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weirdflowers

VFT turning black

11 years ago


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Hi folks

I got this fly trap in a trade about six weeks ago. When I got it, it had nice red and green traps all over it and over the past few weeks they've all been turning black. There are small, developing leaves around the base that look fine so far. I'm growing it in sphagnum moss with several hours of full sun every day and it only gets distilled or rain water. There are small, developing leaves around the base that look fine so far. I'm also growing a small Sarracenia flava exactly the same way, and it's doing great.

For the first two weeks or so that I had it, it stayed under fluorescent lights with temps in the mid 70s until I moved everything outside, where temperatures were a little bit cooler and fluctuated more, and they got a shorter light cycle. Could the weird temperature changes have tricked it into going dormant? I've never grown a VFT before so I don't really know what's going on...hopefully it makes it.

Comments (17)

  • 11 years ago

    The medium looks really wet, not just moist. If you have kept it like that for 6 weeks, it might be reacting to that constantly wet growing medium.

    There are sometimes black traps and maybe even leaves, but there would also be some healthy growth on a good plant.

    But seeing it pretty much 100% brown, I wonder if it might be on the way out due to some other conditions.

    How tall is that pot?

  • 11 years ago

    It's 3" tall. I've got this pot and the flava sitting in a little plastic dish and I give them a little sip every day if the water has dried up. Should I not keep any standing water around the pot?

  • 11 years ago

    It should be standing in shallow water. OUTSIDE. Did you SLOWLY acclimate it to outdoors and full Sun?


  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    No, I failed to slowly acclimate it. Do you suppose there's any hope for it?

  • 11 years ago

    The Sarracenias usually can handle being a little bit wetter.

    Since you mentioned that there is some small green growth, it still has a chance. In my opinion, I would let it not be so wet, but that might not be the root cause. Based on your last post, it sounds like it may have been an acclimation problem. The new leaves and traps should handle the sunny weather and direct sunlight better.

    You can do additional verification by pulling off the dead and brown leaves. If they main root/rhizome still looks fresh and white, then you still have a chance with that plant. If it is starting to look mushy and brown, then you are losing the plant, and it might be too far gone.

    Definitely will want to change the growing conditions in that case, if you want to try to help it. Although healthy VFTs like full sun and can take it all day, I've treated sickly VFTs the same as I would other kinds of plants. I give them only morning sun until they get back on their feet, so that they are not having stress from full sun for many hours of the day. That may not be necessary but I like to think of it as babying the sick plant until it gets better. Even a sick person can't do all the normal things and be exposed to normal weather conditions when he is sick.


  • 11 years ago

    Well, let me guess, it hasn't eaten in a while. This means you need some Miraicd as a nutrient substitute. Also, don't let it burn up!!!!!!! :D

  • 11 years ago

    NO MIRACID! They do NOT have to eat. They will but it won't harm the plant if it doesn't eat for awhile. Miracid will kill the plant. ANY fertilizer will kill it.


  • 11 years ago

    Okay whatever but I do happen to know about this website you should check out because I learned that miraicd was good for them but you tell me if it's wrong then now I know but wow. Are you a plant expert cause if so I have some questions about cacti. http://www.pitcherplant.com/care_sheets/nepenthes_care.html

    This was a very good website or so I though but check it out will ya.

  • 11 years ago

    Oh yeah and also all my carnivorous plants almost died because they didn't eat!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 11 years ago

    They didn't die because they didn't eat. Bugs are like fertilizer for carnivorous plants. Put the plant outside where it belongs and it will eat.


  • 11 years ago

    Did you check out the website? Please tell me that's not all wrong, I spent hours copying that down.

  • 11 years ago

    Also I could and did put them in a room with a baby fly, I put them right next to it. The bug ignored it and flew away!!!!!!!! When I put them outside all the bugs pretended they didn't exist.

  • 11 years ago

    Thanks for the info everyone. My fly trap is actually starting to look better. I trimmed off the dead bits and it is forming new traps.

  • 11 years ago

    Joe, the website you linked is about Nepenthes. The thread is about Venus fly traps. What works for one may not work for the other.

  • 11 years ago

    Weirdflowers is correct. You CAN use light fertilizer on Nepenthes but not VFTs. Some people have rubbed some on VFT leaves but personally I don't recommend that.

  • 11 years ago

    Tommy please go on What can VFT's and pitcher plants and sundews eat? I'm sure you can help me there.

  • 11 years ago

    Are you growing these outdoors? These plants can eat just about any insects that fit on them or in them. If you're growing them indoors and they are temperate outdoor plants they won't last long.

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