Venus Flytrap Under Incandescent Spot-Gro—Switch to Fluorescent Desk Lamp

Ed in Syracuse, NY, uses a 65W Sylvania Spot-Gro incandescent bulb 10.5 inches above a 3-inch pot VFT for 10.5 hours/day. He uses distilled water, Hoffman peat, Schultz perlite (unrinsed), and keeps the pot in a bowl with ¼ inch water. He asks if this setup is good and whether to upgrade to 100W.

Incandescent Spot-Gro Is Wrong

Jeff Dallas: "The spot-grow light your talking about is an incandescent light used mainly for decorative lighting on plants. They are totally inappropriate for carnivorous plants (I cooked some plants with these as a kid) and lousy for regular plants. What you need is a fluorescent light."

Correct Setup

• Compact fluorescent desk lamp (clip-on, adjustable), ~3 inches above plant.
• Timer for consistent photoperiod.
• Rinse perlite thoroughly before use to remove fertilizer residues.
• Keep soil wet; a little water in the tray is fine.
• Use rain or distilled water only.

VFTs are temperate perennials; they'd prefer outdoor container culture in Syracuse. If indoors, fluorescent light + sunny window is the minimum.