FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi all,

well, i just seen a comment on another thread saying that ladybirds can kill the plant... well, mine caught one in the short 5 meter walk from the car to the house about 2/3 weeks ago & now it's dying!

is there anything i can do? please!!?

Usually if the plant catches a lady bug only that trap will die, it's not fatal to the entire plant. That said, it looks like your plant may be a bit light starved. It would really help it out if you could find some place with more sunlight to grow it in...

Thanks for your advice - how can you tell it's light-starved?

the whole plant to me looks 'floppy', i guess that's it? I am in the UK here & it's getting much darker now, earlier & with less sunlight.

Should i remove the 'ladybird' trap head?

Discogod wrote:I am in the UK here & it's getting much darker now, earlier & with less sunlight.

Less sunlight = less water use.

Be sure to reduce the frequency of watering of the plant as the sunlight diminishes, since its water needs will also diminish as a result, or the medium may be too wet for too long and possibly promote fungal growth.

thanks guys, you lot are brilliant!

Sadly, we dont have a south facing window so it'll have to sit west. Will cut off that flower stem when i'm home this evening & cross my fingers that it recovers with more sunlight.

Should i consider putting a clear plastic pot over it? (got a 4-litre bottle ready for that...)

Hi all, i'm back!

i put fresh rainwater in the other day & moved it right next to the (west) windowsill.

i think it's going downhill still though. Perhaps it's the start of the dormant period?

The plant won't turn around overnight, give it some time.If you give the plant as much sunlight as possible and keep the soil moist with pure water it should start to improve in health. That said, dormancy is just around the corner, so don't be surprised if it doesn't look great until next spring. Even in dormancy you can tell if the plant is healthy...

I've never directly watered the soil - it just uses the water standing underneath it - should i put rainwater through the soil? How often?

THanks!

If you have a good airy soil with fairly good water retention (usually with a mix of peat which plays the main part of it), you only have to top water it a few times a month, mainly to drain minerals accumulation if there are any.

If you have a drier mix, I believe it can be good to do it a few times a month but not directly over the plant/crown itself, more around it. This way you can ensure that the whole mix is humid, instead of having just the bottom sitting in water with not enough absorption.

Also, remember that depending of your temperature (I don<t know where you live), you have to water it accordingly to avoid root rot.

If it's getting cold (I mean closer to 0 degrees celsius) and below, you have to water it less so that the soil is slightly moist. Don<t let it sit in water or water it like crazy, do so only during the growth season, especially during summer when the temperature is hot.