FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey guys.
I have had this plant for half year now. I've it was mostly green and healthy. But recently it has turned yellowish and the leaves are turning black from sides, even new, healthy and big traps. It has has been happening for about a month now. It was healthy all through the winter. I put it under purple light for the light about 10h a day (my city gets low sunlight) and I put a small cup of distilled water (I got it from a lab supplement store) under it
It is growing new traps, but they have become smaller. It's freaking me out and I found nothing on the internet.
I have some theories though. Recently I've seen some little flys and their larvae on its soil. I have some diazinon, shall I use it??
Or if the pests aren't the reason, what is the reason. Please help me. I don't want to lose it.

Did you let the flytrap go dormant? They need a dormancy period each year to stay healthy in the long run. Those bugs look like springtails to me but I am not sure. Springtails are pretty much harmless to plants. Have you been feeding them things like slugs? Those will kill the trap I think. Also each trap can close around 5 times before it dies.

If these tiny bugs are seen jumping around like fleas, then yeah those are springtails. My flytrap has them as well, for the most part they are harmless, depends on the plant's size I think.

Hello and welcome to FlytrapCare!

The color of your flytrap 4doesn't look healthy, but it certainly doesn't' look all that bad either.

Soheil wrote:Recently I've seen some little flys and their larvae on its soil. I have some diazinon, shall I use it??
Or if the pests aren't the reason, what is the reason.

I see no sign of pests, so that's not the issue.

Soheil wrote:I put it under purple light for the light about 10h a day (my city gets low sunlight)

I don't know what "purple light" is but that could be why the plant's color looks off. Where do you live? Even "low sunlight" is better than any artificial light that flytraps can be given.

sanguinearocks101 wrote:Did you let the flytrap go dormant?

That is a good question. It does look like a flytrap that has been growing for a long time without a chance to go dormant.


Another thought that came to mind: What kind of soil is it potted in? It looks like it could be getting mineral burn.

sanguinearocks101 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 3:06 pm Did you let the flytrap go dormant? They need a dormancy period each year to stay healthy in the long run. Those bugs look like springtails to me but I am not sure. Springtails are pretty much harmless to plants. Have you been feeding them things like slugs? Those will kill the trap I think. Also each trap can close around 5 times before it dies.

Well, the dormancy occurs in winter and after the first year, that's what I was told. This is its first year and it was healthy during the winter, so I'm sure it's not dormancy. I haven't fed it anything, I put it next to other plants and it catches their pests and flies. The blackening traps have never been fed and are around 1 month old, so it's unusual for them to die. Idk what's happening to it. The rhisome is fine though. I hope it's just a phase.

Joeynator3000 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 3:18 pm If these tiny bugs are seen jumping around like fleas, then yeah those are springtails. My flytrap has them as well, for the most part they are harmless, depends on the plant's size I think.

No, they don't jump around. They're larvae of a fly-like insect we have around all our house plants. Idk what the insect is, so I can't search anywhere for solution. They haven't harmed other house plants, but I think they're harming my venus.

Matt wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 7:55 pm Hello and welcome to FlytrapCare!

The color of your flytrap 4doesn't look healthy, but it certainly doesn't' look all that bad either.

Soheil wrote:Recently I've seen some little flys and their larvae on its soil. I have some diazinon, shall I use it??
Or if the pests aren't the reason, what is the reason.

I see no sign of pests, so that's not the issue.

Soheil wrote:I put it under purple light for the light about 10h a day (my city gets low sunlight)

I don't know what "purple light" is but that could be why the plant's color looks off. Where do you live? Even "low sunlight" is better than any artificial light that flytraps can be given.

sanguinearocks101 wrote:Did you let the flytrap go dormant?

That is a good question. It does look like a flytrap that has been growing for a long time without a chance to go dormant.


Another thought that came to mind: What kind of soil is it potted in? It looks like it could be getting mineral burn.

I live in Tabriz, Iran. Here, except for summer, weather is mostly chill and the sky is cloudy. So I bought, what I was told, was a "growth light". I have a picture here.
I was told it's not necessary for the plant to go dormant during its first year and mine is not even a year old.
The soil is a the one for carnivorous plants. It has been in that soil for half a year now, but the black spots are recent. And the water, as I said, is pure water. I have been cautious to not give it any minerals.
The rhisome is fine, white and healthy. It was fine until now. I hope it's just a phase.

Soheil wrote:I live in Tabriz, Iran.

I took a look at your weather and it is plenty warm and sunny for a flytrap, assuming you have a location to grow outdoors. Outdoor growing is almost mandatory for Venus flytraps. They can do well indoors over the short term, but always eventually have issues if grown indoors long enough.

Matt wrote: ↑Mon Mar 30, 2020 2:56 pm

Soheil wrote:I live in Tabriz, Iran.

I took a look at your weather and it is plenty warm and sunny for a flytrap, assuming you have a location to grow outdoors. Outdoor growing is almost mandatory for Venus flytraps. They can do well indoors over the short term, but always eventually have issues if grown indoors long enough.

Ok, I'll try it. Thanks a lot

If it's larvae in the soil buy a package of "Mosquito dunks" at the garden center. Put one quarter of one in your watering can. OR a small chunk in the water tray. This will kill the larvae in the soil and stop future generations. It is all natural and safe. But give it some time to work. Use sticky traps and manually kill the adults.