FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I was just given a Venus flytrap plant as a gift and Just received it in the mail. This website has been amazing for me to realize what I need to do to keep these little guys happy and healthy. I've noticed that they're dormant which I expected, and their soil was damp when they arrived, but was dry today. I put some water in their dish and they soaked it right up! I'm heading home for the thanksgiving holidays today and I need some advice about taking it home versus keeping it in my apartment. I'm a little worried they won't receive the water that they need during my 5 day vacation. Is it worth it to travel with it as I'm only driving home? I'm so new to this I don't know how much water they need since they're dormant!

You want the soil to always be moist; never let it dry out. Make sure you use distilled water or rain water unless you know that your tap water is very low in dissolved solids.

If you can, I would keep the plant outdoors barring freezing temperatures. Flytraps in small pots do not tolerate freezing very well. I very rarely have to water my outdoor plants during the winter due to the cooler temperatures and rain. I do keep my plants in water trays though.

If that isn't an option, it may be best to just take the plant with you.

In the past I have left my pots in bowls and trays of water during dormancy when I've been gone for up to two and a half weeks, but those were 7-12" pots under cool conditions where evaporation and respiration by the plants was minimal and the deeper pots help prevent rot.

If you're only going to be gone over the weekend (for like 4 days) you'll probably be fine leaving it in a shallow saucer of water. If it's a small pot, that will keep it more wet than you'd probably want it this time of year, but that shouldn't hurt it for such a short period if it's healthy. Try to only give it enough water to keep it moist till you get back. Ideally the tray would be empty when you return but the media would be moist.

Are you keeping it indoors? If so, it probably will not go or stay dormant without low temperatures. If it's not dormant or cold, the water tray should actually make it happy. Just allow the media to begin to get dry before watering it again when you get back. Make sure it's getting as much direct sunlight or appropriate artificial light as possible (indirect window light and regular light bulbs won't keep it happy.)

Note: another way of holding plants over when you can't water them is to cover them with a humidity dome or plastic bag, but I wouldn't recommend this when they're not actively growing unless it's an emergency. And be aware that if they're outside in direct sunlight, inside the dome it can get hot enough to cook your plant even if it's very cold outside.