FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

A few weeks ago I transplanted my venus flytrap from its original dinky plastic cup pot to a slightly larger and much nicer ceramic pot w/ a perlite/long fibered sphagnum moss blend. Since I transferred it, it's been outside in a fairly shaded area.

I had some concerns about whether or not the weather would be cold enough for the flytrap to go dormant, but it's been quite cold where I am day and night.

I haven't been good about watering it. I need to set myself a reminder or I tend to forget. I'm not entirely sure when I last watered it, I just know it's been a while. I know, I'm a terrible plant parent.

When I checked my flytrap today, it didn't look well. One of the leaves, the purple one, was splayed open and there was black on all the stems. There is some green, but there's more black than I usually see and the leaves look shriveled to me.

Has my plant gone into dormancy, or is it dying or already dead? I'm crossing my fingers that it's the first, but I fear it's the second or third.

Panman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 12:31 am You have just about killed it. It looks like it dried out. It looks like there might be a portion of the crown that is still alive. Check to see that the rhizome is still white. Then trim off all o. f the dead leaves and traps. Starting a new flytrap outside in the winter isn't going to be easy. You need to make sure it doesn't dry out.

Ah, that's what I feared. If part of the crown is still alive is there any hope for it?

I watered it earlier today, but I wasn't sure how much to give it and I worry I may have given it too much.

What is the best way to ensure they get adequate, but not too much water.

If the plant is past the point at which it can be saved and I start watering it regularly, but it dies anyway, is there any way I can get a seed from it and grow another flytrap? I intend to do everything I can to save this one, but if I am not able to I would like to grow another and do things differently to ensure its survival this time.

Should I trim off all the traps and leaves? I'm not sure if some are still alive or if all of them are dead.

Thanks for the advice, I greatly appreciate it. I feel terrible for my plant. I hope I can nurse it back to health.

i am a beginner in CPs, but i like using the tray method, i wont have to worry about forgetting to water it daily, just need to make sure the water level need to be at certain level. lastly, tons of indirectly lights, if plant it in indoor, use a grow light.

If the crown is alive there is hope for the plant. I can testify to that. It won't be looking its best but it can recover if it's alive.

With watering don't worry about it being too much, worry more frequency. It's the colder months and they usually don't need as much water. If you're keeping it indoors, it's a different story. You want the moss to look damp when its watered and you want the top layer to appear dry before you water it again (but don't let it get *too* dry). If the pot has drainage holes then you have nothing to worry about. Fill it until it runs into that saucer and treat it like any other plant. Just use low mineral water.

I personally trim the leaves when they are black to allow the plant to recycle its energy but I suppose you could do it either way.

Hopefully the plant recovers but they need to be looked after. It'll require more when the months get hotter.

yea that moss is dry as hell lol.

first, you need a new pot. get yourself a simple plastic drainage pot. the one you have will not work.

second, you need to toss the moss w distilled water in a bowl until its moist but not sopping wet. then you introduce the plant to the moss.

you dont water these plants from the top. it will cause root rot. they need to absorb the moisture thru the medium (soil, moss, etc) from the bottom. this is why you need a drainage pot.

place the pot in a container thats big enough to keep the pot submerged a little less than 1/3 of the way w water.

but dont do this until springtime or early summer.. in the meantime, familiarize your self w what you need to do when the time comes

Frankie Dolarhyde wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 5:11 amfirst, you need a new pot. get yourself a simple plastic drainage pot. the one you have will not work.

There is nothing wrong with the pot that the OP used. It's reasonably tall and has a saucer (which implies that it also has one or more drain holes).

Frankie Dolarhyde wrote:you dont water these plants from the top. it will cause root rot.

It does not. I water my hundreds of flytraps from the top all the time. Also, the wild flytraps get top-watered every time that it rains. Keeping flytraps soggy-wet all the time causes rot.

Frankie Dolarhyde wrote:place the pot in a container thats big enough to keep the pot submerged a little less than 1/3 of the way w water.

Only to soak the moss that is currently in the pot, for 30 minutes or so. Under regular growing conditions, the water level in the tray should be shallow. Where the wild flytraps grow, the water level is 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) below the surface. This is why flytraps have such long roots: they're drinking straws. Flytraps like to have wet feet, not wade in up to mid-thigh.