FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I'm still new to growing flytraps and since summer began I've tried switching to switch to tray watering method. I place my plants in a tray and added distilled water. Well it turns out they took on way way to much water. My soil is still soaked after almost a day still in outdoor temps of 100°f. I've removed them form the tray in order to attempt to dry them out. Between this incident and the oppressive heat their not doing well at all.

So what is the proper way to tray water?

You can trey water if you use peat and perlite, I prefer 6in minimum between water level and media level. If you are using LFSM i would not use a trey.

I'm using a 1:1 mix of peat and perlite.

I use a 2:1 or so mix of LFSM : perlite for my Dionaea and keep them sitting in 1/4-1/2" of water in the summer and they do well. I grow them in 3.5" wide x 3.5" deep x 6" tall pots. I think this works because of the perlite in my mixture and the tall pots. Otherwise, if grown in short pots and a dense media they can rot very easily and I wouldn't recommend letting them sit in any level of standing water.

Yeah I it's either the pots are two short or the shade cloth their under limiting evaporation. They are just simply taking in too much water.

Or if you get daily rains in the summer like me, then you need to punch a hole in the side of the trays (let’s say 1/2 to 3/4 inch up from the bottom ) to stop them from filling up to the top

I also use LFSM and water trays. I drill holes in the sides of all my pots (6" beer cups) so the roots can breathe.

They can’t breathe if those holes are below the water line. That was what I was trying to state.

I think it might be the shade cloth(45%) limiting evaporation. As a test I placed the water tray underneath the cloth without the plants. I filled it with about an inch of distilled water. After a day outside in a 103°f it still head water in it. Just starting the think if I'm using shade cloth I should top water.

@Brandon J, I have a question for you. How long were they in the trays before you started to notice a decline? I am intending on watering via trays when I am out of town this summer and worry about them being soggy for a week.

Nepenthes0260 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:52 pm I use a 2:1 or so mix of LFSM : perlite for my Dionaea and keep them sitting in 1/4-1/2" of water in the summer and they do well. I grow them in 3.5" wide x 3.5" deep x 6" tall pots. I think this works because of the perlite in my mixture and the tall pots. Otherwise, if grown in short pots and a dense media they can rot very easily and I wouldn't recommend letting them sit in any level of standing water.

Where do you get pots 3.5x3.5x6? The pots I use are 5 inches deep from greenhousemegastore. Id love to ad an extra inch of growing space for my plants if possible!

You could buy some nice 5x5x7 pots right here from Matt and Leah.

VFTNoob wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 4:44 am

Nepenthes0260 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:52 pm I use a 2:1 or so mix of LFSM : perlite for my Dionaea and keep them sitting in 1/4-1/2" of water in the summer and they do well. I grow them in 3.5" wide x 3.5" deep x 6" tall pots. I think this works because of the perlite in my mixture and the tall pots. Otherwise, if grown in short pots and a dense media they can rot very easily and I wouldn't recommend letting them sit in any level of standing water.

Where do you get pots 3.5x3.5x6? The pots I use are 5 inches deep from greenhousemegastore. Id love to ad an extra inch of growing space for my plants if possible!

Correction- I actually am using the same size, lol. Must have taken some imprecise measurements. But for larger plants the white hydroponic 5 x 5 x 7 ones work very well.

Soggy soil for a day or even several days in that heat, will not cause any harm. How deep is the water level in your tray compared to the pot height?
If your plants are in decline I would search for another possibility. How long since you refreshed the media/
Cheers
Steve