FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I've ownd a venus flytrap for a number of years now along with some sarracenia's too. Last year i attempted to grow some flytraps after allowing my flytrap to flower and pollenating it. I was unsuccessful in my endeavours and they died shortly after.

I have attempted to do the same this year and with all the hot weather they seem to be doing rather well, however I am slightly concerned that intially there was, what looked to be green moss/mould growin in the soil. I left it alone as the plants themselves are just starting to grow their first trap leaf, however now the surface of the soil is going white, again this looks like mould. Should i be concerned? Do you think it would be safe to place the seeds that are growing into fresh soil on the surface?

I can provide pictures if it will help. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hey there!
Pictures are always appreciated! However in this instance it sounds like you still are covering your plants with a humidity dome. If this is the case you should remove the cover and place your plants in the sun. If you have already removed the dome and your plants are in the sun and you are still experiencing green algae and mold then you are probably overwatering your seedlings. In either case you can spray your seedlings with Neem Oil and this should take care of the mold. If not reapply the Neem Oil in seven days. Your plants are of a size that you could transplant them into another container with fresh media using a tooth pick to pluck them out and put them into the new pot. If you transplant them you should go ahead and put them into the container you plan on overwintering them in as they do not really appreciate being transplanted a lot.

1cashew wrote:Hey there!
Pictures are always appreciated! However in this instance it sounds like you still are covering your plants with a humidity dome. If this is the case you should remove the cover and place your plants in the sun.

I wouldn't recommend this for seedlings. Not only can they overheat certain climates that adult plants can tolerate, but they also tend to sprout and grow a bit quicker when kept in high humidity.

Usually mold and algae is a sign of either low air circulation, or a bit too much water. You can open the dome a little bit each day or so to get the air moving, or you can only water they media when it starts to dry out a little instead of letting it sit in water.

You are right Spag!
I gave poor advice. What I should have said is:
Remove the humidity dome immediately. Put your plants in two hours of direct sun for three days then move them to a location which receives four hours of sun per day for a week or so. At this point you can leave them there or move to full sun. Personally, when I feel I have reached 85% to 90% germination I remove the humidity dome and move my plants to four hours of direct sunlight. In this situation however the plants are probably a little light starved and may burn without acclimation.

1cashew wrote:You are right Spag!
I gave poor advice. What I should have said is:
Remove the humidity dome immediately. Put your plants in two hours of direct sun for three days then move them to a location which receives four hours of sun per day for a week or so. At this point you can leave them there or move to full sun. Personally, when I feel I have reached 85% to 90% germination I remove the humidity dome and move my plants to four hours of direct sunlight. In this situation however the plants are probably a little light starved and may burn without acclimation.

Wait.

So you said you gave poor advice like my corrections were right, and then continue with advice that contradicts my corrections without even clarifying why or saying anything about them. Was this sarcasm? Are you brushing off my comments like they're too stupid to be worth of a response? Did you misread it? What the hell is going on here?

I have removed the dome to the little pots they are in to improve air circulation. I do tend to allow them to sit in water as i do with the adult one but perhaps this is wrong. I shall allow them to dry out a bit and only water them when required. They have been sat on my window since the beginning as i struggle to put them anywhere that isn't direct light, although i tend to move them out if there is too much direct sunlight for fear of burning them. I have a feeling that's what happened last time.

Would spraying neem oil still be a good idea at this stage of the process and when would you recommend moving them into a different pot? After winter or just before?

Thanks