FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

i bought a vft off ebay a few mths ago and when it arrived the traps were black but still alot of green so i went ahead and planted it and been using distilled water and rainwater cause its been outside but anyway the whole plant turned black and is notlooking good i think its completly dead....will it come back to life wat shud i do? its sooo hard to find vfts around here i had been looking for months and nothing so i was dumb enough to buy one on ebay!

Welcome to Flytrapcare.

Can you take a picture to show us what your plant looks like? Sometimes these plants may look dead when it's going dormant. I'm notsure if it's dead or it's dormant. A picture will help.

valeria87 wrote:i bought a vft off ebay a few mths ago and when it arrived the traps were black but still alot of green so i went ahead and planted it and been using distilled water and rainwater cause its been outside but anyway the whole plant turned black and is notlooking good i think its completly dead....will it come back to life wat shud i do? its sooo hard to find vfts around here i had been looking for months and nothing so i was dumb enough to buy one on ebay!

What kind of soil is it in and where do you live?

If the rhizome is white, the plant is okay (dig carefully, don't disturb the roots). If the rhizome turned brown/black like the rest of the plant, it isn't likely to come back. And yes, photos (especially if you can get a clear shot or two of the rhizome) would help. We're only guessing at this point due to lack of information.

it won't let me post the pic it says its too large.but i have it planted in moss stuff that the ebay seller shipped with it and said it needed. and i live in arkansas. im not sure what the r thing you asked about is...is it the roots? i checked the roots and they look black too

Hello valeria87 and welcome to FlytrapCare!

valeria87 wrote:im not sure what the r thing you asked about is...is it the roots?

The rhizome is the white bulb-like part of the plant that the roots attach to. See this photo:

If your plant doesn't have any white or green left on it, it's likely not going to make it.

thanks, yea i think its dead dead i didnt think it was gonna come back but i had to check to make sure. i think i just got ripped off on ebay cause the plant went completly black after like 2 days after i got it in mail.does anyone know of anywhere i can get a good healthy one?

I have a bunch for sale in my store:
FlytrapCare Store

valeria87 wrote:thanks, yea i think its dead dead i didnt think it was gonna come back but i had to check to make sure. i think i just got ripped off on ebay cause the plant went completly black after like 2 days after i got it in mail.does anyone know of anywhere i can get a good healthy one?

Matt wrote:I have a bunch for sale in my store:
FlytrapCare Store

Matt's plants are very healthy. I have several from his store in my collection.

Be sure to specify that you want it potted when you order; otherwise you'll have to get your own peat moss and perlite or sand. Most online carnivorous plant stores default to shipping plants "bare root".

Do NOT save the media that came with your previous plant - I would throw it out (or send it back and demand a refund ). For all we know, something in the soil of the flytrap you got from eBay is what killed it.

i should have sent it back but its been a long time now.i just kept hoping it would come back to life cause i had an aloe vera plant that died and came back to life somehow.i just thought id have the same luck.. but yea i looked at some of the plants in matts store and they look good.ill have to get one soon...thanks

You can start off by seeds. Here is an Ebay site:
http://cgi.ebay.com/25-Venus-Fly-Trap-S ... 19b7a2ffcb