Do Venus Fly Traps Go Dormant Indoors?

Venus fly traps are unique carnivorous plants that catch and digest insects for nutrients. They have specialized leaves called trap leaves that snap shut when an insect triggers the tiny hairs inside. This allows the plant to capture and consume the insect, giving it valuable nutrients like nitrogen that may be lacking in the nutrient-poor soil where Venus fly traps grow.

But did you know that Venus fly traps, like many temperate plants, require a period of winter dormancy? This dormant period allows the plant to conserve energy and essentially hit the reset button for next year’s growth. But what if you grow your Venus fly trap as a houseplant and want to keep it actively growing all year long? Will a lack of dormancy hurt the plant? Let’s explore the dormancy requirements for Venus fly traps and whether they can skip dormancy and stay evergreen as houseplants.

What is dormancy?

Dormancy is a period of suspended growth and reduced metabolic activity that many plants from temperate climates undergo during winter. Deciduous trees lose their leaves, perennial garden plants die back to the ground, and even houseplants like Christmas cactus drop their leaves and go semi-dormant in winter.

For plants that experience cold winters, dormancy is triggered by shorter daylight hours and cooler temperatures. Going dormant allows plants to conserve energy and protect themselves during harsh weather when growth isn’t possible

Dormancy acts as a reset button – the plant emerges renewed and ready to start a new growth cycle in spring. It’s an important phase of the plant’s natural life cycle.

Do Venus fly traps require dormancy?

Venus fly traps naturally grow in the coastal plains and wetlands of North and South Carolina. Winters here are relatively mild, but plants still experience a dormant period. So Venus fly traps have evolved to undergo winter dormancy for long-term health.

During dormancy, the traps and leaves of the Venus fly trap die back as the plant goes into a semi-dormant state. Growth completely stops. The small bulb of the flytrap stores energy and endures the winter.

In spring, when daylight hours lengthen and temperatures warm, the Venus fly trap breaks dormancy It uses the stored energy in the bulb to send up new traps and leaves, restarting its growth cycle

So in their native habitat, Venus fly traps require dormancy to follow their natural cycle and thrive. But what about indoors?

Skipping dormancy for indoor Venus fly traps

Many people want to keep their Venus fly trap growing all year long as a unique houseplant. But lack of dormancy can weaken and eventually kill fly traps over time. Here’s why dormancy matters even for indoor plants

• Lack of reset period – Growth slows and plant declines without a dormant period to hit the reset button andrestart energetic growth in spring.

• Energy drain – Continuous active growth drains nutrients from the bulb over timewithout dormancy to rebuild reserves. Weakens plant.

• Stressed growth – Inadequate light and insect prey indoors leads to weak, spindly growthattempting to skip dormancy.

• Loss of vigor – Without a yearly reset, plants lose vigor and decline after a few years.Death often results after several years without dormancy.

While it’s possible to keep Venus fly traps actively growing over winter, this goes against their natural cycle and usually results in weak plants that eventually die. They may last longer by taking divisions from the original plant. But long-term, lack of dormancy takes a toll.

However, some people have had decent success keeping Venus fly traps actively growing indoors for many years, especially with specialized growing methods. Here are some tips:

• Strong light – Provide very bright grow lights to sustain vigorous growth year-round. Indoorplants often decline due to insufficient light.

• Divisions – Take divisions from the original plant once it starts declining to “reset”plants. Divisions may last 1-2 years without dormancy before needing to divide again.

• Cooler temps – Grow fly traps 10-15°F cooler in winter to provide lighter dormancy indoors.Slows growth and metabolism.

• Fungicide – Use fungicide to prevent botrytis, a common disease during attempted dormancy skip.

• Reduce watering – Water less in winter months to reduce growth and mimic dormancy. Don’t letpots dry out completely.

So skipping dormancy long-term requires very controlled, optimized conditions to sustain growth. While possible, most indoor growers don’t have the specialized setups to make it work. Periodic dormancy is best for long-term Venus fly trap health and vigor in normal indoor conditions.

Providing dormancy for indoor Venus fly traps

Ideally, dormancy is triggered by colder temperatures and shorter daylight hours. But you can also force dormancy for indoor Venus fly traps by providing cooler, darker conditions. Here are some ideas:

• Fridge – Place flytrap pots in a plastic bag and put in the fridge for 2-3 months. Keep compost slightly damp. Remove dead growth first.

• Garage or shed – Put fly traps in an unheated garage or shed during winter months to expose them to cooler temps and shorter daylight.

• Cover pots – Cover pots with a box or opaque container in winter to block light and create shorter “days” indoors.

• Outside – Place flytraps outside if your climate gets cold enough in winter to trigger dormancy. Protect from excessive rain.

• Cool, dim room – Move flytraps to the coolest, dimmest room in your home to provide lighter dormancy conditions.

Ideally daytime temps for dormancy should be around 50-60°F and night temps can go down to freezing. The plant will go semi-dormant in these cooler, shorter-day conditions and rest for winter, using minimal energy.

In spring, return the Venus fly trap to normal growing conditions indoors and it will break dormancy on its own, resuming normal growth. It may take a few weeks to a month or more to come out of dormancy after bringing it back indoors. Be patient!

Signs Venus fly traps need dormancy

If you’ve had your Venus fly trap actively growing indoors for over a year without any dormancy period, look for these signs that it needs a rest:

• Smaller traps – Trap leaves get progressively smaller and traps remain tightly closed.

• Leggy growth – Growth becomes leggy and weaker due to lack of reset period.

• Slow growth – Plant grows more slowly and produces fewer new leaves.

• Tip dieback – Leaf tips turn black and die back due to plant stress.

• Pale color – Leaves lose vibrant color and turn more pale green or yellow.

• Declining health – Plant may decline in health and eventually collapse and die after severalyears without dormancy.

Providing a dormancy period for your indoor Venus fly trap will help restore its vigor and keep it growing happily year after year! A little extra effort to provide winter conditions goes a long way to keeping these amazing carnivores thriving.

Venus fly traps require a winter dormancy period to follow their natural growth cycle and remain strong plants. Without dormancy, fly traps gradually weaken and decline. It is possible to keep them actively growing year-round with very specialized setups. But most indoor growers will need to provide cooler and/or darker winter conditions to enable dormancy. A few months of winter rest allows plants to hit the reset button and come back vigorous for the new growing season. Observe your plant’s needs and adjust its winter care accordingly for best results!