FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Ya'll are quiet a crowd! Lots of good back and forth banter. Cool.

I got my granddaughter's and my typicals re-potted a little bit ago. I went pretty good. It was interesting that when I took them out of the little black pots that the fine black peat(?) fell away from them a plug was left the shape of a shot glass but maybe half the size of one. There were several roots coming out of the plug and the plug seemed pretty firm so I did not mess with it. I made a hole, let the roots settle below the plug and then firmed the new planting mix around it. I was afraid that if I messed with the plugs too much I might damage the roots within it. Now, I'm second-guessing that and wondering if I should have risked breaking them apart. ????

Panman wrote: ↑Fri May 06, 2022 5:43 pm Sitting them in water will only work if you have a tall enough pot and the right water level. Flytrap roots are about 5 to 6 inches long and they don't like the root tips to be sitting in water the entire time. I use 6 inch tall pots, water from the top and don't rewater until the water tray is empty.

They are bog plants, but the water level in the bog is several inches below the ground. In the Green Swamp you do not find flytraps growing in areas where there is always standing water or even very wet.

This gives me a good visual. Thanks! My pots are only 5.25" tall and the soil depth is probably between 4.75" and 5.0" so a bit shallow to be holding water beneath the roots. I'm thinking these are probably like 1-1/2 quart pots so hopefully they'll be good for a couple of days at least in our summer heat.

Carnies wrote: ↑Fri May 06, 2022 8:08 pm Nope, you're good.

Great news!!!!...having a total of ten thumbs I was a nervous wreck trying to handle the plants and get them settled into the planting mix. A dinner fork sure came in handy!!!!

Panman wrote: ↑Fri May 06, 2022 8:14 pm Something else that also helps, is top watering the plants. That brings the oxygenated water down from the surface into the roots. The caution with that is that you don't want to do it so that the water will sit on the crown for some time. So, you wouldn't want to top water in the evening where the plant isn't going to be able to dry out. If you do, you run into the possibility of rotting the rhizome. During the day, top water and let the water fill the tray to the level you want. Let the tray empty before watering from the top again. In my trays I find that I water every other day or so, and I am in Atlanta.

I didn't see a thread hijack...just an informative discussion on a topic included in my rambling newbie thread. Feel free, anytime! And in regards on not tampering with the plug on my granddaughter's plant...we're on the same page with that!

I understand what you're saying about top-watering. I did top water to settle in the potting mix and insure the mix was good and most (I did pre-moisten the mix before using it). I start my own pepper and tomato seedlings each year so I understand where you're coming from about leaving the plants wet. For the flytraps I simply watered slowly, letting the water "run" up towards the crown/plug...slightly tamping down the mix as I went. I think it worked out pretty well. I just hope the roots keep growing good and get more coming out of the plug to anchor the plant into the new mix.

So, you have your flytraps sitting in a tray, you top water through the mix until enough water drains through filling the tray to your predetermined level...? It looks like you are in a 7b/8a zone, I'm right on the line between zone 8a and 8b so basically one zone warmer than you. Without the pots sitting in a tray with a touch of water in it it may come down to an every day watering for us. My granddaughter and I can easily get a 12-hour full sun summer day. With her we've just got to keep the traps out of reach of the dogs (one is a super hyper young black lab...*super* hyper ).

12 hours, where the heck did I get that from. Daylight hours yes, good sun hours?...probably not. 8 hours is doable, though. We will keep an eye on things. I know from doing some vegetables in containers that the sun and summer heat can zap the moisture right out of those big pots. So, these little pots will definitely need to be watched closely!

Do these typical flytraps get much larger than what these are? My granddaughters is the bigger one on the left. It had a better root structure on it, too. Mine was dog-eared a bit...sitting inside the store from what my wife told me in a dim area. There were several dead/black traps.

IMG_4628pp (Custom)

I'm gonna have to have a talk with my granddaughter...my wife has already texted our daughter telling them that I've got a new hobby!!!!

Ok, question #3018... What about something to mulch the surface with? Anything that could be locally (wild?) sourced?

Also, is it too late to be ordering traps...too much heat? Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'll be at the next TGA meeting (Trap Growers Anonymous).