Light: Indoors, Venus Fly Traps grow best in bright light with some sun. They need to be grown near a window that receives at least a couple hours of direct sun each day. An east, south or west window works best. During the summer, they can be put outside in part sun or filtered shade.
Temperature: In general, Venus Fly Traps like warm, humid summer conditions and chilly winters. They require a cool winter dormancy with night temperatures averaging around 40 degrees. They will also benefit at this time from a shorter day length as found in nature. A sunny window in a cool room or unheated garage will work well during the winter. Most flytraps will eventually die after a few years if never given a true winter dormancy.
Water and Soil: Venus Fly Traps grow naturally in wet, bog-like conditions. Therefore, they must be kept continually moist at all times. During the spring, summer and fall keep their pots sitting in a half inch of water at all times, especially if you are growing them outside. During the winter, plants can go without the saucer of water and be grown somewhat drier. All carnivorous plants are sensitive to the hard minerals in tap water and therefore at Mays we use rainwater. Bottled or distilled water also works well. Grow Venus Fly Traps in peat alone or peat mixed with some sand.
Fertilizer: Never use any type or form of fertilizer on your Venus Fly Trap. In nature, they grow in very nutrient poor environments. If they are fertilized they will most likely die. You can occasionally feed your flytrap a housefly or gnat, but they can survive for years without any insects. Never feed them any hard-shelled insects or human food.
Humidity: Venus Fly Traps need a high degree of humidity, especially during their growing season. Frequent misting is beneficial if grown indoors. Keep them away from heater/ac vents, which drastically reduce the humidity. The best way to provide adequate humidity to your Venus Fly Trap and other carnivorous plants is to grow them together in a terrarium.
