FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi Guys, I recently picked up a Flytrap from a local seller on my campus and repotted the trap in a self watering pot with peat moss. However, I noticed that the traps and leaves have begun to go limp. I was wondering if this was expected just due to the stress? The fly trap is on my window counter and should get at least 4-6 hours of sunlight a day. The past days have been cloudy so little sunlight.

Hmm, that plant does look more stressed than it should be from just being repotted. My first guess would be that the self watering pot isn’t working properly. I’ve never used one, but I’ve always heard they don’t work well for carnivorous plants because they don’t absorb enough water.

Also, a tip: since your plant is stressed, it would be a good idea to cut off the flower stalks (the round stems that look like tiny asparagus). They draw a lot of energy from the plant so cutting them off should help it recover.

I see, how deep should I cut off the stalks? Im assuming as much as I can? I feel like the pot is working, the soil is quite damp from touch and I'm using pure distilled water. The only hope for me is that at least the traps are slowly opening, but I dont know what more to do

Yes, just cut the stalks as low as you can without damaging any of the other leaves.

Just to make sure, is your soil free of fertilizers?

Also, this seems unlikely since your plant is inside, but aphid damage looks somewhat like that. I’d recommend looking really closely at the leaves to make sure there’s none crawling around.

My only other thought is that it looks like the plant may have had been in relatively low light before you got it, so it may be shocked by getting more sun (although it’s definitely good that you’re giving it plenty of light). If that’s the case, it will probably recover just fine over time. Good luck!

I have read that self watering pots aren't great for CPs. Though I have never used them myself.

hu19 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 6:42 pm Hi Guys, I recently picked up a Flytrap from a local seller on my campus and repotted the trap in a self watering pot with peat moss. However, I noticed that the traps and leaves have begun to go limp. I was wondering if this was expected just due to the stress? The fly trap is on my window counter and should get at least 4-6 hours of sunlight a day. The past days have been cloudy so little sunlight.

If you recently got it and repotted it, it is now stressed from acclimating to new conditions and being handled. They recover fine from that, but do decline a bit temporarily. The media needs time to settle around the roots so they can take up water more efficiently.
However, it won't recover quickly or fully without proper light, and it cannot get proper light on a windowsill. Glass filters light, so it will likely decline further, even if it were to get 12 hours of sunlight through the window. You either need to find a sunny spot outside or get a strong grow light.

hu19 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 6:42 pm Hi Guys, I recently picked up a Flytrap from a local seller on my campus and repotted the trap in a self watering pot with peat moss.

Did you soak the peat moss with low-mineral water before putting it in the pot? Dry peat moss is hydrophobic (repels water) and can be a PITA to get wet after the fact. You can water the crap out of it in the pot until it looks sopping-wet, then dig down an inch and find that it's still bone-dry on the inside.

I added some water before I planted it, but looking back I did not fill it to the point where it is sopping-wet. However, I was keeping an eye out for the water intake during the first night and refilled it regularly. I took a recent picture of the Trap, and it doesnt look any better... As its my first time Im getting quick scared that I killed my trap just a week or two after getting it