FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

How can I tell if my Venus Flytrap is entering dormancy and when I should stop watering it?

They're going to look like they're all dying. They'll turn black and whiter away. They'll come back to life later. Don't let the substrate dry out.

Not necessarily likeit’s dying, more likely growth will stop or go super slow and all the leaves will hug the ground.

Should I take away my tray of water as soon as it starts turning black? Or when it stops growing as fast?

Also, my plant is small (5 cm in diameter). This is also my first fly trap and it’s first year. Can I skip dormancy?

I leave my VFT's outside in treys i just add a little water if the treys go dry. but i use peat/perlite, its less soggy then LFSM that a lot of people use. zone 8a

I’m thinking about skipping dormancy but I’m not sure if I should. I live in hardiness zone 6b or 7a (kind of on the border).

I wouldn’t skip. I would wait until you have a year or two experience with vfts and some divisions to try it out on.

Ok thanks for the help. Where should I put my vft during the winter? Here it goes below and above freezing sometimes. I’m thinking about putting it in the basement because it gets to around 55 degrees during the day and never freezing.

just remember in its natural habitat in North Carolina it freezes all the time. its frost burn caused by sustained deep cold and wind that hurts the plant not the actual temperature.

dormancy in warmer darker places can lead to other issues rot, fungus, ect

I have a window facing south in my basement. Would that work? I’m in hardiness zone 6b.

An unheated garage would be better. You don't need to worry about light, Some people put them through dormancy in the refrigerator. You just want to keep them from freezing and then thawing and from drying out. My winters are a little bit warmer, we occasionally get down to 20. Mine are in large tubs which helps to regulate the freezing and I just pile up leaves over the top of them. Freezing and wind are a dangerous combination. They will dry out any plant very quickly.

I thought that a vft needs light in dormancy, am I mistaken?

Also when in the year should I stop using the tray method to water the trap, I am worried about root rot.