How Often Should You Feed a Venus Flytrap Indoors? (Beginner Guide)

Feeding Is the Bonus, Not the Basics

A flytrap gets its energy from light. Bugs add nitrogen and other nutrients the soil doesn't have, which means faster growth and bigger traps, but the plant will live fine without them. I go into that here. If your plant is weak, pale, or stretching, feeding won't fix it. Get the light and water right first, then feed.

How Often, by Season

Spring and Summer

Feed one or two traps every one to two weeks. You don't need to feed every trap on the plant. The rest can catch whatever wanders by, or just sit there making sugar from light.

Fall

Taper off as growth slows and new traps get smaller. By the time the plant is clearly winding down, stop.

Winter

Don't feed at all. A dormant or slowed down plant can't digest properly, and the meal will just rot in the trap. More on winter dormancy here.

The Right Bug, the Right Size

Small insects are ideal: flies, ants, small spiders, crickets from a pet store. The rule I go by is prey about a third the size of the trap. The edges need to close flat to seal. If a leg or a wing is sticking out, bacteria get in, the meal rots, and the trap goes black. Here's what that looks like.

Never Feed

• Hamburger, chicken, cheese, or any human food
• Bugs bigger than half the trap
• Anything that's been sprayed with pesticide

GJ Giant Shark, big traps handle bigger meals — from $21

GJ Shir Khan — from $25

Hand Feeding, Step by Step

1. Pick a healthy, fully open trap that's been snapping well. Skip old or sluggish traps.
2. Drop the bug in with tweezers so it touches the trigger hairs. Live bugs usually do the rest themselves.
3. If the bug is dead or freeze dried, gently massage the closed trap for about 30 seconds. The trap needs to feel movement before it seals tight and starts digesting.
4. Leave it alone for 5 to 10 days. Don't pry it open. It'll reopen on its own when it's done.

The Fertilizer Option

A lot of indoor growers skip bugs entirely and fertilize instead. A 1/4 strength Maxsea foliar spray twice a month during the growing season works well, or a few Nutricote pellets on the soil surface. Go light. Too much fertilizer burns roots faster than overfeeding ever will. My full fertilizing guide is here.

What I Use

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

Flytraps That Do Great Indoors

Vigorous growers that respond well to a windowsill or grow light, all in stock now. See my windowsill guide for setup, or browse the beginner collection.

BCP Red Bull BO1From $21 Australian Red RosettedFrom $18 CCCP OrcaFrom $14 Olive GreenFrom $10 WIP Slim SnapperFrom $21 DutchFrom $12

When in Doubt, Underfeed

A healthy flytrap with good light and clean water can go a long time without eating and still look great. Feed a couple of traps every week or two in the growing season, nothing in winter, and keep the meals small. Most feeding problems come from doing too much, not too little.