FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Before I post the pictures, here are the conditions of the flytrap

45 - 60 F weather
Sunlight from around 7:30 to 6ish
Treated with big win water, medium dried up daily it’s distilled

Has never been fed bugs

Got it two weeks ago

Distilled water exposed to air

Placed in 6 inch pot filled with long fibered sphagnum moss

most traps are black and some are pinkish at the bottom of the stem but still the rhizome is white.

A dead fly trap has been on top of the pot for around a week but I removed it

In direct sunlight most of the day

I am sorry for listing so many but here are the pictures

The first fly trap

Second one

That looks grim but keep caring for it. It can come back from nothing. When you see new green shoots, you'll know it's alive.

mouthstofeed wrote:That looks grim but keep caring for it. It can come back from nothing. When you see new green shoots, you'll know it's alive.

I agree with mouthstofeed. Grim but hopeful. It looks really dry. Try soaking it with water and putting a tray of water underneath so it doesn't dry out. Keep it out of the hot sun for a while. Just let it get a hour or 2 of morning light and shaded light the rest of the day. Maybe in 2 weeks to a month you will start seeing some new growth. Then start adding more sunlight. The 2nd one may be toast already. Good luck

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I think there is no new growth.


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I think it needs to be outside just like mines, so it can catch bugs by its self.


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Oh no, I think it’s time to say goodbye to them if they die.


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There’s a shelf in the backyard ( west face ) but there’s a table I can place it in an east facing window, I’m not sure what to pick because the west one has shade but stronger light but the other one has morning light and shines a little bit less than the west one

I would leave them outside in as much sun as it can get and keep the soil moist. I bet they survive if you just do that. And also don't mess with them, just leave them alone, no moving them or anything.

My answer would be different if it were summer.

Is it dead then?


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IMO those plants are fine.

They just need as much sun as possible and the soil more moist than it is.

What I would do is find the sunniest place you can outside and put them there and don't move them or poke at them. Then just keep the soil moist.

My answer would be different if it were summer and not spring.

The first plant is in better condition than the second, but I also think both can be saved. I agree that the media looks too dry. Drench the pot until water drains from the bottom to ensure the media is completely moistened. Then, place the plants in a sunny spot outside like fieldofscreams suggested. If you can, I would place the pot in morning sun and gradually acclimate the plants to full sun to avoid burning them and stressing them more. Take care to ensure the moss stays moist. Good luck!

Secretariat73 wrote:The first plant is in better condition than the second, but I also think both can be saved. I agree that the media looks too dry. Drench the pot until water drains from the bottom to ensure the media is completely moistened. Then, place the plants in a sunny spot outside like fieldofscreams suggested. If you can, I would place the pot in morning sun and gradually acclimate the plants to full sun to avoid burning them and stressing them more. Take care to ensure the moss stays moist. Good luck!

I am in latitude 34 North, not a high latitude like 44 North. My plants have been in full sun since February and they are already burning up in full sun. I am having to shade them after 4 hours of morning sunlight. I don't know what latitude you live in but if you are in a lower latitude like mine or lower, all day sunlight will burn up your plants. Try the morning sunlight. I have plants that look exactly like yours that I gave to a friend last year and he kept them 2 feet from a window all Winter and they had no Traps on them. I repotted them for him because he had about 6 divisions. I kept a few to experiment with and told him to put his under his porch where he gets 2 hours of morning light and shaded light all day. His are growing fine and looking pretty good. I put the few I kept outside in full sun. It only took one day to make the plants look like yours. I then took the ones I damaged and did what I just said, give them a few hours in the morning and shaded light for the rest of the day until you can start to see new growth and then slowly add more sunlight. Fly Traps are not sensitive to moving around like cephalotus. Fly Traps are pretty tough. I have never had a problem carrying Fly Traps to the front of the house for 4 hours of sunlight and then back to the back of the house for 5 more hours. It's no big deal once they are used to the sunlight. Your traps likely don't have a rhizome big and healthy enough for all day sunlight. If you read the Fly Trap Care directions, even a healthy plant only needs 4 hours of direct sunlight and shaded or dappled sunlight the rest of the day. Geez. Good luck

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that medium looks like it hasnt been watered at all, it needs a lot more water than what is pictured in the photos there, the medium should be constantly damp (but just not sopping wet) it should not dry out daily and be crispy

I would give the pot a thorough watering with distilled water (I do not know what big win is, and I'm not sure what you meant by exposing the water to the air) it needs distilled, reverse osmosis or rainwater.

like really drench it and soak it make sure its wet as can be, and then use a small tray underneath. to keep just a little water in, other than that continue giving it as much sunlight as you can.