Q: Where do I get Venus flytraps?


Dionaea A: There are three ways you can get Venus flytraps. One is a good way, one is maybe good, and the other is bad.

1. Through a reputable nursery or carnivorous plant society. (Good idea!)
   I have some suggestions on sources elsewhere in the FAQ.
   
   
2. Through your local nursery. (Maybe a good idea...)
   Many times they will have carnivorous plants for sale as promotional or novelty items. If the plants recently arrived, they may be in good health. But often those plants will have been in the store for weeks or even months, slowly but certainly circling towards death. Such plants are usually stressed and are about to die. I recommend that you stick to the nurseries I recommended above.
   
   Also, if you're visiting North Carolina, I recommend you avoid buying VFTs in shops because there's a higher probability they have been poached. Only consider this at very reliable places, like a University-related botanical garden, and other places of that sort.
   
   
3. You can go to where they live and pick them! (Twit idea.)
   Yes, VFTs grow right out of the ground in the wild! But if you want to do this, read this FAQ entry first.

Page citations: Rice, B.A. 2006a.