FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello, I've been having a similar issue however I can't seem to isolate what the problem is.

I received my Dutch Delight Venus flytrap a little under a week ago and a number of the heads have turned black, shrunk, and died.

The flytrap is in a large pot with sphagnum peat moss and a top layer of live sphagnum moss.

The problem in my situation is that I live in Arizona so it is beginning to get very hot out in the day time. Thus I water it somewhat regularly (two to three small pours of distilled water) each day, especially when I have exposed it to direct sunlight. My apartment doesn't have any windowsills that receive adequate indirect sunlight so I have been placing the pot outside for an hour or so a day to acclimate it to the new hotter-drier weather. It would be safe to say the plant has yet to receive a full 4 hour day of sunlight however I have been hesitant because of the 95+ degree weather that begins in the AM.

Regardless, almost half the plant's leaves have died now and I'm not sure if its a natural reaction, too much sunlight, over-watering, etc. Does anyone have some idea what might be going on? If more photos would help let me know, the blackening seems to be happening fairly quickly almost overnight

It's normal for recently repotted flytraps to lose a few leaves while getting settled into their new pot and re-establishing their root system. When uprooted and repotted, a flytrap's root system is stressed and unable to effectively hydrate all of the leaves. Thus they will typically lose their oldest traps in an effort to cut down on the amount of water required to keep themselves alive. The amount of foliage loss can be exacerbated by harsh conditions, such as extremely hot and dry weather that one would experience in Arizona.

The good news is that there is a lot of new growth from the center of the plant and it looks healthy. That's what is really important, not what the old traps are doing. Given time, new traps will grow to replace the traps that are currently being shed while the plant grows new roots and establishes itself again.

as long as the new growth looks healthy, i wouldn't worry too much

I have found overwatering to cause similar symptoms to this, but without pictures, I can only recommend more light, which solves the problems of most CP's.

These plant need time to adjust. So it is perfectly normal for some leaves to blacken.

Thanks Matt & others!

Would it be better to continue being overcautious and acclimating it to the sunlight slowly, or does the flytrap need even more sunlight now after being repotted?

My biggest concern was leaving it out too long and burning the leaves, however the living sphagnum moss does a good job at keeping the medium moist for long periods of time.

Cdrit3101 wrote:Would it be better to continue being overcautious and acclimating it to the sunlight slowly, or does the flytrap need even more sunlight now after being repotted?

Being cautious is advisable. Get it a few hours of morning sun and watch for any negative effects. If you see sunburn, then back off with the sun. Eventually it will become hardened off and be fine in full sun (provided it's not too hot where you live).

To help it from drying out on the hot days, leave it in about 2-3 inches of cool water (in a tray) during the peak hours of sun.

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