FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi everyone!

I’ll start with a disclaimer that I have no clue what I’m doing and got a little Venus fly trap from a plant sale in September. It looked great when I first got it and in November time all the leaves and snappers turned black so I trimmed them. It’s only had rainwater as the lady told me about that.

I’ll attach the photo of before and what it looks like now. It’s not grown anymore trap/snapper things but it does have leaves and a stem? Is it dormant? Is it dead? Help

The flower stem takes A LOT of energy from the plant to form. That is why there is most likely no new growth or traps... i would suggest cutting it off although its pretty far along so that would be up to you at this point I'm not sure how much it would help.
Also you can use distilled water as well as rain water. It needs a lot of light also.

The flower stalk does take a lot of energy and stalls grow for quite a number of weeks, however, it is also extremely apparent that the plant is not receiving anywhere near enough direct sunlight.

When flytraps grow leaves without traps, that's a tell-tale sign that they aren't receiving enough sunlight.

Hi Laura! I don't know where you are located, but flytraps like it best outside in the sunniest place you can put them in. If your in the Northern Hemisphere and it's currently below 25-32 degrees F where you are at for any prolonged period of time, I'd hold off putting your plant outside until Spring when it warms up a bit. If your in the Southern Hemisphere, then find a sunny spot outside and place the plant there.

If you can't put it outside for whatever reason (too cold, living in a apartment/flat with no outside growing area available), then I'd get a lamp with a proper light bulb in it and keep your plant under that with the light about a foot or so away from the plant. It should keep your plant happy until Spring (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere) when you can put it outside or until you can find a suitable outside growing place.

Flytraps usually go dormant when the weather grows colder, and the days grow shorter. If you can't find an outside growing place, or where you live is tropical all year round, then look up refrigerator dormancy for putting your flytrap into a dormant state for a few months.

I feel ya! I have the exact same VFT as your second picture (the one with the fly on the label). Mine started turning limpy and some blackened when the weather got colder (I keep my house at around 69-70C in the winter). I've since bought a grow light and it started recovering better. It even grew a flower stem while I traveled overseas for 3 weeks! I've snipped it off and currently trying to get it into full dormancy in my garage (colder, less light).
Eventhough they dieback (blackened), they will sprout new growth and traps eventually when the temperature and light is optimal. So don't give up on them!