FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi all, I have a question about watering and sunlight. I live in Phoenix Arizona, which has been mentioned on this forums several times in the past as being a challenge due to the high temperatures and very low humidity.

I got my VFT last Friday and have been following the instructions as closely as possible, but I think I might have screwed up.

1. On my important care instructions, I read the "4+ hours outdoors direct sunlight part", but overlooked the "gentler but direct morning sunlight for the first week"-- I'm color blind so some lighter colors on paper tend to evade me at times. He's looking a bit singed at the moment and wonder if anyone has advice on how to counter the effects; At the same time, my care instruction sheets indicate that traps will turn black during the first week as the VFT adjusts to its new environment. So I don't know whether I am overreacting, but I don't want to under-react either.
2. I love the "moist but not wet" advice. I have been tray watering thus far and I'm super paranoid about over-watering. I am using distilled water of course. Thing is, since it is absorbing water from the hole at the bottom of the plastic cup he came in, I am not sure where I am supposed to check whether it's moist.. would that sphygum moss on top be moist if he got enough water from the bottom? Or would water ever reach that high? I don't know if he might have enough water in the middle of the potting medium, just not at the top, so I'm not sure how to measure this. Also, today I put him in some water about 1/8 " deep, and he absorbed it all in about 10 minutes. Do I give him more until he stops sucking it up so quickly? Or should I give him 2 hours? Remember, Phoenix AZ. 101 degrees currently (9pm at night) and 9% humidity, so I don't know how to adjust the water advice for Phoenix. I need a "Desert Survival Guide"! LOL.

Thanks in advance!

Anything over 90 keep them in a tray of water about a quarter - half any inch. You have a scorching sun so start them off with 5-6 hours of morning sun then speckled or shaded sun the rest of the day. When you see it start growing again increase the direct sun by an hour, and continue that until they are up to between 8-10 hour's of direct sun a day.

yeah I remember the struggles of owning CP's in Phoenix.... I was never really able to grow them successfully, but I was still new to the hobby and had to use as little water as possible since i didn't have a constant source of purified water. I'm sure I could grow them now if I tried again with the proper set up.

Try to just get them morning sun for now, and make sure they're not in direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day. Make sure they always have enough water (This is where i failed the most, I would top water every single morning but only the spots where the plants were growing in the pot, so it was always pretty dry).

yeah, you both are right about the scorching sun. It feels like a microwave at times! I'll keep him in standing water for a bit, and find that full sun/mottled sun spot as well. This will be a great experiment to see how quickly the standing water will evaporate. The thirsty air takes it all eventually.

I also read somewhere here in the forums that i should keep the sides of the cup from overheating, as it may overheat the soil. If it is in standing water, I'm thinking that as the cup heats up, the water will be drawn up from the tray and hopefully help to keep it cool. He's too new and probably too vulnerable right now to replant to a bigger pot, but should I do something beyond the standing water to account for the heated water cup sides? Or is this the type of cup that will prevent that from happening? thanks again!

White pots are the best because they reflect the light instead of absorbing it like darker colors do. You can also drop soil temps a few more degrees by using large styrofoam cups and pots.

Definitely keep them in a tray of water if they are going to be sitting in direct sunlight during peak hours. You are right, the capillary action of the water drawing up through the soil and evaporating out the top will have a cooling effect.

Just wanted to let you know that I am here in Texas and have been growing VFTs for years now with no real problems other than the heat. Most of my VFTs have been hardened off over the years and do really well in the sun. I have to water them every morning and let them go for the day. I monitor their health and any that don't look like they are doing good I bring them in the house and put them under the lights for the rest of summer until about late September. With yours being small, give it morning light and the rest either good cool shade or inside under the lights. Just keep an eye on it and it will tell you what it needs....