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Ask questions about how to grow and care for Venus Flytraps

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By Madzrellie
Posts:  4
Joined:  Thu May 19, 2022 3:00 pm
#411525
Hi there

My father gifted me Venus flytraps for my birthday a little over a month ago, and I’m a first timer raising the plant. Honestly, I’m pretty new to plants in general; I have almost no experience. I currently have 5 traps.
[For additional info, I do not know which seller he purchased them from. They came from Amazon]

That being said, a few days ago I had some sort of animal dig up and chew on a few of my plants. Two were pretty severely damaged from the attack.
I’m now finding strange grey rocks in my pots—along with smaller, white grains. I believe it was deposited by the animal as when I had potted them, I hadn’t ever seen them.
[From what I’ve read, the mixture I used had 10% sand, 60% peat moss, and 30% perlite. It is branded as carnivorous soil, listing itself as being non-treated]

I’m worried about minerals, should I repot all of them? Would further stress harm the chewed ones?
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With my lack of experience, I find that I’m being very much of a worry wort. I now am suspecting the pots I’m using are not safe. I picked them up at Walmart, though it does not list what the material is made of. I can find similar-looking pots on their website, however, and those are listed as ceramic.
[I’ll specify that I do not know the brand, therefore I cannot confirm if it’s the same pots]

Here’s the really embarrassing question, forgive me— if it’s listed as just ceramic, does that mean it’s unglazed? Or is it considered glazed? I tried answering my own question by comparing images of glazed/unglazed ceramic pottery, but it made me more unsure.
The pots
The pots
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[Other then that, here’s some more information in case there’s any other advice or any concerns.
- To water my plants, I use rain water I collected myself, or pure distilled water. I water around the edges, enough that a layer of water forms [[but drains into the soil still]] and I do this every few days. Still figuring out a good watering schedule, but I make sure they don’t dry up.
- They are outside, located on the railing of the porch where they get direct sunlight. [[I did at one point put them closer to the ground, but put them back after the animal attack.]]
- I live in Southern Pines NC, about 2 hours from their native range. [[Just to get an idea of the environment they’re in]]
- They do catch plenty of bugs on their own, despite how high up they are.
- I did make a mistake when I initially got them in the mail over a month ago. I put them outside without acclimating them, and I believe it sunburned them. I wasn’t aware of the idea of acclimation until I stumbled onto this site a few weeks ago.
- I am slightly concerned about small strings of webbing that I find on my plants. It’s just one strand or two across, however. And when I check underside of traps or stems/leaves, I see nothing.
- There does seem to be a few species of springtail hanging around. Under and on the pots there are a grey ones; I do not know of the species. They seem to avoid the soil? Or, at the least, I haven’t seen any in it. They like the moisture under the pots though, for obvious reasons, and reproduce rapidly around there. On the pots themselves and on the soil, I have spotted a few springtails of a different species. I believe globular, as it is very tiny with a dome shape, and two white dots on said dome.
- I believe I also had a predatory mite hanging around, I do not recall species name. But it is the kind that leaves a red mark if you squish it, and they tend to be very quick. However, what small population there was has now disappeared. Unsure if that is good or bad.]

Last question, should I be straining my rain water?
I’m surrounded by pine trees, and I find that when I go to collect rain water, there is often bits of plant material. I pick out the larger bits that I can, then funnel the water into an empty jug. However, it does leave some plant residue. Would this be harmful to my flytraps?

Thank you!
Sorry for the long post, I’m not sure if the formatting is alright. I’m very new to forums.
User avatar
By thepitchergrower
Location: 
Posts:  2652
Joined:  Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:22 am
#411526
The soil looks fine. A few rocks are not going to dissolve enough minerals to hurt your plant. White stuff is probably just the perlite.

Small strings of webbings is probably fungus gnat larvae webbing. They are usually not harmful to larger plants, but may harm the roots of smaller plants.
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By Cross
Posts:  1849
Joined:  Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:25 pm
#411527
It looks like a peat and perlite mix to me. That one plant looks like it might be too deep a smidge. You should be able to see all growth's emergence point from the rhizome. Ideally, you don't want anything in the water. I think a mesh of some sort world work, but that's not really something I have experience using. I would only worry about the webbing being some sort of fungus or mold. Personally, I'd pinch that area out to be sure it's gone. I think people use products, but I haven't used them. Over all, I think everything is fine. With some time, they'll spring up great. Just keep an eye on the new growth. That's what matters.

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Madzrellie liked this
By Madzrellie
Posts:  4
Joined:  Thu May 19, 2022 3:00 pm
#411529
Cross wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 4:51 pm It looks like a peat and perlite mix to me. That one plant looks like it might be too deep a smidge. You should be able to see all growth's emergence point from the rhizome. Ideally, you don't want anything in the water. I think a mesh of some sort world work, but that's not really something I have experience using. I would only worry about the webbing being some sort of fungus or mold. Personally, I'd pinch that area out to be sure it's gone. I think people use products, but I haven't used them. Over all, I think everything is fine. With some time, they'll spring up great. Just keep an eye on the new growth. That's what matters.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
Ahh thank you for telling me about the plant depth. That first one (which I believe is the one you’re referring to) really took a beating, I’ll definitely try to be gentle with it but raise it up a little too.
And just in case, I’ll also attach a closer picture of the grains.
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I didn’t know perlite would look like that too, if that is indeed perlite. I’m used to seeing it in the larger round pieces.
As for the grey stones, they almost remind me of pieces of asphalt, though I doubt that’s what it is.
User avatar
By Cross
Posts:  1849
Joined:  Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:25 pm
#411532
Madzrellie wrote:
Cross wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 4:51 pm It looks like a peat and perlite mix to me. That one plant looks like it might be too deep a smidge. You should be able to see all growth's emergence point from the rhizome. Ideally, you don't want anything in the water. I think a mesh of some sort world work, but that's not really something I have experience using. I would only worry about the webbing being some sort of fungus or mold. Personally, I'd pinch that area out to be sure it's gone. I think people use products, but I haven't used them. Over all, I think everything is fine. With some time, they'll spring up great. Just keep an eye on the new growth. That's what matters.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
Ahh thank you for telling me about the plant depth. That first one (which I believe is the one you’re referring to) really took a beating, I’ll definitely try to be gentle with it but raise it up a little too.
And just in case, I’ll also attach a closer picture of the grains.
CA6E011D-FBF8-4CA9-8CAB-5C88E1D6A346.jpeg
I didn’t know perlite would look like that too, if that is indeed perlite. I’m used to seeing it in the larger round pieces.
As for the grey stones, they almost remind me of pieces of asphalt, though I doubt that’s what it is.
I think they're a type of silica. I did a quick search and copied a picture. I don't use it personally. I'm too lazy to ratio anything lol. If you get a toothpick, you can just scoot the dirt out of the growth point. Then just give it a gentle wiggle to bring it up a smidge. Image

