FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I'm completely new to this, I have one venus fly trap I bought at Lowes. I am not new to plants however, my collection of succulents loves sand and micro nutrients found in dissolved water, for this very reason I actually use tap water to water them, why are carniverous plants so sensitive to water, usually plants most sensitive to water are ones that intake, and output the most amount. When I recently transplanted the Venus I put it in compact moss and coconut fibers, the same ones I use in my tarantula cages, but when you run water through this, a ton of colored liquid comes out, it has been compacted when wet so most of this came out, but still why is it recommended? I saw the venus roots, they have no signs of development, it looks like it was grafted from a mother venus, then barely any roots are growing, is there a way to stimulate this growth. One more thing, the Parts per something measuring for water, is that completely neccesary, am I ok with going to the nearest natural spring and siphoning water from that to feed the plant?

Welcome to FlytrapCare David F!

David F wrote:why are carniverous plants so sensitive to water

Carnivorous plants naturally grow in locations where the soil is devoid of minerals. Their roots aren't equipped to handle them and if they are exposed to them, it will burn the roots and kill the plant.

David F wrote:One more thing, the Parts per something measuring for water, is that completely neccesary, am I ok with going to the nearest natural spring and siphoning water from that to feed the plant?

Yes, measuring or knowing the PPM of dissolved solids is usually mandatory if you're using tap water or spring water. Both tap and spring water can have a lot of dissolved solids in them which will kill your plant.

Hello and welcome to the forums!

The minerals and such found in regular tap water causes mineral burn when used on venus fly traps and other carnivorous plants (which will slowly kill it), so only pure water is viable for them. Pure water is found in many forms including: distilled, deionized, demineralized or rain water.

The Parts Per Million (ppm) of the water used for carnivorous plants has to be 50 or lower simply because any higher will damage and eventually kill the plant, so that's why it really is important that the right kind of water is used. Distilled or dionized water can often be found and purchased at auto stores because its also used in car batteries.

I'm not sure if coco fibre is the best thing to use to pot carnivorous plants in, although I'm tempted to try it myself. There's been discussion on the use of coco fibre/coco coir for carnivorous plants and no one seems to be sure whether or not it is a suitable media to use. Peat moss, sphagnum and a mix of aeration materials (such as perlite) are commonly used for potting all manners of carnivorous plants, simply because it is nutrient poor (nutrients will also cause mineral burn) and acidic, which venus fly traps love.

If you can get hold of some pure water, then I'd recommend flushing the media you're using with it, just to remove any possible mineral build up caused by the tap water. I'm no expert though, these are just my personal recommendations =]. I'm sure others with more experience (as I can see Matt has just responded, beating me to it hehe) will offer you more advice.

Good luck!

David F wrote:for this very reason I actually use tap water to water them, why are carniverous plants so sensitive to water, usually plants most sensitive to water are ones that intake, and output the most amount.

I cannot tell you why they can't take tap water(by now someone replied), but I can tell you it provides negative results unless your water is under 50 PPM (Parts Per Million). You can measure with a TDS meter but I would recommend just buying distilled water from the grocery store .

David F wrote:When I recently transplanted the Venus I put it in compact moss and coconut fibers

I wouldn't use coconut fiber (coir) because it has high PPM and unless rinsed throughly 10-12 times soaked for 12 hours or so before the PPM would go below 50.

David F wrote:One more thing, the Parts per something measuring for water, is that completely neccesary, am I ok with going to the nearest natural spring and siphoning water from that to feed the plant?

It is necessary, and spring water doesn't mean anything. You need distilled water, rainwater, or RO water.

