FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Howdy everyone!

I recently have been having some issues with my Green Dragon flytrap. It used to do very well but for the last month it has halted it’s growth and just looks ill. I keep it in a tray with other flytraps and Sarrs, such as a B52, Dente and even Judith Hindle and they are all thriving. Any ideas what might be wrong? I sure don’t want any contagious problems spreading. Thank you!!

Conditions:
-Outdoors in my south facing apartment balcony.
-Distilled water only

Here are some photos to help! I’m including photos from my magnifying glass in case y’all are able to identify any pests.

Have you checked the rhizome? It might be a goner unfortunately. Was the plant constantly sitting in water or were you letting it dry out in between watering?

One question: How old is the soil in that pot? If it's 2+ years, then the soil has likely gone "sour" and needs to be replaced a.s.a.p.

iProcreate wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:33 pm Have you checked the rhizome? It might be a goner unfortunately. Was the plant constantly sitting in water or were you letting it dry out in between watering?

I have not yet! I’ll dig it up today to check. It was sitting in water as my other VFT’s, never drying out that I ever saw.

MikeB wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:13 pm One question: How old is the soil in that pot? If it's 2+ years, then the soil has likely gone "sour" and needs to be replaced a.s.a.p.

The soil should be about 5 months old or so! I bought this plant from a reputable CP nursery back in April, they also ship potted and with soil. :/

Hi everyone! I went ahead and just dug it up to check the rhizome. Here are photos.

It looks like it was planted pretty deep. What do the roots look like? Is there any whitening them?

Panman wrote: ↑Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:05 am It looks like it was planted pretty deep. What do the roots look like? Is there any whitening them?

I would agree on that! I didnt realize that until now. I tried shaking off the roots of dirt with distilled water, no white Other than a small portion where my thumb is placed. Does the rhizome look okay? Photo below of roots.
What should I do?

I would repot it (in either sphagnum/perlite or peat/perlite) at the right depth, keep it damp but not soggy-wet, and put it in a lower-sunlight area (maybe 2-3 hours of morning sun) for a couple weeks, then start moving it into more and more sun. Flytraps are pretty tough, and they'll bounce back if given half a chance.

OK. Flytrap roots are naturally black, but the tips should be white as they are actively growing. I'd do half peat/perlite, put it in a low sunlight area, and bag it up for maximum humidity. Then, slowly acclimate it to avoid shock.