Venus fly trap turning black

11 years ago

Hello,

I've had my venus fly trap for maybe 2 months now and it's turning black! I live in the UK so the weather differs from rainy to really hot and sunny and my flytrap lives on my windowsill so it gets the morning sun. I've been trimming the old black leaves as I used to get maybe 1 or 2 once a week but now I've noticed I have quite a few. Is it correct that I should be trimming the leaves with scissors when they're looking dead or is it causing more to die? I water them about once a week, it said on my information about the plant that it came with to give them plenty of sun and water once a week.

Anyway, can anyone advise me as to whether this is totally normal or if i'm doing something wrong and give me advice on anything else to do with them.

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

tommyr_gw Zone 6
11 years ago
Traps die, they don't last for ever. When they get ugly for you trim off the traps. They need to sit in a shallow water tray. OUTDOORS. If you insist on growing them inside someone else will have to help you. These are not houseplants.
Robert_1990
11 years ago
Heya,

My Venus flytrap is doing just fine indoors... I just leave it sitting in water throughout the summer months and then when it gets nippy in winter I just cut back on the water (enough just to leave the soil damp). Cutting off of the dead leaves shouldnt be a problem just make sure that you cant see any green still left on the leaves.
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paul_
11 years ago
Tommy is correct that vfts tend to fair far better outside. Being that you are a UK'er, full sun should be fine provided you harden the plant off properly. If that is not possible, a sunny windowsill wherein the plant can receive 6+ hours of direct sun is your goal. Do not allow it to dry out -- sitting it in a container with a centimeter or two of water should be fine. If you can keep it outside, it might even be possible for you to overwinter it outside. I would advocate a larger and deeper pot as well. Vfts can have some surprisingly deep running roots.

Out of curiosity, Robert, how long have you had your vft? Vfts I've had in the past wherein I wintered as you did tended to weaken and die after 3 or 4 years. Those for which I gave an actual cold dormancy did not suffer that fate. Hopefully yours will turn out to be more tolerant than mine with regards to a minimal dormancy.