Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) are carnivorous plants that grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10. They require a minimum of six hours of direct sun each day. This is difficult to provide indoors without supplemental lighting. The lighting issue is further complicated by this plant’s need for seasonal light changes to trigger natural dormancy and active growth phases. A Venus flytrap can be grown successfully under artificial lights as long as you set the light up correctly and use it in the right way.
Place the Venus flytrap in front of an east-facing window where it will get direct sun when the sun rises in the morning.
Place the fluorescent light fixture above the Venus flytrap and adjust the height of the light fixture to 12 inches above the plant. Use four 40-watt, 3,000 K fluorescent bulbs in the plant light fixture.
Plug the fluorescent light fixture into the timer. Plug the timer into an electrical outlet. Set the timer to turn the light on at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., or one hour after sunrise. Set the timer to turn the light off 12 to 16 hours later.
Things You Will Need
- Four-bulb fluorescent light fixture
- 24-hour light timer
- 4 fluorescent light bulbs, each 40 watts, 3,000 K
- Light bulbs will have the Kelvin rating -- denoted by the letter K after a number -- on the packaging. John Brittnacher of the International Carnivorous Plant Society recommends 3,000 K bulbs.
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Dionaea Muscipula
- International Carnivorous Plant Society: Growing Dionaea Muscipula
- International Carnivorous Plant Society: Check List for Growing Dionaea Muscipula
- The International Carnivorous Plant Society: The Carnivorous Plant FAZ v. 11.5: Q: About Light
- University of Missouri Extension: Lighting Indoor Houseplants
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