FlyTrapCare Forums

Hmm. Good catch, for starters! I would definitely be worried about the VFT. The larvae like grass roots and if they hatch and the VFT is the only thing available, I would be surprised if they don't munch on it. But I'm not sure what can be used safely on a VFT for this. Milky spore or nematodes are used to treat lawns for "white grubs" but 1) I don't know if milky spore is safe on a VFT and 2) I dont' know if either works quickly enough to protect your VFT. Your best bet might be to just re-pot it before they hatch, but someone else might have a better suggestion.

Hi everyone,

I’m a newbie just getting started with CP’s and received a VFT in the mail 2 weeks ago. They seem to be doing fine but I’ve noticed some brown spots forming on some of the leaves. Could this be an early sign of pest damage or is it normal. Maybe I’m just being paranoid but I’ve heard that mites can seriously damage plants if not treated early. Thanks everyone!

Can someone help me ID this pest or disease on my VFTs? My King Henry in particular has been dropping for several days when he used to stand so tall. His leaves appear to be chewed on the edges but his pods appear fine (I think). The other VFTs I have seem to not be thriving as much but are still sprouting new pods. I originally thought everyone was sun starved so I started putting them all on the porch. I live in Texas, and it’s been raining for almost 2 weeks here, so sunlight has been hard to come by. My plants are like pets to me and I’m scared I’m going to lose my beautiful King Henry.

I’ve already ordered some miticide and I’ve been spraying them all with 3-in-1. I keep thinking I see tiny red mites but I have such poor vision and they are so small and still that I’m not sure. I am a newbie to any and all plant care but I really want to do right by these babies. What else can I do?

I must have picked up aphids from a plant sale because my plants live indoors, and I can't get rid of them. I have tried submerging them for days, washing and repotting EACH INDIVIDUAL PLANT, I have even tried the Bayer rose spray and neem oil, I am doing something wrong or I have the worlds toughest aphids.

The above information is invaluable! Thanks for that!!

I have found that Take Down Garden Spray works really well, especially for aphids, mites, and mealy bugs. It was suggested to me by one of the major carnivorous plant nurseries on the west coast. I have found that for best results, you have to start spraying well before growing season starts. This seems to keep the pests at bay!

The drowning method worked pretty well on a major mealy infestation that I had. The infected plant was one of my large traps, 'Ginormous'. The individual plants are now, even though they are now dormant, much smaller than they were, but are now pest free! Thank goodness for our natural pest killer ... winter!

The writeup is great! I have a question about springtails, though. I get that in a moderate quantity they're good for VFTs, but can they jump to other plants and are they bad for others (both carnivorous and non)?

edina wrote:The writeup is great! I have a question about springtails, though. I get that in a moderate quantity they're good for VFTs, but can they jump to other plants and are they bad for others (both carnivorous and non)?

Springtails eat mold/algae and other dead vegetable matter so they won’t harm plants in other pots. They are the cleanup crew basically.

I think my new Lowe's flytrap has thrips : /
It's been growing slowly and the traps aren't developing all the way, and I found something that looks like larvae last night (tiny yellowish rice-shaped bugs, you can kind of see two near the base of the long leaf on the left of the picture).

Does anyone know a good treatment for thrips that's also relatively cat safe? I want to protect my big fluffy idiot from her new interest in plants.

Get a machine gun and go nuts with it, or use neem oil, if the cats likes the smell put it in a plastic container.

Hello all, I have been having my plants in a mini bog garden and since a few weeks ago, new growth looks kinda wrinckly. There was lots of rain and little sun so I attributef to that but today I see these guys... New growth
Is it something to worry about and if so, what can I use?
Thank!

Just saw this this morning. Pest self control

Can somebody please give me an answer on this. This is how my New growth looks like...
Dissregard other da age on the plants, it was from hail.

I'm not a Fly Trap guru so take my suggestion with a grain of salt.

When I see trouble at the growth point, I'll dig up the plant and check it with a magnifying glass. Remove any pests you see on it.

Then I put the plant under water (Distilled) for a week or two.
This drowns any bugs and hatching bugs.

Rinse the plant off well and repot it.
Dome or bag it for a few weeks until it looks normal again.

You could also dose it with bug-killing chemicals but I prefer not doing that.

Just my 2¢ worth.

Other growers and better VFT growers may have different opinions.
If an expert Fly Trap grower chimes in, I'd suggest follow his/her advice, rather than mine.

Good luck!

Thank you for the info, but this is not an option for me, as plants are in the bog garden and pests woul return in mater of days/houres. Maybe this weird growth is from planet wanting to flower or the fact that there was little to no sun past few weeks and lots of rain...

For mites I use Avid that I bought from FTS.

There is nothing better.