Dionea will fully wake up at the end of May, after which she will again grow and begin to hunt insects.

Growing a Venus Flytrap from Seeds

The most troublesome way to propagate a plant is seed. Since the seed material quickly loses its germination capacity, it should be sown three months after pollination of the inflorescences.

Seeding is carried out in warm soil, a mixture consisting of sphagnum (70%) and quartz sand (30%), which can be replaced with perlite. If the seeds are purchased in a store, then before planting, it is necessary to carry out stratification in the refrigerator for 1.5 months, after wrapping them in wet moss and packing them in a bag.

Ready seeds must be scattered on the surface of the soil without embedding and sprayed with distilled water using a spray bottle. Then you need to transfer the container to a warm and bright place, covering it with polyethylene. All this time, the greenhouse should be ventilated and monitor the soil moisture.

After three weeks, shoots will appear, and when they germinate, they dive in small containers until they grow completely. transplant young plant on the permanent place growth is carried out in three to four years.

Venus flytrap propagation by cuttings

Propagating dionea with the help of leaf cuttings, a leaf is cut off from the plant and treated with a growth stimulator, after which the cutting is planted at an angle in a moist substrate of peat and perlite, covered plastic bottle and removed to a warm and bright place.

From time to time, the cutting needs to be ventilated and moisten the soil. After three months, shoots will begin to appear. It should be borne in mind that the cuttings are quite often damaged by fungal diseases during the rooting process.

Reproduction of the Venus flytrap by dividing the bush

The simplest and reliable way reproduction is a bush division, which is carried out during transplantation. For this purpose, the plant is taken out of the pot, the earth is shaken off the roots and carefully separated from mother plant child sockets, seating them in separate containers.

Young cultures are kept in partial shade until they adapt to the new substrate.

Diseases and pests

Despite the fact that this culture is a predator and eats insects, it sometimes also suffers from them. Most often, the plant is attacked by aphids or spider mites, which feed on the juice of traps, stems and leaves, leading to wilting and death. You can get rid of these pests by treating the plant with Actellik according to the instructions on the package.

Diseases that threaten the plant develop against the background of improper care, or rather, waterlogging of the soil. If the soil is long time excessively moistened, then soot fungus or gray rot will begin to appear on the culture.

Get rid of these ailments of fungal etiology will help the drug "Fitosporin". However, before proceeding with the processing, it is necessary to remove the affected parts of the culture and remove the top layer of the earth, which also probably infected the fungus.

The greatest danger to the Venus flytrap is bactericidal diseases that develop in the case of "improper" digestion of insects. This situation occurs when the flycatcher catches too big fly and she does not fit in the trap. As a result, the insect trap begins to rot, blacken and infect the entire plant. To avoid infection and restore Dionaea's health, the affected area should be removed and treated with Actellik.

Conclusion

This exotic predator attracts flower growers not only for its decorative effect, but also for its interesting lifestyle, or rather, hunting for insects.

There are subtleties in caring for him, but if they are taken into account and observed, you can grow a beautiful and healthy flower, which will delight with its unusualness for many years.

Dionea or Venus flycatcher is a small predatory carnivorous trap plant with a very unusual, exotic appearance. She takes root quite well in indoor conditions, it is interesting to watch her both adults and children.

Description and features of Dionea

Dionea got its name from the goddess Dione, mother of Aphrodite or Venus. Therefore, its second name is the Venus flytrap. Translated from Latin Dionea musclepula ( muscle ) means mousetrap.

There is such a legend that a mistake was made when writing its Latin name - two letters were omitted, since "Flycatcher" is written in a similar way - "Muscicipula". Whether this is actually the case is hard to say.

Dionea grows in the southeastern part of the United States, on the Atlantic coast. She prefers a humid temperate climate, swamps and backwaters, peaty and sandy soils.

Venus flytrap has amazing appearance - Dionea in the photo not to be confused with any other plant. The height of an adult plant is about 15-20 centimeters, the traps are located at the ends of elongated leaves, which can be from 4 to 7 pieces.

In the photo Dionea or Venus flytrap

Two flaps, similar to a clam shell, are framed along the edges with long teeth. This is a trap that lures insects, thanks to the special smell secreted by the glands located inside the flower. It slams shut at the moment when the insect touches special hairs located on inner surface sashes.

If the insect did not have time to get out of the closed valves, they gradually shrink more and more, digestive juice begins to stand out and for several days the plant is busy digesting food.

At the end of the process, the sashes open again. Throughout its life cycle each trap manages to digest about three insects, after which it dies off. Dead sashes are replaced by newly grown ones.

This is carnivorous plant preys on small insects - flies, mosquitoes, small bugs. Without food, it can normally exist for quite a long time, about 1-2 months.

The color of the leaves of this is light green, during the period of active hunting - in summer - the shell valves acquire bright colors from red to burgundy.

During the dormant period, they die off, leaving only a few small leaves on the surface. The underground part of the plant is very small bulbs. In spring, Dionea blooms with small white flowers on long stems.

Planting and breeding Dionea

In order to maintain a constant level of humidity, it is best to plant Dionea in an aquarium or terrarium. The plant needs light soil, a mixture of quartz sand and undeoxidized peat is suitable.

From above it is necessary to lay a layer of moss. Heavy and saturated soils are unsuitable for the flycatcher, garden soil. The nutrients and minerals contained in the soil are extremely harmful to the plant.

If you are lucky buy dionea in flower shop, it should be transplanted immediately. In the future, this should be done 1 time in 2 years, in spring period. It is necessary to plant a plant very carefully, without touching the shells - they can die from the touch of hands.

There should be enough free space in the container for growing dionea. If planted in a pot, its diameter should be 10-15 centimeters larger than the span of the roots.

The easiest way to propagate dionea is with the help of bulbs during spring transplantation. You can also separate the child bushes. But it is important not to overdo it: the plant grows best in large groups.

Receipt dionea seeds- the process is very laborious, but with some effort the result is quite achievable. Important condition- they must be sown immediately after receiving, otherwise they quickly die.

In the photo, dionea seeds

It is possible to restore their germination with the help of a special process of stratification - awakening. The plant or seeds can be purchased from the online store. Medium dionea price- 300 - 700 rubles.

Dionea care

There is a belief that Dionea at home it is very difficult to grow, it requires compliance with many conditions and does not always take root. This is not entirely true, however, some important features in caring for dionea must be taken into account.

Types of Dionea

Only one species grows in the wild - Dionaea muscipula. AT decorative purposes several were artificially bred hybrid varieties. Dionaea muscipula "Crocodile" is distinguished by short petioles, creeping along the surface of the earth.

The plant is quite large, the stems grow in a circle. Dionaea muscipula 'Dentate trap' has a very attractive 'trap' shape on long stems. The teeth are short and strong, the sensors are well developed.

Dionea flowering

The “Cupped trap” dionea trap resembles a bowl or goblet, for which it received its name. This variety is quite common among collectors and lovers of carnivorous plants.

Dionaea muscipula "Clayton's Volcanic Red" has a very spectacular appearance. The plant with elongated petioles is almost entirely burgundy, along with teeth and stems. This dionea grows a large number of children next to the main plant.