Thank you guys, the coco fibers were strained by hand, producing around 70 pounds per square inch, its mostly pure now. Thank you for your kindness, and you are all very informative, when you say "flush the media" meaning just soak it with pure water and let it drain? Sadly I've seen people throw their venus fly traps away when the heads go black, I'll try and keep posting, I might forget, but I'll let you know how the coco fibers go. And on the subject of ppm, isn't it one thing to measure, how much of any substance is actually in the water, as apposed to what it actually is, or does any substance prevent some sort of action that is essential to the plants health, since buying it from Lowe's more and more of the heads don't shut, and now none of them do, is it also okay to put them in a plastic container, I'll drill holes in the bottom. water is in a secondary container that has a lid, should I put the lid on the container in order to mantain high humidity and warmth, do I even need the water dish in the bottom? Thanks for helping, I hope not to many of the questions have been answered, in some way or another.

David F wrote: when you say "flush the media" meaning just soak it with pure water and let it drain?

That means water it from the top a couple of times with pure water and, yes, let it drain out the bottom.

David F wrote:or does any substance prevent some sort of action that is essential to the plants health, since buying it from Lowe's more and more of the heads don't shut, and now none of them do

PPM is referring to dissolved minerals ( I think ).

Are you saying that is happening to yours? If it is, it is probably because of tap watering by Lowe's and you (maybe)

David F wrote: I'll drill holes in the bottom. water is in a secondary container that has a lid, should I put the lid on the container in order to mantain high humidity and warmth

Nah,high humidity is bad for flytraps (It helps mould to grow)

David F wrote:do I even need the water dish in the bottom?

It's handy for bottom watering,if you do bottom water make sure to top water around once a month to prevent mineral build-up

David F wrote:Thank you guys, the coco fibers were strained by hand, producing around 70 pounds per square inch, its mostly pure now. Thank you for your kindness, and you are all very informative, when you say "flush the media" meaning just soak it with pure water and let it drain? Sadly I've seen people throw their venus fly traps away when the heads go black, I'll try and keep posting, I might forget, but I'll let you know how the coco fibers go. And on the subject of ppm, isn't it one thing to measure, how much of any substance is actually in the water, as apposed to what it actually is, or does any substance prevent some sort of action that is essential to the plants health, since buying it from Lowe's more and more of the heads don't shut, and now none of them do, is it also okay to put them in a plastic container, I'll drill holes in the bottom. water is in a secondary container that has a lid, should I put the lid on the container in order to mantain high humidity and warmth, do I even need the water dish in the bottom? Thanks for helping, I hope not to many of the questions have been answered, in some way or another.

You're certainly welcome for the advice and thank you for offering to keep us updated regarding the coco fibres! I keep african land snails and use EcoEarth (which is dehydrated coco fibres/coco coir) and have been wondering about the effects of it if used as a media for carnivorous plants.

I should have explained what flushing the media meant, heh, sorry about that! As the Daniels have said, it's basically watering from the top and allowing the water to drain out of the bottom. This prevents any mineral buildup.

As for ppm, most if not all minerals will cause problems for carnivorous plants (the nutrients are too strong for the roots and will slowly kill them. Think of it like having sulfuric acid dumped on your legs), as they have a sensitive root system when it comes down to nutrients. As Matt had mentioned, this is because of where carnivorous plants originate from and they simply aren't "designed" to handle high amounts of minerals (because the soil they grow in is devoid of them). As far as I know venus fly traps in the wild are watered by rain, anyway.

In some locations the tap water is "soft" enough for carnivorous plants to handle (soft meaning it has low ppm), but it seems to be quicker and easier to simply buy pure water rather than test the ppm of tap water. Water companies add chemicals to our tap water to make it safe to drink and here in England I've actually had cloudy water come from our tap where it's only just been treated, so even if you chose to test your tap water you'd probably find yourself continually testing it just to be on the safe side. Pure water is certainly more convenient.

Venus fly taps can be grown in a terrarium (which is designed to increase humidity) although it isn't nessecary as high humidity stimulates mould growth, which can kill carnivorous plants (I've lost seedlings to it), so it isn't really advised to have venus fly traps enclosed. As for keeping your venus fly trap's pot in a dish of water -- it's simply much easier to fill the dish with water as you can easily tell when you next have to water the plant. Once the water dish is dry (or if the soil starts looking dry, it should be damp) you can simply refill it and enjoy the splendor of your carnivorous plant.

