FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

A bright window will not be enough light for a Venus Flytrap. It needs at least 4 to 6 hours of unobstructed (no windows) sunlight per day. If it has to be grown indoors, then it will need very strong grow lights for at least 12 hours a day.

Welcome to the forum, ntn (it's just easier for me to spell...plus, I'm lazy! )

What type water are you using? Rainwater? Distilled? Tap? Yes, flytraps don't want to be soggy...just moist.

It looks like you have a yard outside your window. If it indeed it is your yard I would definitely get the flytrap outside. I think those little traps on the big petioles might be a result of low light conditions. Depending on your location/climate you need to keep 1/4"-1/2" of water a saucer that it sits in. If you live in a really hot and arid region then you might need a little more water than that.

BUT.... If you do move it outside, which you need to do, be sure to slowly introduce it to full sun. Moving it from indoors out into full sun all day long could damage it more than it is now. They need to slowly acclimate themselves to the full power of the sun. Set it somewhere that it can get maybe an hours worth of direct sun for a week or so and the rest of the day in open shade. Maybe set it against an east-facing wall that has a roof overhang...it would be in shade during the hot afternoons. You could gradually move it away from the wall as time progressed. Or, in between some existing plants that would shade it some. The goal is to get it out into full sun all day long...basically the same conditions that they grow in in nature.

Also, beware that critters such as squirrels and birds *can* be a problem...the squirrels are usually the worst because each one of them for some reason believes in their itty-bitty rodent brain that they hid an acorn in the flytraps grow mix last week. I have cages around most of my outdoor carnivorous plants...made them out of 1/4" and 1/2" hardware cloth....simple affairs. Just be careful with the hardware cloth...those cut wires *will* stick you!!!

And, last but least....visit the Seed Bank. You can gets seeds there for the price of two envelopes and two stamps. For the windowsill you might try some Drosera capensis of some variety. They like cooler, indoor temperatures and don't absolutely require high light levels.

ntowarnicki wrote: ↑Fri May 19, 2023 1:46 pm so i got this trap from a nursery a couple months ago. it was doing well for a while but since, all open traps died off and new growth is struggling!! i saw some things saying to let the plant dry out; but does anyone have any other advise based on the looks of it?

i keep it im my windowsill, so it gets lots of sun, i had been keeping it submerged in water but i know now i should let it dry out.

should i do any repotting?