FlyTrapCare Forums

Hi there! So, I got this Little Pot of Horrors Venus fly trap about 2 months ago (late march). As the title says, since I got the VFT, it has pretty much only produced very small, pure green traps like those in the pictures and I have never seen it eat anything with them. I don't think I've ever seen a mouth move at all. The 0467 picture shows the one large-ish trap it grew, though the mouth seems inverted, so I think it is non-functional. In case the file name doesn't show, I tried to add a description. I figured maybe it was a problem due to stress from the change in environment, so I wanted to give it time to acclimate. However, today I noticed that some of the traps are browning before even fully forming into traps, and one even has a slight black edge.

For some background, I have been giving it distilled water through bottom watering into that little jar cap. It is right next to a west facing window. I am not sure how many hours it gets "direct" sunlight, but when direct sunlight ends, I have been trying out keeping it lit with a lamp from about 6 inches away until about midnight. Not sure on the wattage etc on the lamp. I'm not sure what other information is relevant, so please ask and I will do my best to provide it.

One possible problem is wetness. It seems like it is planted purely in living (sphagnum?) moss, so I'm not sure how to determine how wet it is. I can't tell if I should keep the water tray filled with water or not, since the moss always seems moist. I tried digging into the medium a bit and found only more moss (I think), though I didn't dig too deeply as I didn't want to hurt the roots.
It also might be an issue of brightness. I might be able to put it outside on the eastern side, but it has a lot of tree cover so I figured that wouldn't work out very well.

pls help

Still etiolated. Not enough light.

It needs more light. Big green leaves with tiny traps is a good indicator that it is light starved. If you have to grow indoors you need strong, intense grow lights. Regular lamp bulbs won’t do much for vft.

looks light starved. I recommend putting it outside in the shade and every week move the plant where its gets 1-2 more hours of direct sun until its in full sun.

A shady area will still be better than the sunniest windowsill. Put it outside, get it unfiltered sunlight, and it will come around.

Alright, it is outside now! I'll need to find some boxes or something to stack so I can get it high enough to minimize how much the gate/trees are blocking light. Until then, I will try to acclimate it to the direct sun. Thank you all for the advice!

A shepherds hook would let you set it up high in a hanging basket type of setup...you can get them that are 5-6 feet tall. Or, you could find something less expensive like a metal fence post and wire a hanger or simply make a loop to hang a basket from. The shepherds hook would be the easiest to get into the ground if you don't have a post driver or a heavy sledge hammer. Just a thought. Btw, do you have squirrels?

Best wishes.