is there anything i can do to fix this ?
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Best Answer
Hi!! So, what soil is it in? I'm not quite sure -- but based off of how it looks it doesn't look like a suitable mix.
Venus fly traps have very specific soil requirements. I keep mine in a 2:1 mix of peat moss and perlite. Some people also just use pure long fibered sphagnum moss. You have to make sure it's completely fertilizer free. After all, they evolved to catch bugs because they live in very nutrient poor soil.
You also want to make sure that you're watering it with only distilled water or rainwater. Any other water will slowly kill the plant. If you have a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter, you can measure the ppm (parts per million) of the water. If it's below 50 ppm, it's safe to use. I try and keep the water within 0-20ppm, though.
These are also bog plants and grow in consistently wet soil. So, never ever let it dry out! It's unlikely that it's suffering from root rot unless you were keeping the water level up to the rhizome of the plant. I find it easiest to sit the pot in a saucer that I keep atleast an inch full all the time.
They also need lots and lots of light! Mine sit outside and get about 6-8 hours of bright direct sunlight. They love light!
Also, just a side note, make sure that you're able to provide the winter dormancy period during the winter months. These plants need rest too! :)
Venus fly traps have very specific soil requirements. I keep mine in a 2:1 mix of peat moss and perlite. Some people also just use pure long fibered sphagnum moss. You have to make sure it's completely fertilizer free. After all, they evolved to catch bugs because they live in very nutrient poor soil.
You also want to make sure that you're watering it with only distilled water or rainwater. Any other water will slowly kill the plant. If you have a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter, you can measure the ppm (parts per million) of the water. If it's below 50 ppm, it's safe to use. I try and keep the water within 0-20ppm, though.
These are also bog plants and grow in consistently wet soil. So, never ever let it dry out! It's unlikely that it's suffering from root rot unless you were keeping the water level up to the rhizome of the plant. I find it easiest to sit the pot in a saucer that I keep atleast an inch full all the time.
They also need lots and lots of light! Mine sit outside and get about 6-8 hours of bright direct sunlight. They love light!
Also, just a side note, make sure that you're able to provide the winter dormancy period during the winter months. These plants need rest too! :)
@livslillies roots on these are normally dark. They have thin, fine, dark roots. If any were mushy or had a bad smell, they need to be cut away. As long as the rhizome is okay, it will put out new roots. I would repot into either sphagnum moss or peat moss and perlite.
@livslillies they're pretty resilient little guys! I've seen peoples vfts be basically dead and then within a few months or so they come back. With the right care it'll recover :)
Don't stress too much about winter dormancy -- I'm not sure how your winters are, but if it's anything like Florida you're able go just leave it outside during winter. If your winters get below 20ยฐF you have to either put it in an unheated room or make it go dormant via the fridge method. I've heard that the fridge method tends to be a little more risky, but I've never done it before. Where I am in Florida we just get a handful of frosts and very rarely a freeze, so I don't have to worry about temps too much. The days shortening also plays a big part in the plant going dormant, so it's important that the plant is able to get those shorter days. So if you do put it in an unheated room, make sure it can see the short days.
During dormancy vfts shrink down to about the size of a U.S quarter or bottle cap, and they have a small rosette of tight traps. The large traps and what not will die off, but it's nothing to be concerned about.
If you've got any questions I'm happy to answer them ๐
Don't stress too much about winter dormancy -- I'm not sure how your winters are, but if it's anything like Florida you're able go just leave it outside during winter. If your winters get below 20ยฐF you have to either put it in an unheated room or make it go dormant via the fridge method. I've heard that the fridge method tends to be a little more risky, but I've never done it before. Where I am in Florida we just get a handful of frosts and very rarely a freeze, so I don't have to worry about temps too much. The days shortening also plays a big part in the plant going dormant, so it's important that the plant is able to get those shorter days. So if you do put it in an unheated room, make sure it can see the short days.
During dormancy vfts shrink down to about the size of a U.S quarter or bottle cap, and they have a small rosette of tight traps. The large traps and what not will die off, but it's nothing to be concerned about.
If you've got any questions I'm happy to answer them ๐
@Merranda thank you so so much! So I am in Texas and I feel that our winters are pretty similar, do you still water it when you leave it outside? the past few years has gotten a freeze so Iโm thinking that that I will just pay attention to the weather and make sure weโre not expecting one so that way I can pull it inside ?
@livslillies sounds good to me! Just make sure that the temps don't dip down below 20ยฐF for extended periods of time :)
It's pretty much just paying attention to the weather -- if you're super worried you can always put some sort of top cover ontop of the soil and put it in a larger pot to further insulate the roots. It should be all good, especially if your winters are like mine ๐
All care is the same throughout winter as it is during the active growing season
It's pretty much just paying attention to the weather -- if you're super worried you can always put some sort of top cover ontop of the soil and put it in a larger pot to further insulate the roots. It should be all good, especially if your winters are like mine ๐
All care is the same throughout winter as it is during the active growing season
@livslillies Whenever I notice the weather beginning to cool off, specifically when the lows at night start to get to like low to mid 60s, is when I notice the growth slow down. In Florida, there isn't really 'winter' weather (well, as winter as it gets here) until November. Basically whenever your winter starts. You don't change care at all, so yes you still water it the same. If you're asking about the temps to know when to put it outdoors, I would put it outdoors when the weather cools. Mine live outdoors year round so I just let them do their thing :)
It might sound a bit scary, but trust me it's not super scary. Let nature do it's thing !
Just for some other places to look, California Carnivores and Sarracenia Northwest both have youtube channels with tons of very useful information. Sarracenia NW posts monthly care videos that talk about each species during that month & what you can expect. I always look forward to them at the beginning of each month! ๐
It might sound a bit scary, but trust me it's not super scary. Let nature do it's thing !
Just for some other places to look, California Carnivores and Sarracenia Northwest both have youtube channels with tons of very useful information. Sarracenia NW posts monthly care videos that talk about each species during that month & what you can expect. I always look forward to them at the beginning of each month! ๐
@livslillies youโll find heaps of info and links at the #cpclubthursday group page but @Merranda really has this covered ๐๐
@livslillies Tbh, with growlights I don't really do anything special. For my indoor carnivorous plants (nepenthes, pinguicula, and cephalotus) I use an app called photone to make sure that the light is sufficient. If you look up whatever species and then ppfd amount or smth like that it should come up with the ppfd range. Ppfd is basically just the measure of how many photons are reaching the plant(s).
Otherwise I just kinda hope that the light is enough (I will admit, I care about my carnivorous plants a little more than my regular plants ๐ ๐ )
I keep all of my growlights at 12 hours, but idk if it matters or not.
Otherwise I just kinda hope that the light is enough (I will admit, I care about my carnivorous plants a little more than my regular plants ๐ ๐ )
I keep all of my growlights at 12 hours, but idk if it matters or not.