What gets to grow with your Flytrap(s)?

I’ve noticed in a few photos online that some people, and even a particular retailer, leave a certain type of moss growing on the surface with their Venus Flytrap(s). The type of moss I’m referring to is “carpet moss” and it looks just like it sounds. It looks different than live sphagnum moss in that it’s very dense and quite even of height, like a dense carpet (not shag).

Carpet moss, if left to grow on the top of your growing medium with your Flytrap, will eventually take over and suffocate your Flytrap from growing well or at all, and should be removed. It removes in strips usually, or one big piece, because it’s densely connected, so be careful to not let your Flytrap get uprooted. If the carpet moss cannot be removed without disturbing the Flytrap, the Flytrap should be re-potted.

I’m not sure why carpet moss gets left to grow with the Flytrap, perhaps it’s seen as a protective or pretty topping? But it should definitely be removed, as it can choke out your Venus Flytrap for sure. You will also want to remove anything else growing in your Flytrap’s growing medium, such as grass sprouts or tree seedlings (we get those a lot here at FlytrapStore in Ashland, Oregon- the seeds fall of the trees and plant themselves in the Flytrap pots, it’s verrrry annoying). Anything growing with your Flytrap will steal what your Venus Flytrap needs – water, space, and sunshine – so try to remove the entire thing, root and all.

The only thing that could be OK to keep on the top of your Venus Flytraps’ growing medium would be live sphagnum moss, but in our experience, it’s really unnecessary unless you think it’s helping your Flytrap from drying out when it gets very hot in the summertime.

Some people might think or hope that other growth that they see in the pot with their Flytraps is a new Venus Flytrap growing in, but Venus Flytraps divide at the rhizome (“bulb”) so any new divisions will be right next to the main plant, touching. Whatever else is growing in your Flytraps’ pot is almost certainly not a baby Flytrap, unfortunately.

You can pot other Venus Flytraps in a pot, but you want to give each one about 4″ or so space from one another, so they have room to spread their traps and grow their rhizomes out.

You don’t want to pot pitcher plants with your Venus Flytraps because they require a lot of water, tons of water, and Venus Flytraps will rot if given too much water, though they do need to be hydrated at all times, just definitely not a swamp situation.

A sundew will do OK potted with a Venus Flytrap, as they have similar care requirements, but even sundews differ some in our experience, not necessarily liking as much sunshine as do Venus Flytraps, for example.

So the answer to this post’s title is, nothing gets to grow with your Venus Flytraps other than other Venus Flytraps or possibly a sundew. Your precious Venus Flytraps should get a swank clean mineral-free set-up for just their own growth. If only we all could, too! Your Flytraps will appreciate it, they’d thank you if they could!

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