FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi everyone! So I posted a month or so ago to introduce myself and my trap as I was having some issues but this site and it’s people ha e helped me out! While they said before that my plant looked good for a Walmart special, I wanted it to flourish.

Anyway, just thought I’d post my VFT’s current state. But now I’m gearing up towards walking my plant through dormancy! This is all new to me! I also have a hibiscus to do the same with! I am near St. Louis MO and it’s starting to cool off and there’s more and more cloud coverage anymore so I’m sure we’re right around the corner. I’ve moved my trap into my basement under some cool white and blacklight fluorescents to give it it’s needed light. We’ll see how it goes!

Also, I’ve only added photos to a post once or twice. I hope this works!

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

Wow that’s a beautiful typical u did a good job! I’m right their with u! I also have a typical from walmart and this will also be my first winter!




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Are those all the same traps from the first picture?

It’s the same plant but there has been a “shedding” if you will. It hit a spot where the traps were very small, and even turning black and dying off before they were more than a couple millimeters. Then any traps that did grow, stayed small or didn’t respond well when insects landed in them. But the whole time, it was popping up new growth. Then gradually, the traps began to mature better and get bigger and quicker.

I know I need to repot it and give it new media but I wasn’t sure if I should wait until after dormancy. I want it to be healthy but I don’t want it to miss dormancy and die by working too hard for growth in the new media. Is that a correct line of thinking?

Very cool.

The way I see re-potting from working with other plants is that it is a traumatic experience that sets the plant back. It should be no wonder why. When you re-pot a plant it then needs to re-establish its root system which obviously takes an incredible amount of time and energy to do. So instead of producing more leafs it focus's itself to take care of its roots. If you do this just before dormancy ends its not a big deal since the plant isn't focused on producing leafs anyways.

That's just my take on it from experience with other plants.

Looks so much healthier in the after picture. Congrats!

Yes, this late in the season I would wait until late winter-early spring to re-pot and separate some of those many divisions if you choose to do that.

Like the above poster stated plants are already pre-programmed to go into root repair and growth mode when coming out of hibernation so that is the best time to re-pot with minimal stress to the plant.

Awesome! Thanks for the tips!

My rule for re potting is this: do not do it unnecessarily. If the plant starts growing weird after growing well for a while, or the soil develops mold/algae, or it smells, then re potting is necessary. It is better to be safe in those situations than to risk root rot. That's what I'm doing with one of my sarrracenia.

So I have begun to notice a few things.

I’m posting here instead of a new thread because of Tryner78’s last comment.

My VFT is changing now that we’re in the throws of Winter. I’d like to get a general consensus about it.

It’s been in my basement now for a little over two months. It’s been doing great, except that there were a few days I was sick and forgot to turn the lights on for it and now it’s going brown. It was hanging over the edge of its little pot until I recooped and got back on schedule. It perked back up and the browning has stalled. There’s still quite a bit of green left but also a lot of brown. Hopefully it’ll be ok.

Now I’ve noticed a little speckling of what I am assuming is a fungus on the media; a slightly orange-colored, almost granular looking growth. It’s not on the VFT at all or below the surface of the media but with the brown leaves hanging lower, I want to make sure it stays off the VFT. Knowing that it’s in a touchy situation, should a I risk repotting? I definitely want to let the roots focus on growing but I also don’t want it to succumb to disease.

I assume the plants overall health is good as it has began to produce a flower. It’s in its tiny stage, just poking up from the rhizome and I intend to remove it so it can focus its energy on root growth. But I say if it’s got enough energy to sprout a flower, it’s doing fine.

I know I asked about repotting before but I just thought I needed to ask again considering the fungus find.

Thoughts?

Id post photos but I’m not getting that option from my phone. I just get the img brackets.