Question
QUESTION: I have bought a Dionaea and a Sarracenia purpurea not long ago. They are my first carnivorous plants. They are staying in full sun for about 8 hours per day, the rest of the day it's not full sun but still bright.
If my Dionaea was green when i bought it, how long till the traps get the nice red colour?

ANSWER: Hello Catalin,

The older leaves might not change color at all, however; the new leaves will develop red coloration once the plant has enough light. Be mindful that not all Venus Flytraps (Dionaea) produce that red coloration to the same degree since there are many cultivars, some of which do not even produce red coloration.

It is a good thing you are giving your plants full sunlight as both Venus Flytraps and Sarracenias are more like garden plants in their need for direct sunlight outside. Window light is often inadequate for them since windows cut down on the intensity of light that reaches them. Both of those plants should produce very nice coloration in direct sunlight in a few weeks. Just wait for the new leaves and you will see the difference as opposed to the plain green leaves they have now. You might see some leaf burn on those plants if they have been kept in shaded conditions for a few weeks before you bought them. Their new leaves will be ultraviolet resistant.

Christopher

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:    I have bought the plants the day they came to the flower shop (they got there after a request from me) so that might explain why no sunburns are on the old leafs so far. The Dionaea batch consisted in a number of plants from the same batch, probably the same variety as far as i could tell. Some had a bit of red and were green, but the one i picked looked healthier and i bought it even though it had no red on it.
   Thanks for the answer :) I guess all i have to do is take care of it the best i can and wait.

Answer
Hello Catalin,

It is a good thing you got those plants quickly. I was unaware you could get them by request at flower shops... I usually order mine online or trade with other growers on carnivorous plant forums online. If the plants you have already developed some coloration, they should color up all the way in good sunlight. Venus Flytraps can develop a range of color from plain yellowish green to almost a burgundy color in their leaves and sometimes across the entire plant. I have one that produces that deep burgundy color on both the inside and outside of its leaves.

A few tips that flower shops might not know:

Never fertilize your carnivorous plants. Some growers do that but only with very dilute foliar feeds. Carnivorus plants do fine without it if they can catch the occasional insect. I never fertilize mine and all are very healthy.

Always provide mineral free distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water for them as tap water is usually too hard for them. Drinking water is not distilled as it has minerals added... deadly for carnivorous plants of most species.

Only use acidic and neutral mixes for soil. Most carnivorous plants prefer a 50/50 mix of sphagnum peat moss and perlite or silica sand. Their natural environment is sphagnum peat bogs with sandy layers mixed in.

Provide deep trays for water under the pots as Venus Flytraps like about 1/4 of their pot in water and Sarracenias prefer even more water, up to half their pot submerged. So long as their soil always remains moist they will be fine.

Orchid mix and African violet mix are not the same as carnivorous plant mix for soil. Some of the ingredients are similar or even the same, and some are not.

Insects are not the energy that carnivorous plants need, it is sunlight they need primarily. Insects are like vitamin pills... just a supplement to fertilizer poor soil. Their roots can no longer absorb fertilizer so are just burned by them, their leaves can absorb fertilizer and are made to trap and kill insects to obtain nitrogen from their proteins after digestive and bacterial breakdown occurs. Even their leaves are made to absorb only small amounts of fertilizer at a time, so full strength artificial fertilizers can harm them if placed on their leaves.

Christopher