FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi, I have some Crimson Sawtooth VFT seeds and for a few weeks now one has been growing! I'm really glad because so far the few that have grown over the winter died...they are just SO delicate.

Now that it's growing, I've noticed something and because I really don't want this one to die, I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

When I spray it to give it water, it will normally fall to the ground and like get pushed into the ground (and it's not like I'm spraying it forcefully or anything) before I put a tiny stick underneath it which holds it up really well.

Lately it's been growing a little leaf/trap but I'm concerned since whenever I spray it just kind of whips to the side like it's going to break or something.

It got uprooted actually once before (this was because my dad decided he should spray the plants which is why I NEVER let him take care of the seeds now) and was moved a bit, but thankfully it survived that and I covered the root(...? end? tail?) in soil.

Anyways, is this normal, for them to be so delicate? I'm asking because when I was looking at it with a magnifying glass the leaf/stem looked really like idk beat up.

It's on the same 16-hour light cycle as the rest of the seeds, which is what I'm worried could possibly be causing a problem. If so, what should I change for it?

Here are some pics of it:

Your "soil" looks very course for that small plant. I would give your pot a top dressing of a peat/sand mixture and poke a small hole in it with a pencil for your little flytrap. I would slowly water around the edges of the pot to avoid erosion that will cover your plant or uproot it again. Or you can always bottom water.

Big-Jack wrote:Your "soil" looks very course for that small plant. I would give your pot a top dressing of a peat/sand mixture and poke a small hole in it with a pencil for your little flytrap. I would slowly water around the edges of the pot to avoid erosion that will cover your plant or uproot it again. Or you can always bottom water.

So everything else is okay? And you're right, I'm actually not sure why or how the soil ended up like that, maybe the peat just wasn't mixed properly on top? Anyhow, thank you for the advice

Is it normal for them to be so delicate then?

It looks green and healthy from the pics. Already making a trap to catch the worlds tiniest gnat. Just need to carefully get it back in the soil so it can take root.

Yeah, it's gotten propped up on top of a stick. Find a spot of soil with no sticks, very gently nudge the plant over to the clean soil with a needle-tip or similar tiny probe, and leave it alone.

I also ended up with a substrate full of large particles. I have washed peat in rain water and threw away the small particles that soon make the soil compact. Tiny flytraps liked the peat even with thick layer of green slime that appeared soon after they germinated. Looks like I didn't wash it enough. I got rid of the slime by washing the peat and by not watering it for a while and they grow much better than the ones in compacted finely ground peat. They need space for their roots, but they don't mind if there are a few obstacles near them. Actually, my largest seedling sprouted in a place below the surface of the pot in a small hole. It crawled out immediately after setting the first trap and remained happily green even when the other seedlings started turning a bit pale (due to high light level and not enough food to support the rapid growth).

I wouldn't worry about it.

Tarzanus wrote:I also ended up with a substrate full of large particles. I have washed peat in rain water and threw away the small particles that soon make the soil compact. Tiny flytraps liked the peat even with thick layer of green slime that appeared soon after they germinated. Looks like I didn't wash it enough. I got rid of the slime by washing the peat and by not watering it for a while and they grow much better than the ones in compacted finely ground peat. They need space for their roots, but they don't mind if there are a few obstacles near them. Actually, my largest seedling sprouted in a place below the surface of the pot in a small hole. It crawled out immediately after setting the first trap and remained happily green even when the other seedlings started turning a bit pale (due to high light level and not enough food to support the rapid growth).

I wouldn't worry about it.

Alright, thank you so much for the advice!
I had two B-52 seedlings start growing in the past and one died slowly after one day when they accidentally all dried out, and recently another one which was at the bottom of tiny ditch in the soil and somehow I think just died because it got covered up by a bit of soil, so I was worried about this one being as delicate. This one is a different type though, Crimson Sawtooth, so I really hope I can see it grow to adulthood!

I'm really proud of this little guy, even after being uprooted once before (and even like moved over in the soil) he recovered just fine with no apparent problems and has grown really well. He's even made a little trap (and I'm starting to see a tiny bit of red colouration coming into it) and it seems like another leaf is growing too! He's my tough little guy

Seedlings are very good at getting rerooted after being popped around in and out of the soil.

Hey Shelilla I just wanted to point something out to you. You said the seedlings were B-52 and Crimson Sawtooth but if they are grown from seed they are considered to be "typicals". They may be from those parent plants and they may even look like those plants but they are not. The only way you can call them that is if they are clones of the original cultivar. They either have to be divisions or vegetatively propagated from those cultivars. If you want to call them that it's ok but if you ever plan on selling/gifting them you need to label them as typical as they will not be true B-52 or Crimson Sawtooth. And good luck with the seedlings. I hope they turn out well for you.

KategoricalKarnivore wrote:Hey Shelilla I just wanted to point something out to you. You said the seedlings were B-52 and Crimson Sawtooth but if they are grown from seed they are considered to be "typicals". They may be from those parent plants and they may even look like those plants but they are not. The only way you can call them that is if they are clones of the original cultivar. They either have to be divisions or vegetatively propagated from those cultivars. If you want to call them that it's ok but if you ever plan on selling/gifting them you need to label them as typical as they will not be true B-52 or Crimson Sawtooth. And good luck with the seedlings. I hope they turn out well for you.

Oh thank you, I didn't know that since I'm most definitely not the most familiar with flytrap genetics.

It is a tiny trap indeed. Curious as well when you can actually feed it to "jump start growth". I have read that catching prey gives a boost to the grown of the youngin's.. When is too young to feed? or is it more of "if it fits in the trap, it's ok to feed"?

tross wrote:It is a tiny trap indeed. Curious as well when you can actually feed it to "jump start growth". I have read that catching prey gives a boost to the grown of the youngin's.. When is too young to feed? or is it more of "if it fits in the trap, it's ok to feed"?

I wish I had a chance to try this. Unfortunately it ended up dying while I was on vacation, which was when I realized I probably just didn't have the right growing conditions for them. Once the new seeds I've ordered online arrive I'm going to make sure they are in the ideal growing conditions so that won't happen again. I'll definitely make updates on their growth when they come!

tross wrote:It is a tiny trap indeed. Curious as well when you can actually feed it to "jump start growth". I have read that catching prey gives a boost to the grown of the youngin's.. When is too young to feed? or is it more of "if it fits in the trap, it's ok to feed"?

From what I have seen, if the plant gets good enough light, it can be fed, regardless of size. There is a great write up in the forum links on feeding traps using dried blood worms.

Shelilla wrote:

I wish I had a chance to try this. Unfortunately it ended up dying while I was on vacation

Well damn. Was hoping to see a conclusion here...

TampaTraps wrote:

Shelilla wrote:

I wish I had a chance to try this. Unfortunately it ended up dying while I was on vacation

Well damn. Was hoping to see a conclusion here...

Yes, I was too ;w;
Well hopefully one will happen once I start growing more seeds in better homes