Can a Venus Flytrap Survive Without Bugs?

Where a Flytrap Actually Gets Its Energy

Flytraps photosynthesize. Light is their food. What bugs provide is nitrogen and phosphorus, the nutrients that are almost completely missing from the wet, sandy bogs of the Carolinas where these plants come from. The traps evolved to make up for poor soil, not to replace sunlight.

The easiest way to think about it: bugs are fertilizer, not dinner. A plant with great light and no bugs will do fine. A plant with plenty of bugs and weak light will slowly go downhill no matter how much you feed it. That's especially obvious on red cultivars like BCP Red Bull and Australian Red Rosetted, which stay green and floppy in weak light no matter how well fed they are.

What Happens If It Never Eats

Nothing dramatic. A flytrap that never catches anything will usually grow a little slower, make somewhat smaller traps, and divide a bit less than a well fed plant. That's it. It won't die from hunger.

If your plant is outdoors, you almost never need to think about this. Outdoor flytraps catch more than enough on their own. Feeding really only comes up for plants grown indoors, on a windowsill or under lights, where there just aren't many insects wandering by.

Dionaea muscipula TDK2 — from $25

Dionaea muscipula Sandokan — from $49

If You Want to Give It a Boost

If your plant is indoors and you want faster growth and bigger traps, here's what actually works:

Feed a Few Insects

A couple of small insects a month during the growing season is plenty. The bug should be smaller than the trap, about a third of its size, so the trap can seal completely. Only feed traps that are healthy and snapping well.

Dead or Freeze Dried Insects

These work fine, but there's a catch. A trap needs to feel movement inside before it seals and starts digesting. After it closes on a dead bug, gently massage the trap for about 30 seconds to mimic a struggling insect.

Light Fertilizer

This is what a lot of indoor growers end up preferring. A 1/4 strength Maxsea foliar spray twice a month during the growing season, or a few Nutricote pellets on the soil surface, gives the plant the same nutrients a bug would. Go light. More is not better here.

What I Use

Nutricote 360 Fertilizer, 2oz Cup$12 Deep Pot, Prefilled With My Peat Perlite Mix$6

Fix These First

If your flytrap looks weak, feeding it is almost never the fix. Check these before anything else:

• Light: This is the big one. Flytraps want direct sun or strong grow lights. How much light carnivorous plants need
• Water: Distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water only. Why tap water hurts flytraps
• Soil: Regular potting soil will burn the roots. If you're not sure what your plant is sitting in, a pot prefilled with my peat perlite mix takes the guesswork out.
• Traps not responding: Usually light or trap age, not hunger. Why traps stop closing

And if a trap turns black a few days after eating, that's usually just an old trap or an oversized meal. Here's how to tell the difference.

Flytraps I'd Pick for a Sunny Window

If you're shopping for a flytrap that will reward good light, these are all in stock and ready to ship. For even more, browse my personal favorites or the giant flytraps.

FTS Red JawsFrom $22 Australian Red RosettedFrom $18 BCP Red Bull BO1From $21 BCP Green Giant FormFrom $14 SouthWest Giant x Shark ToothFrom $40 PacmanFrom $40

Light First, Bugs Second

A Venus flytrap is tougher than people expect. Give it strong light and clean water and it will be perfectly happy whether it catches anything or not. Feeding is a bonus for faster growth, not something the plant needs to stay alive. When in doubt, underfeed. And if you're just getting started, the beginner collection is full of forgiving plants that handle a learning curve.