FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello everyone,

My name is Matt and I am new to growing VFTs. I ordered my plant from the FlyTrapStore and it looked pretty good. Now, there is only one stalk with a trap on it. All the others died off, so I cut them off as close to the soil as possible. It came pre-potted from FTS, so whatever soil mixture they use is what it has. I water it with distilled water when the top gets dry, which varies on how warm/windy it is outside. It gets at least 5 hours of sunlight a day if not more. I usually keep it outside. Any ideas on what is going on? Any assistance is very appreciated.

Hard to say at this point since all of the leaves have been removed, so any evidence of what might be ailing the plant is gone.

The last remaining leaf doesn't give any clues that I can discern.

The moss moisture level looks correct. If you have it outside and are watering with distilled water, that all sounds good.

Sometimes plants stall after sending out a flower stalk, and that could be what's happening here. It doesn't look like it's struggling in any noticeable way, judging by the single remaining leaf.

Give it some more time and continue to give it good care, and it should start putting out new traps soon.

Alright. Thanks Matt for the information. Yeah I removed the other ones cause they were all black and dying (might have been cause it went into dormancy). I have seen where it is good to remove the dead ones completely, just the trap, or leave it.

What conditions is it in though? state / temperatures?

Avery579 wrote:I have seen where it is good to remove the dead ones completely, just the trap, or leave it.

When growing in proper conditions, there is no risk to leave dead or dying traps on the plant. And, in fact, there can be benefit in doing so as the plant can reclaim nutrients and minerals traps as the leaf dies.

Avery579 wrote:might have been cause it went into dormancy

Flytraps don't go dormant this time of year if they've had a proper dormancy starting in October/November, which all of the plants we ship have had. Something else is going on.

When you say that you "usually" leave it outside, what does that mean exactly? If you are bringing it inside because the temps dropped below freezing that is probably the right choice, if you are shuttling it inside and out for other reasons you will likely make the plant unhappy. Your plant needs consitancy most of all to be healthy, pick the best spot for it and leave it if possible.

SundewWolf wrote:What conditions is it in though? state / temperatures?

Well the temperatures vary. I am in Oklahoma City, so today it is mid 50's, but tomorrow is going to be in the 70s. We have had some 80s and 90s already this year as well. I did not leave it out when it got into the middle 30s or when severe weather is coming (because of the hail).

Branmuffin wrote:When you say that you "usually" leave it outside, what does that mean exactly? If you are bringing it inside because the temps dropped below freezing that is probably the right choice, if you are shuttling it inside and out for other reasons you will likely make the plant unhappy. Your plant needs consitancy most of all to be healthy, pick the best spot for it and leave it if possible.

The only reason I leave it in the garage/inside is if we are expecting severe weather (but I leave outside up until the weather is almost here) or if temps are going to be freezing. Otherwise, I leave it outside.

I appreciate all the assistance everyone. I am just kind of worried that I killed the plant/

To add to what Matt said with something I noticed in the pics. When you do remove dead traps wait until is completely dead down past the soil level. It's ready to come off of you lightly pull on it and it comes off. The plant shouldn't even move.

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OK. Thank you boarderlib for that info. I appreciate you all giving me feedback. The more I learn the better.

If your freezes only get down to 20 and are not accompanied by heay freezing winds, it is safe to leave them outside unprotected. I also would imagine they could take some sizable hail, of course, the largest hail we get here is just a cm or so in diameter. I do not believe that moving your plant around is very healthy for it.