FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Alright.

So I got a Venus flytrap from Walmart about a two weeks ago maybe.
I've ordered everything I needed to do a complete soil change and I've only been using distilled water to water.

However I have noticed that within the last five days, my trap has started to blacken and die off despite having been perfectly healthy.

It even managed to eat two small dubia roaches while healthy! But now I can't even get the healthy'ish looking traps to trigger.

Is there any potential way to save this trap?

Yes savable. Get it in new proper media asap. Walmart and others use tap water which is bad for vfts. You could also, until your media arrives, try watering heavily from the top allowing the water to drain out the bottom which should lower the tds somewhat. If you don’t have one get a tds meter. Apprx $15 on amazon.

Minor update.
After posting this, we got hit with some storm weather that lasted a while. So I stuck my flytrap outside for the rain water to help wash the soil as was suggested.

However, my package for the soil is delayed til the twelfth. So I can't repot yet.

Thought it's been dry the last day or two.
So I brought her in.

Here's a photo so anyone call tell me if there seems like any improvement and if I can start feeding?

The plant is light starved and poisoned. Unless you correct that, there is no way to save it. Feeding it is unnecessary and at this point can cause more harm than good. Get it outside in direct sunlight and watered with distilled water. Keep it constantly wet but not soggy. Keeping it inside is a sure way to a slow death.

That flytrap is easily revivable, right as soon as you get the soil. Plant it right in and follow these instructions:
Sunlight: At least four hours of direct sunlight a day (i.e. full sun)
Water: rain, distilled, or reverse osmosis water only
Soil: Nutrient poor soil such as peat moss or sphagnum moss and a pot with good drainage
Dormancy: A yearly dormancy period in the winter months
You don’t need to feed as soon as you put it outside. The flytrap will be fine without feeding, the traps probably won’t close even if you try to feed right now, because of lack of sunlight.

Happy Growing!

That's a very sad flytrap, but very fixable. First step: put it outside. Keep it in a tray of safe water, to keep the media in the pot moist without being soggy. It should feel like a kitchen sponge that's been run under the tap and then wrung out. Put it in the shade at first, then move it into the sun in a week or so. Those old leaves will probably all burn and die off- that's fine. The rhizome in the center is what we're concerned with, as that's where the new growth comes from.

Repot as soon as possible, and do not move it unless to get it away from dangerous weather. Moving around is stressful for plants, as they have to try to adapt to the new conditions. Unless you're going to have several days of freezing weather in a row, or a storm bad enough that it might get blown away, leave it alone.

Excellent advice from everyone... I'll just add, you do not need to feed these plants.. They need Sunshine and pure water..