What do I do his head is turning black?!
7
@VeraciousPomelo tap water and potting soil are a death sentence for Venus fly traps. Only use distilled water and a potting medium such as sphagnum moss. In the wild, they grow in marshes that are very low in nutrients, so the fertilizer added to most potting soils will kill them. Tap water contains minerals that build up in the soil, which will also kill them.
California carnivores has a great guide on Venus fly traps care:
https://www.californiacarnivores.com/pages/venus-flytrap-care?srsltid=AfmBOor-odesgNarciB7J7fHF_mX15RERkChclpSNow4FbW9sjnaxp8b
Good luck!
California carnivores has a great guide on Venus fly traps care:
https://www.californiacarnivores.com/pages/venus-flytrap-care?srsltid=AfmBOor-odesgNarciB7J7fHF_mX15RERkChclpSNow4FbW9sjnaxp8b
Good luck!
@VeraciousPomelo you should use distilled, reserve osmosis, or clean rain water for your VFT and use some either sphagnum moss, peat moss, or perlite soil, even a medium of a few. Anything low in nutrients. These plants are used to this type of soil and water and will slowly die if given anything else which may explain the browning traps. Be sure your VFT gets 6+ hours of direct sunlight or 14+ hours of artificial light. These are bog plants and love to have constant access to water. What most people do is fill a small tray with their water and set it under the pots drainage. I do see some new traps growing so it may be able to bounce back if you follow these guidelines, the sooner the better. When repotting don’t be alarmed by seemingly short roots unless they are getting mushy or showing other signs of issues, carnivorous plants don’t get their nutrients from their roots so they don’t need much to thrive. I hope your VFT gets well soon!
Just a couple more things to add: if the trap closes on something too big and it doesn’t seal properly it could also kill the trap. As mentioned above, they get their nutrients from the bugs so you need the correct type of pot because some can cause minerals to seep out. Most recommend plastic and at least 4” tall with a hole at the bottom. Their roots grow straight down so they need a tall pot.
@reese.rae while I’m waiting on getting moss should I take it out of the soil and let the roots just sit in water?
@VeraciousPomelo do you have any perlite on hand? That will work as a temporary substrate while you wait. If not, keep the roots submerged in just distilled water till it arrives. Did you get sphagnum moss or peat moss? Be careful with peat moss, a lot of them (like Miracle Grow) have added nutrients that will kill it. It can be difficult to find nutrient-free peat moss, which is why most use sphagnum or a combo of sphagnum + perlite. When it arrives, soak it in distilled water for at least 15 min then follow these steps:
1. Fill pot halfway with moss and press down to make it as compact as possible (similar to the firmness of a brownie)
2. Take a handful of moss and gently wrap it around the roots (not too tightly!)
3. Place plant in the pot and fill in space around it with more moss — don't press this moss down as tightly or the roots will suffocate (similar to the firmness of a sponge cake)
Since your plant is so small, you want to use a small plastic pot no bigger than 2-3 inches. Like @reese.rae said, sit the pot inside a plastic saucer. You want the saucer to be a few inches tall with at least an inch of space between the rim of the saucer and the side of the pot. Fill saucer with distilled water every few days or whenever you notice it's dried up.
Someone in a previous comment mentioned that they get their nutrients from bugs. That's partly true — they actually get MOST of their energy through photosynthesis. That's why it's so important that it get at least 6 hours of direct sun, or 12-14 hours under a grow light. After a trap catches and dissolves a bug, it will turn black. They also turn black when entering their dormancy period in the winter, then they come back in the spring.
1. Fill pot halfway with moss and press down to make it as compact as possible (similar to the firmness of a brownie)
2. Take a handful of moss and gently wrap it around the roots (not too tightly!)
3. Place plant in the pot and fill in space around it with more moss — don't press this moss down as tightly or the roots will suffocate (similar to the firmness of a sponge cake)
Since your plant is so small, you want to use a small plastic pot no bigger than 2-3 inches. Like @reese.rae said, sit the pot inside a plastic saucer. You want the saucer to be a few inches tall with at least an inch of space between the rim of the saucer and the side of the pot. Fill saucer with distilled water every few days or whenever you notice it's dried up.
Someone in a previous comment mentioned that they get their nutrients from bugs. That's partly true — they actually get MOST of their energy through photosynthesis. That's why it's so important that it get at least 6 hours of direct sun, or 12-14 hours under a grow light. After a trap catches and dissolves a bug, it will turn black. They also turn black when entering their dormancy period in the winter, then they come back in the spring.