FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I am trying to track the amount of direct sunlight that my VFT will get through my sunroom's PVC roof, but I don't think it will really be enough until later in the summer...and I'm not sure it will work even then! It's been overcast so I'm not sure about morning sunlight, but right now the main roof of our house is blocking most of the direct sunlight in the sunroom. The outer wall gets a bit so I've moved it there as a temporary fix until I can figure out a better solution. I'm sure the sunroom will work out fine in winter, but not so much right now. Other plants seem to do okay, hanging on until summer gets here, but didn't want to risk problems with a small starter plant.

* How long does it take to really start noticing a decline in the quality of the plant, and is the reddish color the best thing to keep an eye on?

* Would it be better to try to supplement with a fluorescent light or to move it outdoors for a couple of hours a day? The way our patio is set up combined with my preschooler means that it most likely would get knocked over so I'm trying to avoid both that and it frying later on.

* Alternatively, I might be able to find it a bit of temporary space upstairs on a dresser but then have to protect it from the cat. I was thinking of trying to put an inverted plastic bottle over top of the pot (an almost terrarium) but didn't know if I'm too much of a beginner to be able to pull it off.

Thanks!

How long does it take to really start noticing a decline in the quality of the plant, and is the reddish color the best thing to keep an eye on?

That would vary depending on the amount of sunlight that your sunroom gets. Easy fix though if you get long spindly leaves the VFT needs more sunlight.

Would it be better to try to supplement with a fluorescent light or to move it outdoors for a couple of hours a day? The way our patio is set up combined with my preschooler means that it most likely would get knocked over so I'm trying to avoid both that and it frying later on.

Real sunlight would be a lot cheaper on you if you could find a nice protected area for your VFT from your preschooler that would be best. Introduce the VFT to direct sunlight slowly, 2 hours, 4 hours, etc. If there is a spot that gets direct sunlight for an hour or two then it gets some shade that would be best and move it out from there to more and more sunlight exposure. Another added bonus of being outside your VFT will catch more bugs to supplement its growth.

Alternatively, I might be able to find it a bit of temporary space upstairs on a dresser but then have to protect it from the cat. I was thinking of trying to put an inverted plastic bottle over top of the pot (an almost terrarium) but didn't know if I'm too much of a beginner to be able to pull it off.

Use the terrarium idea as a last resort I personally would stick closer to trying to get the plant outside.

Thanks for your response - I'd forgotten about the spindly leaves. There's so much new info to process that I'm sure I keep asking dumb questions. Sorry! This was helpful.