FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello dear fellow growers,

2 days ago I bought my first Venus Fly Trap. It is very small, came in a small pot. I watered it properly with rain water. It has around 10-12 traps but all are closed and this morning one trap turned black. What does this mean? Does it want to go into dormancy or is it too late for that? How can I feed it if the traps are so small and all are closed, or maybe it needs a few days to accomodate with the new place.

Thank you for your answers.

Hi valentinseician! Welcome to Flytrapcare!

Most likely, your Venus fly trap was already dormant when you bought it. You should definitely let it stay dormant over winter until spring. During dormancy you shouldn't feed it, and keep the watering to a minimum. Keep the soil just barely moist.

If you're in the US, you can check your hardiness zone here: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/# If you live in Zone 8 or above, you can leave your plant outside all year round.

If your winter temperatures often go below freezing, keep your plant in an unheated, cold room like a basement or garage. Many people also keep their dormant plants in the refrigerator. Here is a good tutorial for that: http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-tr ... orial.html

Thank you for the reply,

So does it mean that the plant is dormant if all the traps are closed? Do I need to put it in a dark garage or can it stay also in a cold room 12 degrees Celsius room temperature but with sunlight coming into the room.
I am living in Romania, Europe, where winter temperature often are under -10.

valentinseician wrote:Thank you for the reply,

So does it mean that the plant is dormant if all the traps are closed? Do I need to put it in a dark garage or can it stay also in a cold room 12 degrees Celsius room temperature but with sunlight coming into the room.
I am living in Romania, Europe, where winter temperature often are under -10.

No, not necessarily. But moving to a new environment or being recently potted often triggers all the traps into closing.

The 12 C room with sunlight sounds perfect for dormancy! VFTs still photosynthesize when dormant, so if you can still provide light, that is best.

just my 2c worth

often when you buy it from a nursery, people stick their fingers in it, alternatively, when people re-pot them, or probably ship them, the disturbance triggers the traps (last time i transplanted one, i washed it, which triggered every single trap, it was fine after a couple days)

If you're in the US, you can check your hardiness zone here: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/# If you live in Zone 8 or above, you can leave your plant outside all year round.

i live in zone 10 so does it make it ok to leave it outside ?

I'm in zone 10 and mine are dormant outside they should be fine there