Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Plant Species >> Carnivorous Plants

Venus Flytrap Seed Viability and Cultivar Cross-Pollination

Darren (SD) grows many VFT cultivars (Royal Red, Colorado Giant, Big Mouth, B-52, etc.) but only gets germination from "pure" VFT seeds. Asked if cultivars are sterile, whether to clip flowers, separate varieties, or buy seeds.

Jeff Dallas: Cultivars are genetically identical clones—self-pollination within a cultivar may not be viable, but crossing different cultivars works well (done by many growers). Let insects open-pollinate for interesting hybrids, or clip flowers if you want pure lines. Seed viability is short: 90 days unrefrigerated, ~1 year refrigerated. Recommended FlyTrapCare forum for deeper expertise.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
https://www.cobraplant.com

Carnivorous Plants: Rescued Venus Flytrap in Sphagnum: Leave Alone Until Spring Repotting; Managing Excessive Flowering in Drosera spatulata Under Long Photoperiods; Collecting and Sowing Drosera spatulata Seeds; Cold Stratifying Carnivorous Plant Seeds: Hygiene & Fungicide; DuneCraft VFT Seed Kit: Throw Away the Instructions, Keep the Seeds; Venus Flytrap Seed Soil: EC, pH, and Peat Quality Troubleshooting; Sowing Venus Flytrap Seeds—Now or Later, Indoors or Out; Neem Oil Damage on Venus Flytraps: Diagnosis and Recovery; Frost Tolerance of Venus Flytrap Seeds and Seedlings: What Temperatures They Can Withstand; Sarracenia Seed Viability After Two Weeks at Room Temperature

Garden Articles

Storing Bare-Root Sarracenia in Refrigerator Before Spring Planting

Sarracenia Seeds: Hybridization and Sowing Timing

Growing Venus Flytraps from Seed in the Philippines: Tropical Climate Adaptations

How to Collect and Germinate Venus Flytrap Seeds

Venus Flytrap Flowering: Self-Pollination and Seed Collection

Venus Flytrap Seed Germination: Pure Peat Moss Method

Flowering Kale in Late Season: To Cut or Save Seeds?

Plants

Cymbidium Flowering Early in Southern Hemisphere: El Niño Effects and Multi-Bloom Types

Orchid Flower Spike After Bloom: Cut or Keep Based on Type

Planting Flowering Dogwoods in Poorly Drained Soil

Managing California Poppies After Bloom: Seed Harvest and Cleanup

Venus Flytrap Flower to Seed: Complete Guide

Solving Venus Flytrap Seed Mold and Repotting Timing

Starting Venus Flytrap Seeds Indoors in Southern Germany