FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi All,

I know that it requires a lot of patience for a VFT to wake up, and this is the first time I am having plants come through a dormancy.

I have 3 plants:

1 purchased last spring/summer (DC-XL)
1 i purchased this winter from safeway - looked very sad so I bought it home and treated it well
1 (alien) purchased a few months ago and came dormant

The Alien and the generic one I bought from safeway are waking up very nicely now and growing very well.

I am worried about the DC-XL

I have attached a couple of pictures. But this one just does not come out. It seems some of the leaves are being burned from the sun.

I am keeping it watered - does this plannt in the pictures look like it will survive?

I replanted it twice (once in peat soil - dont just before dormancy) now a couple of days ago i moved it back into 100% PREMIUM NEW ZEALAND LONG FIBER SPHAGNUM MOSS.

The green color and the fly traps have been like this through the winter and even a couple of fly traps fell off recently and once turned black and fell off last week.

I am now making an extra effort by moving it to different parts of the house with sun through the day (I will be driving home from work regularly to do this as needed through the day)

Please take a look at the pictures. (I will add some more moss underneath where it is now to raise it. Just waiting for the new stuff to come in - I will not replant it but rather place the new moss underneath.)

thank you!

That is a good move raising it up with more moss. In the early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low, the pot can act to shade the plant, shortening the photoperiod.

With proper care, I would be very surprised if the plant did not survive. It doesn't look spectacular, but for a plant emerging from dormancy, it appears to be doing quite fine. I have found that the speed at which a plant breaks dormancy varies on a per-plant basis (note, NOT only on a per-cultivar basis, since even clones of the same plant may emerge at different times).

There is a complex amalgamation of factors that determine when a plant will break dormancy, and at what rate. I wouldn't worry much about this particular plant, especially if you are giving it proper care. If this is the only plant you have that is lowered in the pot like this, I would assume that could be a large reason for the lack of growth. It might be getting a shorter photoperiod and thus think it's still earlier in the season. Also, if the rhizome isn't as healthy as the others, it may take a little longer.

I would also add that when you re-pot the plant, adding the LFSM, it will likely stall the plant for a week or two. The best you can do is keep taking good care of your plants and be patient. I'm confident it will do just fine!

Thank you for the reply.

Before I repotted yesterday it was in soil only and only getting sun in the evenings as it came over on one side of the patio (Same as the other 2 plants.)

I will give it extra attention and add the extra moss once I get it.
Thank you!

Hi,

I just added some more moss to the pot, while i was in there I took out the VFT to check out the roots.

The plant is STILL dormant and it is getting a LOT of sun through the day.

Can any trained eye take a look at the attached pictures of the plant and see if it is healthy?

I am not sure what the reddish color is either

I notice a lot of black around the middle of the plant and the traps seem to be dying..

Thank you

the red is sunburn, the plant looks ok.
as long as new growth looks healthy and green your good.

your vfts roots look like they took a beating.
there is alot of energy stored in the rhizome so repot it and
give it good conditions and it will bounce back in no time.
give plenty of sun dont worry about the burn.

If you're seeing black around the middle that possibly could be crown rot unfortunately. It's what happens when the middle...or crown...of the plant stays wet too often and for too long without adequate air flow to dry it. With mine I give the crown "breathing room", as in I don't plant it deep; I put the crown a teeny bit above the soil level if possible.

Here is a picture of it now potted. I do not think this is crown rot.

I could be wrong though but I think it might just be burnt?