Many Venus fly trap novice growers have been asking this common question on whether their most famous carnivorous plant should be allowed to flower. However, the short answer is generally a NO for this wonderful plant.

Why Venus Fly Trap should not be allowed to flower?

As perennial plants, Venus Fly Trap will bloom every year. It takes a great deal of energy for the plant to make flowers and if allowed to do so, you will be finding your Venus Fly Trap sluggish for a long time. This is due to the fact that in a cultivating environment, it is rarely ideal and flowering can cause exhaustion to your Venus Fly Traps unlike in the wild, where they could recover rapidly. With this weakened condition, some might even die due to the limited light and humidity compared to the natural condition in the wild. Your plant will look pathetic and pale for months. Besides, they will also be prone to fungal infections which might potentially kill them.

Compared to other parts of the plant, bulbs require and consume more nutrients. Therefore, when there is a lack of nutrients, and the plant begin to struggle and will develop smaller traps. So it is advisable that novice growers remove the flower stalks immediately. If prevented from flowering, most of these plants will grow move vigorously in Summer.

How to know if my Venus Fly Trap is going to flower?

Venus Fly Trap that is fully grown will usually flower during Spring. These plants take a very long time to grow into maturity. It could take between 2-4 years for them to flower. If you noticed a weird cylindrical stem starting to grow from the center of your plant (which doesn’t look like a leaf), then it means that your carnivorous plant is going to flower. This is the young flower stalk which will get taller if allowed to continue growing to eventually become some unimpressive flowers. The flower stalk will usually grows beside a young leaf. Trim it off when it reached approximately 5cm tall, but bear in mind that more will be produced after that. So just continue to remove them.

What if my Venus Fly Trap flowers?

The flowers of Venus Fly Trap are white and has a green veins starting from the petal base. Seeds will be produced if the flowers are pollinated. Unless you are experienced with growing this carnivorous plants and with the intention of harvesting the seed, your plant is better off with the flower stalk removed. However, if you are not fast enough and have not removed the flower stalk and it has grown until the flower buds have begun blooming, then it is already too late to trim it. Just let the flowers pollinate and harvest the seeds for growing new plants.

If you have been growing this plant and have the experience to handle the condition of your Venus Fly Trap when flowering, then you may want to allow your plant to flower as you will know what to do in order to keep your plant healthy during that flowering period.

But if you are just starting out as a novice grower, then it might not be a wise decision to allow your Venus Fly Trap to flower.