Question
Hello there!

I've purchased a VFT from a friend that just woke up recently from its dormancy. I decided to place it under the artificial lights to accustom it to the lights gradually before putting it outdoors in full sun. But is this method acceptable? I'm a little afraid of it dying from 14-16 hours of photoperiod in one-go and instant temperature drop after the lights go off.

*I live in Malaysia where its hot and humid.

Thanks in advance.

Answer
Yes, growing the Venus Flytrap under artificial light for awhile should be fine, so long as the light is strong enough.

If the plant recently awakened from dormancy and has begun a flush of new growth, the temperature might be more important than the light; that is to say, a stable, relatively warm temperature would be appropriate, and not allowing the temperature around the plant to become too cold. Regarding light, generally the more sunlight the better unless the temperature is drastically hotter than what the plant has recently experienced, in which case a more gentle introduction to light might be better, a slower acclimation.

I'm not familiar with your particular environment because I live far away from it, nor do I know exactly what conditions the plant was growing in or is growing in now. I would say, to be safe, be conservative and observe the plant while trying to give it more and more light (whether artificial or sunlight) and try to keep the temperature from becoming too cold. It should ideally be as warm as what humans feel comfortable with, or warmer.

By the way, Venus Flytraps should not be deprived of light during dormancy, and in fact should have as full sunlight as can be provided so long as a cool to fairly cold, but not freezing, temperature and drier soil conditions (just moist, not too wet all the time) prevail. Venus Flytraps continue to use light to photosynthesize during dormancy, building up a good food supply for their spring growth.