FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello all,

Long story short I got into plants so I am a bit of an amateur in the general sense. It was only a few weeks ago I learned how to properly care for some spider and snake plants. Long story short, I got bored and annoyed at my bug problems which inspired me to purchase some carnivorous plants.

I have done my best to read up on some material and learned quite a lot (this forum is a gold mine for caretaking info). However, there are knowledge gaps to overcome still as Google can be somewhat inconsistent in searching (looking up symptoms of red marks on leaves return red Cape Sundew varieties).

So I come here, presenting some photos, asking if you guys could help me identify any issues and guide me through this journey. I would appreciate any tips and resources to learn more about these guys!

These photos are about a week and a half old and I am a little concerned about the well being. I am growing them indoors with 20W rated LED red/blue grow light. I live in a pretty low humid environment and temps range around 78F. When I received them I have:

1)Repotted them with peat/perlite mix
2)Kept the soil wet with distilled water using tray method incorrectly ie let the soil be soaking for a
day). *Rectified by now letting the soil soak for only couple of hours whenever the soil starts to
get just moist.
3)Kept the LED lights close ( <3in) and on for 36hrs. *Rectified by keeping the lights 3in away and on
only for 12hrs.
4) Sporadically mist them (twice a day, quick spritz)

The main concerns I have are:

1) I have noticed the center (crown?) of the plant is a bit brown. Is that an issue and what could be the causes of it?

2)I have noticed reddish spots/streaks on some of the branches. Is that due to stress? I am guessing due to a combination of repotting and harsh lighting I messed up with earlier.

3)I accidentally kept the soil wet for quite some time so I am a bit afraid of root rot but can I ease that concern considering how the new baby leaves look pretty healthy?

4) Some of the red leaves don't look healthy ie long and curling but some of the red leaves look fine on the same branch. Is it normal for a branch to have some red leaves forming dew while half of it is curling?

5) The new forming leaves have a read streak on the non-leaf side. Is that due to lighting stress?

6) Can I transplant the (assuming) babies or should I wait till they get bigger before messing with them?

7) Why do some of the curled leaves have a couple of dews on it? Does that indicate they have a chance to straighten out and survive? No brown/black bits on it yet. Branch is not yellow.

From reading various comments/articles it seem that they are hardy plants and as long as the baby leaves are healthy looking then that is a sign of a healthy plant. Should I give the plant another week of consistent care before repotting it correctly?

Thanks

Seems some people are afraid of big posts :/

But in order to keep this archive alive for other future growers this is what I have found out:

1) I have noticed the center (crown?) of the plant is a bit brown. Is that an issue and what could be the causes of it?
Most likely stress and nothing to worry. New sprouts are the best indicator of the plant's health it seems.

2)I have noticed reddish spots/streaks on some of the branches. Is that due to stress? I am guessing due to a combination of repotting and harsh lighting I messed up with earlier.
- Leaves are dying but it seems that is normal as these plants have a high turnover leaf. Watching new sprouts matter the most.

3)I accidentally kept the soil wet for quite some time so I am a bit afraid of root rot but can I ease that concern considering how the new baby leaves look pretty healthy?
- If new sprouts looks fine, then the plant is fine

4) Some of the red leaves don't look healthy ie long and curling but some of the red leaves look fine on the same branch. Is it normal for a branch to have some red leaves forming dew while half of it is curling?
- high turnover for old leaves, normal.

5) The new forming leaves have a read streak on the non-leaf side. Is that due to lighting stress?
- Reddening is due to plants reacting to the strong lighting. Normal and safe behavior. Growing red to become sturdier to the lighting (like sunscreen).

6) Can I transplant the (assuming) babies or should I wait till they get bigger before messing with them?
- The green plants are most likely moss

7) Why do some of the curled leaves have a couple of dews on it? Does that indicate they have a chance to straighten out and survive? No brown/black bits on it yet. Branch is not yellow.
- High turnover so it is normal.

1. Capes form a 'palm tree' stem that is brown. You will be fine.
2. The red is a sign that it is healthy and has good light similar to VFTs. You're good.
3. Capensis handle both wet and dry soil quite well which is why they are considered "weeds." You can let the soil dry a bit if you are worried.
4. The curling is normal, usually means the trap was triggered and/or is old and used up.
5. Same reason as 2.
6. Those are not babies but carpet moss forming due to the soggy soil. It would be best to remove it from your plant before it takes over.
7. This just means it finished digesting an insect and/or it is an acclimating leaf or some water got on it.

Good to know those are carpet moss. I'm guessing you want them removed for the sake of resource competition?

h3r0 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:29 am Good to know those are carpet moss. I'm guessing you want them removed for the sake of resource competition?

The reason carpet moss is bad for your plant is it can 'choke out' the rhizomes and roots on CPs, removing aeration from the roots. The only moss you can grow with them is sphagnum due to the fact that it is very loose and provides aeration to the plant.