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That weird fact about Venus flytraps needing fire to thrive blew my mind
I was reading a blog from a guy in Savannah who runs a carnivorous plant nursery, and he said Venus flytraps actually grow better after controlled burns clear out the competing plants. He showed photos of a wild patch in North Carolina that had twice as many traps after a fire went through. Anyone else run into a plant care fact that totally flipped what you thought you knew?
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miles728d ago
That nursery guy sounds legit. I've seen similar results with pitcher plants in a bog near my place after a controlled burn cleared out the moss. @cooper.phoenix you might want to check if distilled water makes a difference with sundews too. My experience with flytraps is they do better with rainwater or RO water instead of tap, same as sundews. The fire thing really changed how I see their whole ecosystem though.
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lane.eric8d ago
Yeah, I've been saying this for a while now. @cooper.phoenix you are spot on about the distilled water thing - my sundews perked up within a week after I switched from tap. The minerals in tap water just build up over time and mess with their roots, especially in those closed terrariums people try to grow them in. That controlled burn story from miles72 is wild too, it really shows how these plants are built for tough conditions with poor soil and all. I've always thought the whole "carnivorous plant" thing is a bit overhyped, they're just survivors that adapted to nasty bogs where nothing else could live.
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Read that growing sundews in distilled water actually traps them better.
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