FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

So 1st post on this forum and I can't seem to work the answer out for myself. So here we go. I have a venus fly trap that I bought from my garden centre last year and it was actually just about to go into dormancy when I got it. It went into dormancy and all was fine until I looked on it last month. I brought it in about 2 weeks ago and it had mealy bugs. So I went about killing them with soap and chilli sauce and whatever else that would kill the pests. It has seemed to have worked and all are gone but has left some after effects. Now all my traps have closed and haven't re opened for weeks. The traps are starting to die and the leaves and it generally looks un healthy. Until you see the flower stalk and the second one growing. Here are some pics, what are your thoughts on it:


This one is half open but is full of dead mealys


Also am I watering right because the garden centre said to use a tray and let the water be standing in there all the time.

There are new growth so it is recovering, but I suggest you cut the flower stalk as it is not healthy enough to, especially if it is recovering.

I agree with LAKJP. The new growth looks good and the plant should recover. But I'd cut off the flower stalks as soon as possible.

It also appears that the bugs are still on the plant. You might want to get something a bit stronger to treat them with.

I don't really want to cut the flowers off. Could I cut the big one off and leave the small one on in hope that it is healthy enough soon to flower. I really want it to flower for me. As you suggested Matt I will probably treat with some proper bug spray tomorrow but they are dead though. It may just be the chilli powder. Could I cut off the big traps and just leave the new growth to grow

Well, the decision is yours

I am going to keep the second small one but I will chop off the big one. Cut it off as far down as I can I presume?

A question before you cut: Why do you want to keep the flower stalk? If you want to try to get seeds, you're better off leaving the larger flower stalk. Most small flower stalks don't produce much, if any, seed. If you just want to see a flower, then you could leave the small stalk. The plant isn't terribly healthy right now and flowering will set it back 4 to 6 weeks in terms of growth.

And yes, cut the flower as low as possible.

Hmm, There is a possibility that you might no even see a proper flower as the plant maybe too weak to sustain itself. You might also end up with the whole plant dying. As flowering suck the life and energy of the whole plant. Then you need to start all over again if it withered to bare.

I really find your plant looking rather weak as the traps are all bending over. That is really not a good idea to let it flower.

If you like a first a first hand feel on flowering. You might want to let your plant flower in a proper healthy condition the next year.

You decide.

I would say repot the plant immediately. And cut off the flower stalk and stick in to another new soil. New plantlets should form. Your plants seems to be very weak. How much sunlight are you giving it? I agree with Tish too. I guess that a proper flower wont even form since the plant is already weak.

Ok. I also notice the soil is dark green. Looks like you keep it too wet. Don't let it stand in water in the tray. Leave the soil to dry out a day before filling water in the tray . let it suck up the water for 20 to 30 mins before emptying the tray again and the cycle goes on.

Fingered from my Galaxy Nexus

I just want to see the flowers this year but I guess I might as well chop them off as I don't want the whole plant dying on me. Always next year. Also re potting. Should I re pot it into a bigger pot or the same sized pot. Or even the same pot different soil?

Also if I wanted to plant the flower stalk how deep should I plant it. I had to cut it into two because it sort of got mishandled. and how should I water it and when do I see if it was successful

So I re potted them today and I noticed an interesting thing. I think it is called a divide? When the white bulb splits in two. Basically I took it out the pot swished the soil off with water (rain) and I noticed that the white bulb was sort of hanging off. So I looked closer and it was split from the other one so i gently pulled the roots away and now I have 2 plants from that. Also I saved a vft from the reduced line today. All it needs is a good watering and light and it should be spic and span but I noticed a little plantlet in the pot as well that was the size of a straw in thickness and maybe 2 cm's in leaf length. £1.27 it cost me. So now I have 4 plants if all works well and I put the flower stalk in water because I'm going to try the water propogation method.

The saved plant and the little plantlet I noticed


Finally the two plants potted in bigger pots because the roots were big


I had to plant them in 100% shanpagum peat moss as I didn't have perlite or silica sand. Although some marbles went into the mix

Adam Davis wrote:I think it is called a divide?

Yes, the plant divided and the separate plant is called a "division" Very nice!

How long will it take for them to get back on their feet? Also that very small one is so thin so what could I do to make it grow bigger

Leave it alone for now

The soil looks quite wet, if you just watered it , its ok. let the soil dry more (to the feel of after you wash and wipe your hands with towel) before watering using tray method for 20 minutes again. That is how I watered my VFt in peat moss/perlite