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Ask questions about how to grow and care for Venus Flytraps

Moderator: Matt

By bjs1785
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:36 pm
#138150
Hello All!

I just got a venus fly trap this week and also a pitcher plant. The pitcher plant looks good so far, but today I noticed the fly trap is browning slightly.

I am using a sphagnum peat moss with natural sand and some perlite, sitting in about 3/4 inch of water. The soil is moist. I started it a few days on my coverd porch, and then moved it outside about 3 days ago. last night was in the lower 40s.

I think I either moved the plant into diret sunlight too quickly, or the low temperatue might have caused this? The plant was located outside at the store, but under a large white sheet, just like the tomatoes. It is a reputable plant specialty store.

I would like to nurse it back to good health, any ideas are helpful.

1st picture is the day I got it, the second picture is today.

Thanks!
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By pieguy452
Posts:  2460
Joined:  Sun May 22, 2011 11:09 pm
#138151
It is normal for some leaves to die off when a venus flytrap is brought into new conditions. The plant looks healthy, so unless the browning starts to affect more and more leaves, I wouldn't be too worried about it :)


And what kind of sand are you using? If it is regular sand, then that could be very bad for your flytrap. Most sands will leech minerals into the soil over time, which will end up slowly killing the plant. They need pure silica sand, with a low enough grit (preferably 20 or below). This can be found at most hardware or home improvement stores. It is also sold as pool filter sand or sand blasting sand.



I also see this is your first post, so welcome to flytrapcare!
By bjs1785
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:36 pm
#138152
Thanks for the reply...

The sand I use is out of my backyard creek which I was thinking would be okay, but maybe it is not. The creek was tested years ago to make sure it was safe for my dogs to drink and play in (and it was) and so I was assuming that I could use the sand and the water for the plants. Maybe the sand was a bad idea? What do you think about the water from the creek too?

Thanks again

Brian
By pieguy452
Posts:  2460
Joined:  Sun May 22, 2011 11:09 pm
#138155
That may not be a good idea. The sand in your creek will most likely be harmful to your flytraps, same with the water in it as well.


I would highly recommend that you repot the plant into soil that contains a 50/50 mixture of just the sphagnum and the perlite (make sure the brand is not something like miracle grow, as this will harm the plant due to the fertilizers added to them), and start using water that is from the rain, an RO (reverse osmosis) unit, or distilled water that is relatively inexpensive and easy to find.


Reading these may also help

http://www.flytrapcare.com/the-importan ... traps.html
http://www.flytrapcare.com/media-soil-f ... traps.html
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By bjs1785
Posts:  8
Joined:  Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:36 pm
#138157
Thanks

I was thinking the creek would be perfect since its supplied rain water, but I didnt think about all the nutrients that are washed into it as well.

Round 2
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By Matt
Location: 
Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#138167
bjs1785 wrote:The sand I use is out of my backyard creek which I was thinking would be okay, but maybe it is not.
That's definitely not a good idea. Unless the creek is made up of silica sand (unlikely) then the sand you're using will leech minerals into the soil and slowly poison your flytrap.
bjs1785 wrote:What do you think about the water from the creek too?
Again, the water probably takes on minerals from the soil and rocks in the creek, making it unsuitable to use on flytraps. But you could always test it with a TDS meter to see if it's acceptable to use. A TDS reading of under 50 PPM is safe and some people use it if it's under 100 PPM.
Matt liked this
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