Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 18:52:17 -0500 From: "Semanchuk, Phil J" <pjs20347@glaxowellcome.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg574$foo@default> Subject: RE: Feeding VFTs
Congratulations on keeping your VFTs alive in a challenging environment, and
welcome to the list!
> Can a VFT survive without food ? If not, how long ?
> What would happen if it gets too hungry, will its
> growth slow down ?
I kept a VFT alive on a screened porch for over a year. It got (almost)
nothing to eat and less than full sun. By the time I finally gave it away to
someone who could take care of it properly, it was still alive but looking
weak. The lack of food and sun certainly inhibited its growth. On the flip
side, there are many stories of people noticing growth spurts in their CPs
after feeding. My VFTs did particularly well this summer feeding on the
squash bores (grubs) that I removed from my dying zucchini plants.
> I've seen pictures of VFT where the leaf length :
> trap length ratio is about 1.5 : 1. Mine is about 3 :
> 1 to 4 : 1. What determines this ratio, could it be
> light intensity ?
Light intensity is a large factor. I have heard mentioned that the moistness
of the soil also has an effect. I would think that VFTs growing in very wet
locations would be likely to grow long leaves in order to avoid having their
traps inundated when it rains, but that's pure speculation. Last but not
least, my plants seem to grow wider, shorter leaves when heading into
dormancy. Since my plants always experience dormancy as cooler temperatures
and reduced light, I can't rule out one or the other as a contributor to
leaf shape. Cooler temps might also have an effect.
Good growing,
Phil
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