FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Im going to leave my vft for a week and i want to ask for help what method should i ues to water my vft.should i use tray method since the weather at here is very hot about 34°C?or any opinion?how can i water my vft when im not around for a long period?

Personally i would leave in a tall tray of water, better too wet than to dry out.
Or put the pot in a tall pot of water that doesnt have holes in the bottom, if its just for a week this shouldnt do any harm in the growing season.

I agree with Jaws. One user recently said his pot was going through a full tray in a single day so if that amount of water won't last it for the week, you can leave it inside in a window for the week.

What if the vft get rotten?

For me, I usually water 2x a week, and that's not necessarily because the inside soil is dry. It's only because the top looks dry. So I would guess that your soil should be moist for about 1 week while you are away.

omnipercp15 wrote:For me, I usually water 2x a week, and that's not necessarily because the inside soil is dry. It's only because the top looks dry. So I would guess that your soil should be moist for about 1 week while you are away.

That's a brave guess with it being 34 degrees and not knowing (unless you do know) the humidity, what size pot, or what type of growing medium it's in. If it's sphagnum moss in a 3 inch pot, it could be dry before the end of the day. If it's a 10 gallon tub full of pure peat moss in high humidity, rain alone might keep it wet enough.

Its inside 3 inch pot ang long fibred sphagnum moss as media.and not realy dry here.

It is far better for the soil to be too wet for a flytrap than too dry. Dry soil can seriously damage a flytrap in just a matter of hours. Root rot typically only becomes a problem if it is chilly outside with little airflow, little sunlight, and the soil has been soaked for a week or two. I have had flytraps stay in soaked soil for weeks without any trouble since they were exposed to warm temperatures and sunlight.

If you live in a hot climate and have to leave for a week I would personally suggest you leave them in a tray with plenty of water. One week shouldn't cause any damage. Long fiber peat moss also has antibacterial properties to it that will help prevent root rot. When you get back drain out the water and let the soil dry a bit.

pieguy452 wrote:Root rot typically only becomes a problem if it is chilly outside with little airflow, little sunlight, and the soil has been soaked for a week or two. I have had flytraps stay in soaked soil for weeks without any trouble since they were exposed to warm temperatures and sunlight.

Expanding on that, I think what's important is the flow of water through the soil and the plant. If you constantly have water going into the soil and evaporating out and the plant drawing in water and using it, they tend to stay healthy. When the same water is just sitting stagnant in your pot is when the problems begin.