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Discussions about anything related to Venus Flytraps, cultivars and named clones

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By tionlessorc
Posts:  2
Joined:  Fri Jul 26, 2024 1:47 am
#454163
I got a Venus flytrap from a friend but after a month of care it got worse. I have been taking care of it as shared online but it still seems to be wilting. Is it because it had a problem before or is it because I did something wrong.
I would love to get some help!
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By wcrosman
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Posts:  643
Joined:  Thu Apr 14, 2022 2:03 am
#454170
I think it needs a lot more sunlight. I keep mine outside on my deck. Full sun from sunrise till about 3 pm when goes into bright shade.

Yours would need to be acclimated slowly I think.
Last edited by wcrosman on Fri Jul 26, 2024 2:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
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By Jade
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Posts:  424
Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454171
ETA: Good gracious, Ignaceous, my long winded reply made this seem like a lot more than I meant to say. Apologies.

Venus fly traps don’t really wilt in the sun like traditional plants. They sun burn if you don’t acclimate them when you get them, but they can come back from a shocking amount if the rhizome is healthy.

They need strong direct sunlight for at least 6 hours a day. They’re really outdoor plants.

What media do you have it potted in? It should be mineral poor and good aeration.(Like good peat moss for the mineral poor part and perlite for aeration is a popular and easy mix and never anything with fertilizer/never Miracle Grow.) Is that just peat moss?

What are you using for water? Tap water almost always has a high mineral level, so you want rain water, RO water, or distilled water. Just as a person learning myself those are the biggest things to know.

Also I know it’s possible from moving the plant so much that the traps might have accidentally sprung but I noticed all of them are. Are you feeding it? The closing of traps and the digestion all take energy from the plant. I know a lot of places suggest to feed them a certain amount, but at the moment I would say it’s best to give it the sun it needs (6 hours direct is a minimum), and acclimate it slowly to the outdoors as long as it’s above 40 degrees F and is going to stay that way.

For sure get advice from more knowledgeable folks here, but amount of sunlight, type of water and media willprobably be questions they have about current care. :D Once you have one for a short while with the right care instructions you’ll be surprised how easy they are to care for.

Also forum people feel free to correct me. Others are better at short and sweet than I am.
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By ChefDean
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Posts:  10208
Joined:  Tue Sep 18, 2018 12:44 am
#454200
I see multiple potential issues, let's dive in.
With there being media on the traps, I assume there has been a recent repotting. This is generally a good move, but it can cause stress, and the plant needs time to recover. However, if repotted into incorrect media, or incorrectly repotted into proper media, that can be a problem.
Having said that, the media looks to potentially be coconut coir. If so, that media needs to be holy (rinse the hell out if it!) because it is usually harboring salt. The salt content is generally fine for regular houseplants, but that amount of salt is (for lack of a better term) poison for carnivorous plants. Coir typically needs to be rinsed over and over again to remove these salts for use with carnivorous plants. The plant could be burning from the mineral content of the media. Peat/perlite or long fibered sphagnum moss is recommended.
Having said that, it appears to have been repotted into a terra cotta pot. Being unglazed pottery, terra cotta can leach minerals into the media. Not a problem for regular houseplants, but very bad for carnivorous plants. The acidic environment these plants live in can accelerate the leaching, burning the plant. Fully glazed pottery is OK to use, inert pots such as plastic, glass, or even styrofoam are recommended.
It wasn't mentioned, but the water generally needs to be less than 50 ppm TDS. Tap water can be OK, but is discouraged unless you know what is in it. My tap water ranges from 100 to 125 ppm depending on the season, but it is low in the more harmful minerals, so I can use it if I wanted. I know growers in my area that only use our tap water, and their plants are fine. If you don't know the composition of your tap water, use distilled water or collect rain water to use.
You said you've moved it to a less sunny position. Moving carnivorous plants to different conditions can result in a decline in health as they acclimate to new conditions. However, if the conditions are sub-optimal, they'll continue to decline. Find the most optimal spot, put them there, and leave them alone.
Having said something about light. These plants need ~6+ hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight daily, or strong artificial lighting for ~16 hours a day. Translated: These plants need lots of light, much more than sunny windowsill can provide. Modern glass filters sunlight, so the plant will slowly die on the sunniest windowsill you can find because it's not getting what it needs from the available light.
In summary, I would recommend a repot into known, proper media, in a plastic pot (or other inert material), then put outside in direct sunlight (but in a place that is still protected from harsh weather), and watered with low mineral water. It will continue to decline as you've now stressed it again with a repot, moving it, changed its growing conditions, and given it a more intense environment. It doesn't look too far gone, so, given the opportunity, it should recover. Doing that, it should have enough time to recover and build up some reserves to make it through dormancy without a problem. Otherwise, it will probably be dead by spring.
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By Jade
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Posts:  424
Joined:  Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:57 pm
#454217
👆 This is why I said wait for better people than I. Thanks for the corrections and elaborations. I guess I should wait to give a ton of advice.

Also I have been meaning to look up if terracotta was bad or not for awhile because I keep finding pots that would be perfect but for that. I couldn’t remember if I actually read it was bad or not and why. Sorry for the big ole post you had to correct. I can delete if you feel like it’s too bad. :P
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