FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

xr280xr wrote:It's normal to see some algae grow on your sphagnum moss. Your moss is very wet which will accelerate that. Seedlings seem to handle wet sphagnum better than adults, but I would start to reduce how wet you are keeping it now that they are growing because it looks dangerously wet (especially the 1st one) to me. With sphagnum moss, you don't need to keep water in the tray all the time unless its so hot that the moss is drying out.

Will the algae cause my VFT to rot? I've removed them from the water-tray awhile ago, I hope everything goes well. Thanks xr280xr!

You're welcome! Just be careful not to let them dry out either! A little too wet is much better than too dry. The algae looks perfectly fine in the photos. I've never seen it grow on or bother the plants under proper conditions.

Also note that these require 3-4 months of dormancy in the winter.

kayetorio wrote: ↑Sun Feb 05, 2017 4:07 am

xr280xr wrote:Which direction does that window face and how many hours of direct sun will they receive there? Nice view!

I'm not sure as I don't have a sense of direction (haha). But normally the sun hits the window at 10am onwards. I'm on the 23rd floor so I get much sunlight

Think of it this way. The sun rises in the east, and sets in the west.

If you look out your window in the morning and see the sun, then your window is facing east. If you see the sun in the evening, then it's facing west.

if you don't see the sun rise or set from your window, then your window is facing either North or South. To find out which direction it is, then you can use your city's landmarks (if your 23rd floor is high enough from other nearby buildings) or use the sun. If you know some landmarks should be south of you, then your window faces south, and same for the north direction.

To use the sun,find out which side is east or west. We'll assume you found the east direction. If you stare out the window, and the east direction is on your left, then your window is facing south. If the east direction is to your right side, then your window is facing north.

I went into some length about this because it's important that if you're growing plants indoors most of the time, knowing which direction your window faces can help save your plants.

Flytraps grow in wide flat open areas with tons of direct sunlight! I once read that if you can find a spot where your drenched in the most blindingly bright sunlight for 5+ hours a day it’s perfect for flytraps, the sunnier the better. No flytrap has ever died from too much direct sunlight (grow lights maybe, but not the big bright ball of fire and gas itself). Flytraps really don’t do well indoors unless you can make a growing setup with lights and trays and such. Even then they do alright at best. Outside is where they really flourish!

Since you live in a condo, is there a deck or porch or balcony you can put them on? If not, growlights are your best bet.