Going back to your plant's traps not opening -- has it been kept particually cold? I'm hoping a more experienced venus fly trap grower could confirm this but if the plant has been kept cold and in dark conditions (I don't know how Lowes keep their plants) it could be in dormancy. The problem could also be the fact it has been watered with tap water and is having an adverse reaction.

Never be afraid to ask any questions on the forums, there are ALWAYS people who will help. I hope the above advice helps you .

Wow Thank you a lot, very informative, I notice other forums bash people who ask new questions, again I thank you. I flushed the media with a water bottle, then I continually flushed it with water from out fridge filter ( supposedly high quality) the first 3 times or so the liquid was colored orangish yellow, and smelled very sweet. Sooner or later the water turned clear and had no smell. I will flush again today.

As far as lighting goes I have a 150 wat ( I think ) it overheats in about 30 secs enough to not touch it without hearing a hissing sound, so fairly powerful, its meant for basking lizards and reptiles, I raise it fairly high so it bathes all my Tarantulas, they still have the choice to retreat of course. I only leave it on for about 10 hours a day and recently it was off for about 2 days. The venus is also actually right next to the window, but in Utah right now its overcasts most days and get like -5 degrees durring the nights now, but it stays around 67-69 ish degrees up there, and near the spiders is almost always 75-80 degrees because of heat lamps, dim lighting and heat pads, pluss is should get some residuel from the full spectrums on my large terrarium.

I know how to treat mold fairly well, but I heard, somewhere that you can't use the copper version of the fungacide, only use the sulfur, if this is true I might have to get another. The venus does have about 5 new heads coming it looks like. Before I had read about transplanting the carniverous plants, I already transplanted it, not only in the coco fibres but also about 1/8 fine sand mix, that I did actually filter and strain, and the moss that it was compacted in when it came from lowes. BTW something important to know about the coco fibers, if you choose to use them, is when you decompress the coco brick, you have to squezz all the water out of each clump you take out, and don't be all panzy about it, squeez hard, the liquid that comes out should be almost orange, and if the coco fibers still smell very sweet you should keep squeezing.

You HAVE to let it dry in the period after you squeezed it, I would lay it out and let it dry for a few days if needed. If you stack it right into the container you plant your plants, it compresses greatly again, it turns darker, and never quite unclumps to its potential fluffyness, just make sure you don't let the coco fibers turn really dark that means they are wet to long. I know this because when I introduce it to spiders. it can compact, nearly impossible to burrow in. Sorry for the super long message, if you try it I just want others to get the same result.

David F wrote:As far as lighting goes I have a 150 wat ( I think ) it overheats in about 30 secs enough to not touch it without hearing a hissing sound, so fairly powerful, its meant for basking lizards and reptiles

This light is way too strong and hot for a Venus Fly Trap. that will burn it. You need to get some type of fluoro light that doesn't get hot but is very bright, otherwise it will burn your VFt and it will shrivel, dry, and die .

At the place of the plant, the light is several feet away, and doesn't generate heat all the way down, just making a point that it is very hot at the source, it is still 75ish degrees were the venus actually if its not hot at all
were the things receiving the light are I promise

Okay good to know. I'd hate for you to cook your plant .

Hello David!

David F wrote:As far as lighting goes I have a 150 wat ( I think ) it overheats in about 30 secs enough to not touch it without hearing a hissing sound

The power the light puts out is really only part of the equation. It's also quite important for the light to put out the correct colors of light. Ideally you want to utilize a 6500K T5 or T8 fluorescent bulb (these are favored over the more common T12 since they put off less heat). 6500K is chosen because it outputs a spectrum that is close to that of the sun. You can also substitute any "daylight" or "sunlight" CFL if you have an extra fixture sitting around. Your current light sounds like it's purpose is to make heat, which means it probably has a much lower color temperature so it produces a lot of infrared energy (heat). Unfortunately low color temperatures really aren't very effective for photosynthesis since the light has less energy.

