Question
QUESTION: I have a scarlet belle a sarracenia purpuria and fly traps and they are doing great however I was wondering why they have no redish color the purperia has color in it's veins and so does the belle but not the fly traps I am growing them in a greenhouse that gets 6 hours of direct sun each daywhy is there no color? Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Kyle,

Red color in Venus flytraps can have to do with individual genetics of a plant.  They also tend to produce more red later in the summer on the ground-hugging traps.  Your S. purpurea and Scarlet Belle should be very colorful.  You may not be getting as much sun as you think depending on how your greenhouse is constructed.  If you send me a photo I can give you a much better idea of what may be going on.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

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QUESTION: Dose it have any thing to do with the age of the plant also I read that if the lance leaf sundew isn't produceing dew to cut everything above the soil dose this include the stem

Answer
Mostly the color has to do with sunlight.  A lot of greenhouses will decrease light intensity by as much as 50%.  So even though your greenhouse is getting 6 hours of direct sun, your plants are not.  Rarely have I seen plants grow as colorful as those grown outside in direct sunlight.  So depending on your location and climate, consider growing your plants outdoors.  Take a look at plants in our photo gallery:
http://www.cobraplant.com/gallery

Adelae will grow new shoots from the roots after decapitation.  We normally do that when a plant is diseased or not looking so good.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin