FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello! My name is Vi and I'm new here. My venus fly trap was something I found at Lowe's and it looked so sad. I do have an indoor garden with succulents, cacti, orchids, bamboo, etc. But this is my first carnivorous plant. I can't have it outdoors so I know keeping it indoors will make this even harder. I want to know if there's anything I really should know about that websites don't tell you. I already plan on giving it dried crickets that I'll rehydrate. I already plan on placing it on a window sill and might move it after I invest in a light to help it grow better. I want to repott it in new soil using orchid moss and I'm trying to find a soil without a mineral or chemical content. And I'm using distilled water.

I would like any tips regarding dormancy, watering, common health issues.

And finally my plant is a little droopy. The stems are thin and stuff. Here is a picture. Is this concerning I'm not sure if it's lighting, watering, or whatnot. HELP!!! SOS.

Soil, water, and light. Get those three right and you will be okay.

https://www.flytrapcare.com/
Just follow the instructions under 'basics' and you will be fine for now. As Panman said, just get the three essentials and you are fine for a while.

But does it look healthy so far? I mean I'm worried it's not adjusting well from transitioning to Lowe's to my room. That might just be me being paranoid though

Where do you live? If it’s Winter, the VFT probably is in dormancy now anyway, and so reading the post that Benny gave you will be the best advice you can get.
Other than if you wanted to save the VFT from Lowes, you did a good thing. If you want guaranteed amazing quality VFT, buy from Matt, the owner of flytrapcare store.

I live on the Northeast coast of the US, New Jersey. It's already March and almost spring so I'm not sure how I would know if it didn't get a good resting period and stuff.

It’s too late for it to go dormant this year but it will most likely be just fine. It looks like it needs more light so I would slowly adjust it to outside conditions once it stops going below freezing.

Okay! I'll try. And I don't have access to the spagnum moss mix yet. I'm a minor and I have to get someone to drive me to Lowe's or Home Depot for the soil. It's not a top priority for my potential drivers. So I have to temporarily use a very light organic, non chemical or fertilizer enhanced soil. I also need a video or a picture example of a perfectly potted venus fly trap. Oh and should the pot have a humidity tray or misting?

I don't know if it's an option for you, but you can get New Zealand or Chilean sphagnum on Amazon. Also, there's a bunch of videos on our parent site: http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-care-videos/

aooborromeo wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:36 pmOkay! I'll try. And I don't have access to the spagnum moss mix yet. I'm a minor and I have to get someone to drive me to Lowe's or Home Depot for the soil.

At the store, walk past the Miracle-Gro peat moss and perlite. That company sprays fertilizer on everything. Sun Gro (Black Gold and Sunshine) products are good. If you can't find them at Lowe's or Home Depot, check out Ace Hardware.

For dried sphagnum moss, walk past the Mosser Lee product. I've found that it breaks down quickly and has a bad habit of encouraging algae growth. Better-Gro Premium Grade Orchid Moss (about 5 bucks a bag) is decent stuff. Lowe's and Home Depot carry it where I live.

aooborromeo wrote: I also need a video or a picture example of a perfectly potted venus fly trap.

The FlytrapStore has a YouTube channel with lots of great videos.





Repot in sphagnum moss


Repot in peat moss (from other people)

aooborromeo wrote:Oh and should the pot have a humidity tray or misting?

As long as the humidity level around the plant is 25% or higher (most homes are), then the plant doesn't need them.

if you're feeding it dead insects like the dried crickets, then also massage the leaves for about 45-120 seconds after the trap closes to simulate that the insect is alive and kicking, so the leaf will close tighter and not reopen after a few minutes.