Wilting fly trap
I have a young fly trap plant that I have near a humidifier. It puts out a cool visible vapor. Is the hard water I'm using in the humidifier be causing it to wilt? I've already killed a perfectly healthy fly trap plant just winging it. This time I'm using rain or distilled water and keeping the humidity high. Any advice is appreciated.
Last watered 1 month ago
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@Idplantthat thank you for tagging me! VFTs dispose of old old growth and used traps to put that energy back in to growing new traps. Closing traps takes a lot of energy, but so does keeping them open! Two pieces of advice: first, definitely trim off the dead trap when itβs done wilting and has turned totally black. The decaying matter can get into the substrate and cause rot issues in the very delicate roots. Second, Iβd do some research into VFT dormancy periods. Most VFTs needs a period of cold as part of their yearly rhythm, and if they donβt get that, theyβll die off permanently, which may be what youβve experienced in the past if your last one died during the colder or lower-sun months. You are absolutely right to be using distilled water, they CANNOT have tap and itβll definitely hurt them. Make sure your humidifier has distilled water in it too! Happy planting, and best of luck ππβοΈ
@ZanyGollum21 @MilkNewt Milo is definitely the one to ask. I can tell you though, humidifiers have to have distilled water or they will stop working. You can do a mix of tap water and then add hydrogen peroxide, and that will work if you are in a pinch in your humidifier. But definitely check with Milo if thatβs okay. I do this with my greenhouse and indoor plants, but I donβt have many carnivorous plants anymore. π€£ I wish you all the luck; I know it can be stressful when you get worried about your plants.
@Idplantthat I didnβt know about the hydrogen peroxide thing! Thatβs super interesting, I wonder if it works for carnivorous plants. I donβt take my chances, just because my carnivorous plants were a gift from my grandmother, but I think if I were to get another one Iβd be more experimental with it for sure π Iβd personally recommend just using distilled water, I know some people use rainwater, and I donβt know the efficacy of that either, cause Iβm pretty sure rainwater has other particulates in it based on where you are. Like the rainwater in very dense cities is going to be more polluted than the rainwater that you might get out in the middle of nowhereοΏΌ
@MilkNewt you are very right! Iβve done a lot of research on rainwater; I use rainwater on my plants, but Iβm watering over a thousand plants and to be honest Iβm not great with doing individual watering just because getting to them can be tricky. π€£ But rainwater does pick up anything on your roofs or like that, so if you have a tar-based layer on your roof and it heats up all those chemicals go into your rainwater. If you ever decide to use water just make sure you have good filters on your barrels; and also you can use hydrogen peroxide in your rainwater to keep it happier and fresher. π But I also mix mono-silica (powersi) and then add gold leaf fertilizer at lower doses so I can do every watering; then do a solid fresh monthly to every other month.