Question
Hi Jeff !

I hope you are doing good and plants do grow well !

As every day, when I am thinking about carnivorous plants when office time allows, I make up my new questions to you, as an expert that answers very accurately and fastly.

So today I am more devoted into seeds, and I would like to have your opinion regarding dionaea pollination! I have 3 good looking plants, now dormant, and I am thinking to pollinate two of them next spring.

However, as you might guess, on the web and in books one can read many different opinions about letting dionaea flower. Some say 揷ut it off as soon as you see the flower stalk popping out? others say 搄ust leave it? or some say 揑 pollinate and have no problems with my plants!?

I guess that the flower does cost energy to the plant, and may reduce the number of traps for the season, however I don磘 know about this. What is your experience? And does flowering really 搈ight kill?a flytrap? I can hardly imagine it! Also how is it if several flower stalks are produced? In my view, nature and evolution haven磘 created the flytrap with several stalks wanting to produce just to kill the plant in the end. Also the seeds, to me are not seeds that would be 搕ransported naturally?for long distance.

Overall, it would be nice to have your opinion about pollinating flytraps. I am curious to read and might give a try next spring!

Merci and have a nice day!

Regards,

JP

Answer
Hi JP,

Here's where having had many years of experience really helps.  If you ask growers who have been growing Venus flytraps for many years, you'll find that many of us let out flytraps bloom.  Here's what makes the difference.  A young plant, or especially one of those poor mass marketed plants in a "Death Cube" are weak, and don't have very big rhizome, so not much in energy reserves.  So on young plants, cut flowers off.  Older plants are different.  If you have a well established plant that has been growing for a couple years + you can let them bloom with no problem.  We also cut off flowers if a plant has had some recent disturbance such as transplanting.

The same concept I talked about above also applies to Sarracenia and many sundews.  Always cut flowers off on Sarracenia that have just been divided, or seem a bit small to be blooming.  Certain kinds of stress can cause plants to bloom.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com