Day 8 — Meet my carnivorous plant: Doris.
Tags: Plant Care, Plants, Gardening, Depression, Henngeadvent2020

Greetings from Doris!

Being stuck at home has forced people to get out of their comfort zone and try something new for their hobbies. Some people started baking, some people started knitting, and some people (like me) fell into the rabbit hole of gardening. Gardening itself is a wide topic, but since I live in an apartment in Tokyo where more space equals more monthly rent, I had to make peace with the idea of taking care of plants in tiny pots.

How it all began.

Just like everyone else, the global pandemic affected me in many ways. The fact that I lived alone in an apartment far from central Tokyo and I couldn’t go back home to Indonesia to see my family caused me to suffer from mild depression this summer. It was such a weird feeling because I’d be doing random things, but suddenly, I would have this emotional breakdown out of nowhere. That was until my good friend recommended me to get myself a plant to take care of because apparently having plants can help you to become happier, and it’s also therapeutic.

I was skeptical at first, but in the end, I decided to give it a try, and I went to visit a gardening center near my place to take a look at what I could get there.

Right after I arrived, I couldn’t take my eyes off this adorable yet intimidating plant: A Venus Flytrap!

On the adoption day of Doris.

I was hesitant at first because I heard that taking care of venus flytraps would be challenging for beginners. But hey, I just needed a friend, so I decided to take it home with me!

Meet Doris.

I know, I know. It’s a pretty generic name, but a friend of mine suggested the name. The name is inspired by the Venus flytrap family name: Droseraceae, which somehow became Doris (duh). After spending some time learning about the plant’s treatment and care, I now would like to share some facts about the plant!

Video: Doris is having her dinner — a small ant!

1. Venus flytraps DON’T eat hamburger meat.

Even though it is a carnivorous plant, it doesn’t really eat meat! Hamburger or any other meat is too rich in fat and will give the plant the vegetal equivalent of indigestion, possibly leading to its death. Venus flytrap's natural habitats are in swamps, bogs, or wet savannahs, where the soil is pretty damp and poor in nutrients. They compensate for this by getting the nutrients from…insects! Instead of giving them fertilizer, you might want to feed your Venus Flytrap small insects monthly. You don’t have to, tho!

2. Venus flytraps CAN’T be watered with tap water.

Just like other plants, Venus Flytraps only need a lot of direct sunlight and water to survive. But there is a difference compared to normal plants that you know. Their harsh natural habitat made them evolved to grow in damp, low-nutrient soil, and giving them bottled, filtered, or tap water can result in a build-up of minerals that will eventually kill your Venus Flytrap. So you can only water them with purified water or rainwater!

3. Touching Venus Flytraps’ mouth/trap CAN’T hurt you.

Perhaps this movie is the one to blame. And also Mario’s Piranha Plant.

Thanks to this movie that I watched when I was a kid on cable TV, I had been under the impression that Venus Flytraps were dangerous plants…Until I learned that in reality, instead of us getting hurt when we touch the mouth, it’s actually the plant who gets the damage.

You should never poke the inside of a Flytrap’s traps because it takes a ton of energy for it to reopen, and it gets no reward for closing (no food energy reward). That would be like if someone asked you to run for 5 miles and then promises you a cookie afterward but never gives you the cookie. — www.flytrapcare.com/

The sharp-looking thing on its mouth actually feels like a feather or eyelashes, so touching it won’t hurt you at all. It works as a trap to make sure the insects who trigger the hair twice, or two hairs in quick succession, will cause an ‘electric’ charge to close the trap, resulting in its interlocking teeth forming a cage.

Doris saved my summer.

Like, literally. If it’s not for Doris, I would be spending my summer days in full gloom thanks to the global pandemic. Now I understand why people are crazy about plants. Growing plants is a slow but rewarding game. Yes, you need to pay attention to their condition daily…but that was what I needed the most — I needed something to focus on instead of dwelling on my sadness. And now, months later, I have already adopted several different plants such as herbs, succulents, and more! I didn’t realize that I would become a happy, stress-free, grateful plant dad, and I wouldn’t be like this if it weren’t for Doris.

So, what plants are you getting next spring?