FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I discovered this forum recently and found lots of usefull stuff i needed...so i was wondering if you could help me with few tips/advices

I bought 2 VFT in Bauhaus one week ago...i prepared everything in advance for repotting (long-fibered Sphagnum, distileld water - which is actually demineralised if you read the smal letters, pots and lots of good spirit). I repotted my first girl 5 days ago and during the process all of her traps closed, but oh happy day, after 2 days they all opened again...still, i was very worried, because as you can see, she looks less green and healthier then the non-repotted one



Also, the repotted one started to turn red on the outside of the leaves





i was afraid to repot my other girl, because she looks so healthy and her new leaves are growing bigger each day, although she looks like she could use a bigger pot and she is still in unknown soil from the store




Oh, and she has an unidentified object in one of her traps, which i think i should take out



So my main questions are (i mean, i have millions of them, but let's start with the critical ones): should i repot the other plant too although she looks happy? why is the repotted one turning red and less green? they are both situated on a south balcony getting all of the possible light, they get the same water, the only difference is the soil....repotted girl is in lfsm:perlite 1:1, and the other one who knows

Thank you all alot in advance, Iva

For question #1, I would probably repot it next spring. It looks happy as it is, and it might be better to wait for a little longer. For question #2, that is a light thing. As a general rule, the more light it gets the more red it gets, but it could also be in its genetics. One more thing, are you sure that the sphagnum and perlite were nutrient and fertilizer free? That is just a standard question to ask, especially if it is Miracle-Gro

The one you just repotted does look fine, just normal transplant shock, and why the sad face for the red leaves? Color is a the best thing in a flytrap, IMO. Red is good! I hope my answers were satisfactory, and welcome to the forum! There is a wealth of information here on this addictive and rewarding hobby! Don't be afraid to ask any questions you might have.

The unknown soil that is being used for the un-potted flytrap looks like peat moss, which is perfectly healthy for the flytrap, just different. I think stores use peat moss because it looks like regular soil. It compacts a lot easier than sphagnum and is an alternative to sphagnum. Its only real drawback is that it can get so compacted that when watered the water just sits on top and doesn't soak in for a while and plus its hard for roots to push through really compacted soil. Also, flytraps like deep pots because their roots grow deep and vertical. The pot it's in looks tiny. I remember when I re-potted the first flytrap I ever bought and was amazed at how quickly and how long the roots had grown. Try for a pot half a foot deep when you re-pot it.

@katya_dog1 Thank you for sharing your thoughts, you are really helping...yes, sphagnum and perlite are fertilizer free, and i washed them throughly in distilled water before repotting...i really do hope that it is just a transplant shock, and hoorey for red, i thought that was bad (because my first plant before this two girls first went red and then black)

@Drone232 that is exactly why i fear...she looks satisfied with everything except pot size, plus now when you say (and thank you for that) soil may also become a problem...is it too long if i wait with repotting untill early spring? i guess i''ll just have to observe and see after some time

tripoza wrote:
@Drone232 that is exactly why i fear...she looks satisfied with everything except pot size, plus now when you say (and thank you for that) soil may also become a problem...is it too long if i wait with repotting untill early spring? i guess i''ll just have to observe and see after some time

That is what I forgot to ask... About how big is the pot it's in right now? I would say unless it is tiny to just wait until spring, but if you repot well it should receive only a small amount of stress. That is something I do not have good experience with, so maybe someone else knows what will happen. It also depends on dormancy. If you have enough time (maybe four weeks) you could probably do it anyway.

tripoza wrote:should i repot the other plant too although she looks happy?

I certainly would if they were my plants. Larger pots and my preferred soil mix are very important for me to keep my plants as healthy as possible. And yes, they don't look very good immediately after being repotted, but they will grow again and grow better, so you're really setting them up for a good year next year by repotting now. Not doing so would be OK too, but if you don't repot before next spring, the one in the smaller pot likely won't grow well throughout the summer.

tripoza wrote:why is the repotted one turning red and less green?

That often happens after a repot when parts of the plant are exposed that were previously covered or not as exposed. They "tan" in a sense, just like people do who have spent too much time typing in front of a computer and then go outside in full sun (like me ). It's nothing to worry about. The new leaves will look more green and "normal".

Matt wrote:

tripoza wrote:should i repot the other plant too although she looks happy?

I certainly would if they were my plants. Larger pots and my preferred soil mix are very important for me to keep my plants as healthy as possible.

That's interesting Matt. I would have thought that repotting before dormancy, though giving the plant more room, might stress it enough that it would not grow as fast or make a comeback as fast in the spring. You're the authority though, so I will remember this when I repot.

[/quote]About how big is the pot it's in right now?[/quote]

It is 2,5 inch long (6,35cm) pot...pretty small

Matt wrote:I certainly would if they were my plants. Larger pots and my preferred soil mix are very important for me to keep my plants as healthy as possible. And yes, they don't look very good immediately after being repotted, but they will grow again and grow better, so you're really setting them up for a good year next year by repotting now. Not doing so would be OK too, but if you don't repot before next spring, the one in the smaller pot likely won't grow well throughout the summer.

Thank you Matt...considering the fact that the repotted one had roots all the way to to the bottom in the pot from the store (and they were in the pots of the same size), I will definitely repot her for the weekend

Now i have some questions about details when repotting, because i'm not sure i did everything well the first time:

Do all of you let your LFSM for some time in the water and then squeeze it?
(sorry, i don't know how do you say that in English)? I repeated that process 3 times beacuse i saw that video on you tube how it should be prepared, but i'm not sure if that's a good thing...so i put it in water 3 times for an hour (maybe i was doing dumb thing, i don't know so i have to ask)...I did the same thing with perlite

How many space do you leave for the roots to grow in a new pot (i mean distance from the end of the roots to the bottom of the pot)? Let's say her roots are 6cm long (2,3 inch) - what is the perfect size of the new pot?

Sorry for silly questions, but as i said, i'm pretty new to this hobby...i read everything more then once and i'm still confused about some things
TY, Iva

Hi Iva!

Yes, that's a good way to rinse your LFSM and perlite! You're doing the right thing!

I would try an 8 inch (about 20cm) pot. For my adult VFTs, I keep them in a 10-12 inch pot. Their roots can definitely get long!

And don't be afraid to ask questions! We are here to help!