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Madzrellie liked this
By Madzrellie
Posts:  4
Joined:  Thu May 19, 2022 3:00 pm
#411546
That definitely makes me feel better lol. I honestly forgot the mixture I used had 10% sand in it. I was more focused on the peat and perlite when I was trying to find a pre-made mixture.
So then it’s just the grey rocks/pebbles that are out of place. Nothing to get too worried about though.

And thanks for the tip! That one was completely uprooted by the animal if I remember correctly, so I might have gone a bit overboard with covering it back up. :?
By Madzrellie
Posts:  4
Joined:  Thu May 19, 2022 3:00 pm
#411554
Cross wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 5:23 pm
Madzrellie wrote:
Cross wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 4:51 pm It looks like a peat and perlite mix to me. That one plant looks like it might be too deep a smidge. You should be able to see all growth's emergence point from the rhizome. Ideally, you don't want anything in the water. I think a mesh of some sort world work, but that's not really something I have experience using. I would only worry about the webbing being some sort of fungus or mold. Personally, I'd pinch that area out to be sure it's gone. I think people use products, but I haven't used them. Over all, I think everything is fine. With some time, they'll spring up great. Just keep an eye on the new growth. That's what matters.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
Ahh thank you for telling me about the plant depth. That first one (which I believe is the one you’re referring to) really took a beating, I’ll definitely try to be gentle with it but raise it up a little too.
And just in case, I’ll also attach a closer picture of the grains.
CA6E011D-FBF8-4CA9-8CAB-5C88E1D6A346.jpeg

I didn’t know perlite would look like that too, if that is indeed perlite. I’m used to seeing it in the larger round pieces.
As for the grey stones, they almost remind me of pieces of asphalt, though I doubt that’s what it is.
I think they're a type of silica. I did a quick search and copied a picture. I don't use it personally. I'm too lazy to ratio anything lol. If you get a toothpick, you can just scoot the dirt out of the growth point. Then just give it a gentle wiggle to bring it up a smidge. Image

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
I messed up my quote so it’s a main reply I think, so here’s a complimentary quote. Forums elude me.
And as a gift for your patience, I thought I’d show a pretty cool sight.

This bug has been hanging out for a few days, and finally got caught last night. Only half of him, however, and just an hour ago he wrenched himself free. Half of him seems digested. Back legs are a twisty mess and his abdomen is scorched.

Wasted energy on the trap’s part, but I thought it was pretty interesting.
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By Bug_cemetery
Posts:  208
Joined:  Tue Mar 08, 2022 11:48 pm
#411572
I now am suspecting the pots I’m using are not safe. I picked them up at Walmart, though it does not list what the material is made of. I can find similar-looking pots on their website, however, and those are listed as ceramic.
[I’ll specify that I do not know the brand, therefore I cannot confirm if it’s the same pots]

Here’s the really embarrassing question, forgive me— if it’s listed as just ceramic, does that mean it’s unglazed? Or is it considered glazed? I tried answering my own question by comparing images of glazed/unglazed ceramic pottery, but it made me more unsure.
Your pots look fine. They are glazed. When people say they need to be glazed that’s not entirely accurate but effective way of saying ‘watertight’ and ‘won’t add minerals or nutrients’. Pots that absorb water are fired to a lower temp so the clay and mineral particles aren’t as fused together. Over time, the minerals and salts from the clay can dissolve in water then build up in your soil.

Fun fact: my background is in ceramics
Panman liked this
User avatar
By Cross
Posts:  1849
Joined:  Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:25 pm
#411580
Bug_cemetery wrote:
I now am suspecting the pots I’m using are not safe. I picked them up at Walmart, though it does not list what the material is made of. I can find similar-looking pots on their website, however, and those are listed as ceramic.
[I’ll specify that I do not know the brand, therefore I cannot confirm if it’s the same pots]

Here’s the really embarrassing question, forgive me— if it’s listed as just ceramic, does that mean it’s unglazed? Or is it considered glazed? I tried answering my own question by comparing images of glazed/unglazed ceramic pottery, but it made me more unsure.
Your pots look fine. They are glazed. When people say they need to be glazed that’s not entirely accurate but effective way of saying ‘watertight’ and ‘won’t add minerals or nutrients’. Pots that absorb water are fired to a lower temp so the clay and mineral particles aren’t as fused together. Over time, the minerals and salts from the clay can dissolve in water then build up in your soil.

Fun fact: my background is in ceramics
Oooooh I never made it personally, but I did work at a ceramic shop. She'd get the bisque(spelling?), put it in molds, go through the drying and firing, then I'd paint them. Gosh it was so satisfying.

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