Nice Find At The Local Nursery

[dustin]

Nice find wurm

as for deathcubes i find, you have to buy them as soon as they come in...at least the 'knock off" deathcubes have air holes so the air can circulate...ive also seen a few other knock offs when they sell vfts, there not that bad though, though they look like how i pack them to be shipped when potted lol, from the box to the shelves no time spent cleaning them up, removing domes etc...

ive seen some really bad ones before like at lowes....were the death cubes live up to there name right at the store...i still sometimes see the cubes pushed behind all the new houseplants which were probably from 1-2yrs ago, the plants have completely died and there still for sale at original price of $5 for the small and $10 for the big, idk bout you but i dont think id spend my money on a cube full of waterlogged potting mix that has algae growing in it...though i have been able to find some good ones when they just come in, ill have to make another trip out there maybe pick up a few to rescue, i havn't actually looked for any cps at the stores lately but im hopeing they finaly decided to get those dead cubes off the shelves

 

[scottychaos]

I dont know about "knock-off"..
there are simply 2 or 3 different companys marketing CP's this way..
I wouldnt say one is a "knockoff" of any other..

and actuallly, that site: http://flytraphelp.info/
is one of the best "death cube" sites I have seen!
they actually give good info..including decent dormancy info!
which is usually very lacking (or absent completely!)

my only complaint is that they invented brand new, stupid names..
"octupus plant" and "starfish plant"..lame..

and..since it seems I am actually defending death cubes somewhat..
the "death" part of "death cube" really belongs to the stores selling the plants..not the companys that are TC-ing them and putting them in the cubes..its bad/indifferent care at Walmart-Lowes-Home Depot-Target etc that cause plants to die..its not really the fault of the "manufacturer"..

Scot

 

[DrWurm]

and actuallly, that site: http://flytraphelp.info/
is one of the best "death cube" sites I have seen!
they actually give good info..including decent dormancy info!
which is usually very lacking (or absent completely!)

It's definitely a better one, but I still think it's rather misleading to say the plants need to be kept humid and in the terrarium. Eventually those sarracenia are going to outgrow the cube and you're going to wind up with confused growers trying to find a terrarium big enough for the whole plant.

Jason

 

[cp-connection]

Knockoff means they weren't the first. I bought a few cases from those dudes a couple years back when they were packaging in little plastic bags with twist ties that said "carnivorous plants". Each bag included a giant plastic card with all the info from the website.

An interesting side note, cobra nest was selected and registered by the same nursery in order to fit in his packaging and ship well.

I dont know about "knock-off"..
there are simply 2 or 3 different companys marketing CP's this way..
I wouldnt say one is a "knockoff" of any other..

Scot

 

[scottychaos]

It's definitely a better one, but I still think it's rather misleading to say the plants need to be kept humid and in the terrarium. Eventually those sarracenia are going to outgrow the cube and you're going to wind up with confused growers trying to find a terrarium big enough for the whole plant.

Jason

good point!
I didnt catch the info about keeping it in a terrarium..

In the following quote, Green = good advice and Red = bad advice.
(IMO)

Flytrap Do's

DO have fun with Trapper! Try fooling Trapper to close by taking a toothpick and lightly tapping the trigger hairs. Tap once, nothing happens; but, the leaf is primed. Tap twice and the trap snaps shut! Traps shut quickly when warm, slowly when cold. The trap will re-open in about a day if it is empty or does not have ‘food’ in it. Leaves will re-open 3 or 4 times before they lose their ability to close.

DO feed your plant. On its own it will successfully trap millipedes, earwigs, flies, and medium sized bugs. Try putting one or two of these insects in the pot with the plant and watch Trapper catch them.

DO give your plant plenty of sunshine. Place Trapper in a sunny window, balcony, or patio. In the inner surface is green move your plant to a place where it will get more light.

DO provide a humid environment. Trapper will grow in full sun if the humidity is higher than 55%. To increase humidity if your air is dry, leave your plant in the plastic box with the top closed, or plant Trapper in a terrarium.

DO give Trapper lots of water. You need to try to duplicate the bog conditions where Trappers grow naturally. Keep the soil wet at all times with distilled water or rainwater. Avoid tap water as it often has natural minerals that will turn the leaves black.

Flytrap DON'TS

DON’T leave Trapper in too much sun or he will cook. Venus flytraps prefer summer daytime temperatures in the 80-90 degree Fahrenheit range with night temperatures about 10-20 degrees cooler.

