FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi People,

My trap is looking a bit worse for wear and was going to repot in the hope it may bring it back from the brink.
The Trap (aka Ian my daughter named him) was going great guns, using rain water from a water butt, had loads of traps and and my daughters had great fun watching him feed on flys and would often run around the garden catching the buggers for "Ian".
However one of them decided to feed "Ian" a slug and now he's to put it bluntly looking shite, the traps dont form properly.
I've asked our local Garden centre if they stock peat moss and they dont, but have recomended AQUATIC COMPOST, is this any good to use or has the feeding him a slug numberd his days?

Any help will be much apreciated

Phil.

I don't think that would be okay to use. Vft should have a 50/50 mix of peatmoss and perlite or silica sand.

I see that you can't find peatmss but you can buy the mix at flytrapstore. http://www.flytrapcare.com/store/growin ... -pots.html

Hello Phil, and welcome!

I would doubt that the slug would kill the entire plant, so initially I'm a bit suspicious as to the cause for your plants decreasing health. I would take victor's advice and stay away from the aquatic compost...

Can you provide us with some more details about your growing conditions? If would be willing to provide your location, how long you have been growing the plant, how many hours of direct sunlight the plant receives each day, how often you water, what the plant is potted in, and anything else you can think of, we'll probably be able to help diagnose what's going on with the plant. Also, a picture can be quite helpful if you have the means.

Hi 95slvrZ28,

The trap is kept on kitchen window sill and gets as much sunlight as is possible in England!
When it is a sunny day i put it out in the garden all day on our patio table.
i keep the soil moist so gets a bit of rain water every day
Plant is in the plastic pot and same soil we got it in, about 14 months ago.

Any help much appreciated.

Phil.

Did the plant go through its appropriate dormancy this year? Skipping one dormancy can be ok, but I've heard that skipping two dormant periods will usually cause a vast decline in health. Initially it sounds like you may be watering a bit too often, but it's hard to say without a picture. Typically plants grown in doors need to be watered less often than those grown outdoors. Additionally, since you're growing in the same soil the plant came it, it's probably quite moisture retentive (usually they come in pure peat which can hold a LOT of water). I water my plants once, maybe twice a week during the active growing season, and I have a potting mix that drains well in addition to a dry climate with intense sun. Aim to keep the soil moist, but not constantly saturated. Water the plant and then wait until the top of the soil starts to dry and turn a lighter color, then water the plant again. This will encourage a strong root system to support the foliage.

Is there any new growth coming from the center of the rosette? If the slug were particularly large I wouldn't be surprised if that single trap died, but it should not damage the entire plant.

Is the dormancy where nothing grows at all? because if it is then that may be happening to mine now.

I did have a flower growing but cut it off as i have read on this site that the flower takes all the energy from the traps.

I've not had any new growth for a few weeks now and the ones that did grow didnt form in to full traps.

From what you have said i think i have been over watering.
The plant seams to have moved from the centre of the pot over to one side, (very bizzare.)

If i was to not water for a bit would this help the trap to re establish? also should i take it out of the pot and try and repot in the centre?

phil73 wrote:Is the dormancy where nothing grows at all? because if it is then that may be happening to mine now.

Growth slows significantly during dormancy, but it doesn't just stop. New growth during dormancy is slow growing, short and low to the ground leaves. Since you're in the UK you should have been seeing this type of growth since late last October, and the plant should have just started waking up a couple weeks ago.

phil73 wrote:I did have a flower growing but cut it off as i have read on this site that the flower takes all the energy from the traps.

When did the flower stalk come up? This should be happening in the spring after the plant resumes normal growth.

phil73 wrote:If i was to not water for a bit would this help the trap to re establish? also should i take it out of the pot and try and repot in the centre?

It may help the plant establish itself, but if you've been overwatering to the point the plant is declining in health, you'll probably need to uproot the plant and check the rhyzome for rot. Is there any way you can get a picture? That would help immensely. We don't want to have you uproot a plant that is not doing so great and cause unnecessary shock to it if we can avoid it

i'll see if the wife can take picture on her blackberry and upload it to show you.
Just noticed today there is another trap on the way up, the two that have come up are only about an inch long and not formed traps on the end just little spikes if that makes sense?
Thanks for your help so far mate, much apreciated.

It sounds like the plant is forming what are typically referred to as "shock traps" where the trap is either uncharacteristically small or there is no trap at all. Unfortunately these can arise from multiple reasons so it's tough to pinpoint exactly what may be causing the issue. I've often seen shock traps associated with inadequate light, and this is always coupled with long, weak, rope-like leafs. That said, this type of foliage can also be associated with a plant that does not have an adequate root system to support the foliage on the plant.

Another thing you may want to consider (although I don't want to take the fun away from growing the plant!) is that it is possible to over feed a flytrap. When your plant starts putting out normal growth again, you probably don't want to feed it until it gets well established again (apologize to your daughters for me ), and once it gets established try not to have more than two or three traps actively digesting insects at a time. The plants appear to be more than happy to never have an insect fly into their traps, and although they will grow a bit quicker if an occasional insect gets trapped, it does not appear to be necessary to the plants overall survival.

Good luck and try to get us those pictures!

Ian is no more, i put him outside to get a whole days natural light and my eldest daughter was playing football in the garden an kicked the ball and it hit the pot and the plant came out and all over thre patio, tried repotting but have had no growth for about two weeks.

We will get ian number two though.

thanks for all the advice

Phil.