- Thu Jun 15, 2023 8:41 pm
#436556
I have kept Venus flytraps before, but all I did before I knew better was leave them in the little pots that they came in, and over-water them. Still, they lasted about a year before croaking.
Recently, I got another plant and decided to do some actual research. I repotted the plant in a 3.5" tall plastic pot, with commercial carnivorous plant soil mix (peat moss and perlite). After doing this it began to droop and previously healthy looking stems and traps started to blacken.
![Image](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
I knew the 3.5" pot was still maybe not big enough so today, a couple weeks later, I was able to rehome the plant in a 7" pot. The poor plant still looks worse than it did two weeks ago, with more browning and dying traps.
![Image](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
Through this whole time the plant was kept on a covered patio facing east, with a few hours of direct morning sun. Overnight temperature has been no lower than 48F since I got the plant.
I guess my biggest question is this: Is the die-back that I see typical for rehoming the plant, or is there another problem, like overwatering?
My next biggest question is: Is it OK to keep this 7" pot in a dish with about an inch of water? If not, how should I water it?
You are going to ask about water quality. I confess I am not using distilled water, but my tap water is only 35 PPM TDS. Here's a complete water report. (I had this on hand because I brew beer, and you want these details.)
![Image](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
I realized distilled is the gold standard but from my reading it also looks like people are having success with <50 PPM TDS. In any case, if my water is not ideal for long term care, is it so bad that it would kill the plant in a month, when I have kept a flytrap alive for a year in the past?
Thanks for y our help!
Recently, I got another plant and decided to do some actual research. I repotted the plant in a 3.5" tall plastic pot, with commercial carnivorous plant soil mix (peat moss and perlite). After doing this it began to droop and previously healthy looking stems and traps started to blacken.
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/lfHTT3Z.jpeg)
I knew the 3.5" pot was still maybe not big enough so today, a couple weeks later, I was able to rehome the plant in a 7" pot. The poor plant still looks worse than it did two weeks ago, with more browning and dying traps.
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/dkwnbMD.jpeg)
Through this whole time the plant was kept on a covered patio facing east, with a few hours of direct morning sun. Overnight temperature has been no lower than 48F since I got the plant.
I guess my biggest question is this: Is the die-back that I see typical for rehoming the plant, or is there another problem, like overwatering?
My next biggest question is: Is it OK to keep this 7" pot in a dish with about an inch of water? If not, how should I water it?
You are going to ask about water quality. I confess I am not using distilled water, but my tap water is only 35 PPM TDS. Here's a complete water report. (I had this on hand because I brew beer, and you want these details.)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/YjtxMOw.png)
I realized distilled is the gold standard but from my reading it also looks like people are having success with <50 PPM TDS. In any case, if my water is not ideal for long term care, is it so bad that it would kill the plant in a month, when I have kept a flytrap alive for a year in the past?
Thanks for y our help!