FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I recently got a Venus fly trap, but i don't know what it is, im guessing a typical, but if there's any interesting features on it just let me know.

Unfortunately, any plant that you don’t know the origins of, you have to call it typical.

Fixed that subject line for you.

Camden wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:25 am Unfortunately, any plant that you don’t know the origins of, you have to call it typical.

Alright, didnt know if there was ways to tell.

sans wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 1:52 pm

Camden wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:25 am Unfortunately, any plant that you don’t know the origins of, you have to call it typical.

Alright, didnt know if there was ways to tell.

Yes, there is a way to tell. It being sold to you as a named cultivar by a trusted, reputable seller is the way to determine which cultivar it is.

oh. i bought it from Lowe's and it didn't say the name, i think.

and another question, can i use water from my well? i dont know if that would have a bunch of minerals, but i do know it smells like sulfur .

sans wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 3:08 pm oh. i bought it from Lowe's and it didn't say the name, i think.

From Lowes, only a typical. That's not a bad thing, I've gotten a few from Lowes that have some very nice characteristics.

sans wrote:and another question, can i use water from my well? i dont know if that would have a bunch of minerals, but i do know it smells like sulfur .

Well water is generally much, much higher in TDS, so is no bueno for carny plants. However, I have seen a few reports of well water being OK, but it's extremely rare.
The only way to be sure is to test the TDS of your water.

how do i test it?

Please be patient with me

And if its not usable, whats the cheapest option to water it? rain water? and if it is, could i use either well water or tap water untill i get rain water?

Any water is better than going bone dry. However tap won't do well for long term unless you tested it's tds and made sure it's low enough. You can get a cheap tds tester on amazon and usually local hydroponic stores. Cheapest option for water is rain water.

Once you get the correct water be sure to flush the plant out.

To my knowledge, you can only test it using a tds(total disolved solids) meter https://a.co/d/hrMqtXe something like this would work well. There are these 1 gallon distilled jugs at Walmart and such; really awesome if you’re in a pinch for water. Most CP’s can handle non ideal water for a bit, but like Lain said, just make sure to flush them with clean water after. I would still test the tds of the well and the tap though.

Alright, thanks for answering my questions, and im going to make a rainbarrel as soon as possible, and as cheaply as possible

Wait if i collect rain water from my roof will that affect it?