DON’T worry about applying additional fertilizer to Trapper. If ‘fed’ it will get all the nutrients from its ‘meals’ just as it does in nature. A very dilute application of plant food once or twice during the summer is not harmful and may help the bulb grow bigger. The bigger the bulb grows, the larger the traps will be.

DON’T feed your plant fatty food such as hamburger. The leaves will turn black, rot, and die.
DON’T expect a leaf to live forever. Each trap can only re-open about 4 times. As old leaves die, new ones come up from the bulb to replace them.

DON’T panic when all the leaves blacken in the fall. The bulb is going dormant. Trapper needs to rest. While dormant, put the pot outside, or in a place where it is cold, but will not freeze (35 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit). With a little luck, you will be rewarded with larger traps in the spring and a display of delicate white flowers.

ok..so they get a "B" anyway..
but yes, there is still some bad advice there..
but at least its better than what we usually see..

I know they are writing it for kids..hopefully most kids will be smart enough to seek out other info, and they will probably come across forums such as this one where some of the more "iffy" ideas can be set straight..
but overall, its pretty good..except for the terrarium bit..

Scot

 

[scottychaos]

Scot's re-write of the instructions..comments welcome:

Flytrap Do's

DO have fun with Trapper! But don't try fooling Trapper too many times by taking a toothpick and lightly tapping the trigger hairs. Trapper doesnt like being tricked! Leaves will only re-open 3 or 4 times before they lose their ability to close. Its better to let trapper catch bugs on his own.

DO feed your plant. On its own it will successfully trap millipedes, earwigs, flies, and medium sized bugs. Try putting one or two of these insects in the traps and watch Trapper catch them.

DO give your plant plenty of sunshine. Place Trapper on a balcony, deck or patio. If the inner surface of the traps is green, but not red, move your plant to a place where it will get more direct sunlight.

DO remove the clear plastic top when you put trapper outside. just throw it away, trapper wont need it anymore.

DO give Trapper lots of water. You need to try to duplicate the bog conditions where Trappers grow naturally. Keep the soil wet at all times with distilled water or rainwater. Avoid tap water as it often has natural minerals that will turn the leaves black. Put the distilled water or rainwater in a saucer and sit trapper's pot right in the saucer of water. keep about one inch of water in the saucer at all times, this will keep the peat moss that trapper grows in nice and moist, like a bog.

Flytrap DON'TS

DON’T try to grow Trapper indoors, or in a terrarium. the best conditions can be found outdoors.
and indoor growing doesnt allow Trapper to "sleep" properly in the winter.

DON’T worry about applying additional fertilizer to Trapper. If ‘fed’ it will get all the nutrients from its ‘meals’ just as it does in nature. applying additional fertilzer is completely unecessary, and can be harmful.

DON’T feed your plant fatty food such as hamburger. The leaves will turn black, rot, and die.

DON’T expect a leaf to live forever. Each trap can only re-open about 4 times. As old leaves die, new ones come up from the bulb to replace them.

DON’T panic when all the leaves blacken in the fall. The bulb is going dormant. Trapper needs to rest. While dormant in the winter, continue to keep the pot outside if you live in USDA zone 7, 8 or 9, or in a place where it is cold, but will not freeze (35 – 40 degrees Fahrenheit) if you live in zone 6 or lower. With a little luck, you will be rewarded with larger traps in the spring and a display of delicate white flowers.

(modified from instruction found here: http://flytraphelp.info/
which, while generally good, in my opinion and in the opinion of others here, could use some tweaking.)

Scot

 

[DrWurm]

Nice job Scot! I don't think I could've kept rewriting "Trapper" like that. It would've made me feel dirty all over. :S

Jason

 

[mcantrell]

Well, if you do keep them in the plastic containers, then full sun would likely kill them. So it's not bad advice, it's just assuming you follow previous, bad advice.

 

[Capensis]

That sounds good, Scot. Now if only the CP suppliers knew. :x

 

[DrWurm]

Well, if you do keep them in the plastic containers, then full sun would likely kill them. So it's not bad advice, it's just assuming you follow previous, bad advice.

The one I bought was growing basically in full shade when I picked it up from the nursery. I kicked it straight out into full, blistering sunlight and it's doing just fine.

Jason

 

[cp-connection]

I've seen photos of their operation. The plants are in full sun until they're packaged and shipped. I seriously doubt that's the case for the other place (with the hard plastic cubes that sells to Lowes).

The one I bought was growing basically in full shade when I picked it up from the nursery. I kicked it straight out into full, blistering sunlight and it's doing just fine.

Jason

 

[Adam]

I am having another (probably another) cp class at the library, and would order bulk pitchers from there