Always thought those little grow kits were a scam, but my kid's Venus flytrap one actually worked

Got my son the 'Bug Bites' kit from the garden center for his birthday, fully expecting the seeds to be dead. Planted them in the tiny pot it came with, kept it on the kitchen windowsill. Two weeks later, we have three tiny traps that actually closed on a fruit fly. Totally changed my mind about pre-boxed plant stuff. Anyone know if these little guys can survive a Michigan winter indoors?

4 comments

4 Comments

nancyg141mo ago

Honestly, did you water it with something other than tap water? I read in a terrarium group that the minerals in regular tap water build up in the soil and basically burn the roots, turning them black. That's what did in my first one, I was just using water from the sink. Stuck to distilled ever since and they do a lot better.

jamesf292mo agoMost Upvoted

That's awesome, totally proved me wrong too. My own attempt at a cactus from one of those kits ended with a sad, mushy lump. Those flytraps are tougher than they look. They should be fine indoors over winter, just keep them in a bright spot and use distilled water, tap water minerals will kill them.

phoenix_bailey2mo agoMost Upvoted

Okay but "they'll die in a year or two" feels like fear mongering. I kept one alive on a sunny kitchen windowsill for like three years with just distilled water. It got a bit leggy but it was fine. They might prefer the cold but calling it a death sentence seems over the top. People act like these plants are super fragile but they're survivors.

thomas_sanchez2mo ago

Wait, are you sure flytraps are fine indoors all winter? @jamesf29, they actually need a cold dormancy period or they'll die in a year or two. A bright windowsill helps, but they really need those chilly months. I keep mine in an unheated garage where it stays above freezing but below 50 degrees.