Re: Slow VFTs

Gary (garko@sfsu.edu)
Mon, 5 Aug 1996 13:30:02 -0700 (PDT)

I have found that leaving the plants to capture their own prey to be the
best policy. However, the plants must be where insects are abundant.
This seems to be the case the closer to the ground one lives. I live on
the top floor of a three story building, and I must say the earwigs are
few and far between. Earwigs are especially fond of my plants. It seems
the longer these plants go without eating, the faster the traps close, as
if hunger drives them to be faster. Another factor I've noticed
affecting speed of closure is flowering. After flowering, my plants lose
all their energy. During these times, I handfeed--which can be a pain
because the plants prefer still-wriggling prey. It's hard to keep an
insect on the leaf while the trap creaks to a shut.

When I first started growing CPs, I tended to over-protect them. I have
since found them to be the most forgiving of the plants I grow. It's as
if having to feed themselves, they've also adapted to being quite
independent of their growers.