David F wrote:The venus is also actually right next to the window, but in Utah right now its overcasts most days and get like -5 degrees durring the nights now, but it stays around 67-69 ish degrees up there

Right now VFTs in the northern hemisphere should be dormant. Since it sounds like you recently purchased your plant, it has more than likely just come out of being hardened off from a tissue culture lab and has been growing under artificial grow lights. Since this is the case, it's probably acceptable for you to skip dormancy this year. For next year, in late October, feel free to keep the plant in a cool window sill where it experiences cool temperatures (they can survive temperatures in the low 30s for short periods of time as long as you don't let them freeze) and a lower photoperiod from late October to late March. For this year, the plant doesn't need to be kept overly warm. Temperatures in the upper 60's and low 70's are more than acceptable.

David F wrote:I know how to treat mold fairly well, but I heard, somewhere that you can't use the copper version of the fungacide, only use the sulfur

This is true, copper based fungicides will kill your VFT.

And, as others have stated, be very careful with coco fibers. Even if you start getting colorless water it can still have dissolved salts in it that will be harmful to your VFT. It's not particulate in the water that is harmful to the plants, but rather minerals that are bound ions that dissolve and dissociate in the water (such as how NaCl, table salt, fully dissolves in water by breaking apart into Na+ and Cl-) that are harmful to the plant. This is why you are able to measure PPM, you're simply looking for how conductive the water is. Since pure water is a very good insulator, you can observe how much current can be passed through the water, and extrapolate the average conducting parts that are in the water, thus giving PPM. It would be possible to make a solution that has a lot of particulate, say from silica, that is still inert and fully acceptable to water a VFT with. On the other hand, we could create a solution that would be very very deadly to the VFT, but it could look "pure." Traps being unresponsive is often an indication of mineral burn, along with leaves turning yellow/brown at the outer edges.

Hope that sheds some light on things and I understood your questions correctly!

That is very usefull information, I thought I might have to put it in dormancy this year thank you. As for the light truly it is full spectrum (as mentioned before) I can't even look into it more than 2 seconds or so. But incase there is still any doubt maybe this will shed or explode light, I was misting all of the things with new (Distilled water my mom was using to iron blankets) and I was wondering how hot the light was at the source, so I misted it to see how fast the water would evaporate, and instead the light bulb simply, EXPLODED in my face with lots of smoke and everything, no joke it really happened like 10 minutes ago, it took me a while to calm down, it sounded like a baloon poping, I guess what happened is like when you put ice in water and it cracks cause of the temperature change. Anyways, I can move the venus over to the terrarium area which has one ultra violet-color blue, and full spectrum low heat one, they are really long so I can hang part of them off the terrarium onto the plant, unfortunetly I still need to get another light for my creaters

And, as others have stated, be very careful with coco fibers. Even if you start getting colorless water it can still have dissolved salts in it that will be harmful to your VFT. It's not particulate in the water that is harmful to the plants, but rather minerals that are bound ions that dissolve and dissociate in the water

Not to correct you (if thats how you take this) but the color of the water is almost posivetively part of the plant, not actually a mineral. It is very very sweet to the taste, it is probably some type of sugar, the reason I say to take this out of the coco fibers, is because if you don't, it clumps like mad. not to say that clear water means 100% no minerals, and I am aware of the risk when I bought my venus at Lowe's for 5 dollars. I flushed the media about 12 times yesterday and the day before, One of the leaves has brown coloring where it was torn, so I question the relation, but I will watch out, thank you for your input. All the traps are green, I know there is only one terrestrial species that doesn't grow very upward that is all green, is there species specific care for it?