FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

My order from California Carnivores came in yesterday, I don't expect them to last for a long time. But hopefully I'll figure something out, I may just set the flytrap outside for a few days to get some food every now and then. Then keep it inside to get some decent lighting because my location is bad, it won't get much direct sunlight at all...

Probably the same story with my sundew...anyways, here, have a pic of them.
Gonna pick up some watering trays (using a plate right now, best I have at the moment, lol) and maybe a timer for the light very soon.


Oh yeah, it's a cape sundew and red dragon...anyways wish me luck.

Joeynator3000 wrote:Then keep it inside to get some decent lighting because my location is bad, it won't get much direct sunlight at all...

Even outdoor indirect sunlight is typically better most artificial lighting that could be provided indoors. I'd suggest just putting them outdoors in the sunniest location and I'd be they do just fine.

Joeynator3000 wrote:Oh yeah, it's a cape sundew and red dragon...anyways wish me luck.

They look great. Good luck!!

That's the problem, no sunny locations at all, the Sundew I wanna keep inside anyways to deal with the bugs that fly around here. the Flytrap I may just keep it next to the front door outside. But I'm afraid stray cats/loose dogs may mess with it. Plus we get people with leafblowers constantly, so I'm afraid those might damage the plant as well.

Joeynator3000 wrote:That's the problem, no sunny locations at all

Really? No sun in Florida? I find that hard to believe! Even indirect sunlight outside is better than most indoor grow setups.

Joeynator3000 wrote:But I'm afraid stray cats/loose dogs may mess with it.

Then get a little "cage" to put it in to protect it! People have designed lots of things to keep pests away. Birds and squirrels are a major problem in a lot of places. Putting some sort of "cage" or "fence" around your flytrap to protect it will solve that potential pest issue.

i find table top tubs keep all my pest out, i think its just uninviting.

I don't have any room for that, I'm very limited on space and options. Kept trying to explain this to Matt...no matter where I put it outside, the sun WILL be blocked by not only trees, but buildings as well. Also I'm 99.9% sure I can't do fences or cages outside...

Kinda why I went with buying a $90 grow light panel w/ stand. lol

EDIT: Well the red dragon is alive and well, so for now I'm gonna put him outside next to the front door for a few days at least. Sundew I wanna at least keep as an indoor plant to handle small flying bugs around here, if he's not getting much food then I'll place him outside with the flytrap for a few days to catch some decent food.

Chances are I'll probably get a butterwort again as well, since I had one that lasted a long time. And back then I didn't even know everything on how to really care for these things. lol

(I do wish we had our own house so I could have way better options than this...)

Update: Yesterday I bought some actual water trays and a timer for my grow light. (was afraid something wouldn't work with the timer, it's fine) Yesterday I did decide to check to see if the flytrap was alive by testing a trap, after that I'm gonna let him sit outside next to the front door.

Also just saw that my sundew is producing dew again, so that's good. (only one leaf at the moment, the others are still "dry")

Anyways just wanted to point that out, hopefully they'll go well, chances are I'll get a butterwort sometime soon now that I know I can trust California Carnivores.

Gonna add a new post here instead this time.

But, is winter usually the best time to put them in new pots? I was going to buy everything but then thought that maybe I should wait a while before repotting them. (the flytrap seems a bit small right now anyways)

Joeynator3000 wrote:But, is winter usually the best time to put them in new pots?

Late winter or early spring (now) is a great time to repot most all carnivorous plants.

You think they'll be fine till winter, then? I figured the flytrap is too small right now.

the sundew is fine inside without a repot. the pot is too short for fly traps. fly traps have super long roots. a 7 inch tall plastic or styrofoam cup works perfect. you dont want their roots too get too hot. you could repot the fly trap into a taller cup/pot and then set that in something heavy that the blower cant move. I think you can use a glazed clay pot. not terra cotta.

Joeynator3000 wrote:You think they'll be fine till winter, then?

That depends on how fresh the soil is, not when you received them. Does the soil look fresh or fairly new? If not, they should probably be repotted now to grow optimally through next spring.

Joeynator3000 wrote:I figured the flytrap is too small right now.

Plants are never too small to repot.

I can't really say about the soil, they's from California Carnivores so I figured it would be fresh...?

I wouldn't think so, many people report having other plants in their soil and those would likely be removed if they were recently repotted.

Guess I'll deal with this once next month hits, kinda running out of money. Just gotta figure out where to find soil. I've seen some stores carry the moss, but the perlite/sand I keep finding always have the fertilizer stuff in it. (Miracle Grow) Go figure...lol

It will be fine for a while probably.