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When Should I Repot My VFT?

I just got my vft about 3 weeks ago. When I got home, I planted it in a fishbowl. I took a cutting like 3 days ago and put that in its own pot. I've been told to take the main plant out of the fishbowl, but I don't know when I should. It might be a little stressed from me taking a cutting from it. The plant looks great and is growing like crazy. But it's hard for it in the fishbowl to catch insects and be watered. The fishbowl also has no drainage holes, but it has some white gravel in the bottom. I don't like having to grow it in a fishbowl because its hard to do anything with it. When should I take it out and plant it in a normal pot?

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the best time to repot is..
right now.

I would do it like this:

flood the fishbowl.. pour in some water until water is right up to the surface,
to totally loosen up the moss and make the roots easy to remove..
reach into the bowl and grab a big handful of VFT and moss and roots.
gently wash away all the soil from the roots with some kind of fine spray..
a gentle hose spray, maybe the spray thing on the kitchen sink..
(dont worry about using tap water for something like this..tap water is only bad if a CP is watered with tap all the time..it wont hurt a thing if you simply wash off the roots with tapwater.)

another way to wash off the roots is to simply dunk the plant into a (clean) bucket of room-temp tap water and swish it around a bit..

you will already have a pot, tray and media ready. (peat moss or Long Fiber Spagnum..or peat and sand if you want to try that..I would recommend pure peat or pure LFS)
stick the roots into the new pot, and gently work in the moss around the roots..

one trick I like for repotting..
fill the pot full with the media first..
poke a wide hole in the middle with your fingers..
so media is still up against the side walls of the pot..
stick the roots down into the hole..
press the moss into the roots from the sides..
fill media back in.

water the pot, using the GOOD water now..(rain water, RO water, or distilled),
water from the top to let the media fill in around the roots and fill-in any air bubbles that might still be in there..

sit the pot in the new tray, fill the tray with water and stick the plant out in the full sun..where the leaves will quickly fry to a golden brown:
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111701&page=3

which is ok..
being burned is still better than being in the fishbowl..

Scot
 
VFT's, unfortunately, do not do well in fishbowls, terrariums or inside in the long run. They look great for awhile but they suffer with the lack of direct sunlight, let alone their need for a dormancy period. If this were my plant, I would take the contents, as is and put it in a pot that has drainage. Then I would put it outside in the shade for about a week and then gradually move it to full, direct sunshine.
 
well its in a window that gets direct sunlight almost all day. the window is really cool because it sticks out from the house. also, is it ok to leave it out at night? it gets a little cold at night here in washington.
 
it gets a little cold at night here in washington.

Washington state or Washington D.C.?

as long as its above freezing, its fine to leave it outside..
I bring my plants inside ONLY if the forecast for overnight says near freezing..
32 degrees or lower..

if the forecast says 35 or higher, they dont move..

consider 35 the magic number..
if the forecast says 34 or lower, bring the plant inside in the evening, put it back out the next morning..
if the forecast says 35 or higher for the nightime low, leave it out..

Scot
 
washington state, but im moving to michigan really soon. ive heard good things about growing outdoors there.
 
Soon, very soon. A week maybe, or whenever you have a good sized pot (maybe 3-6 inch, I'd say 5 inch so you don't have to re pot it again right away). Use a 50:50 medium of peat and perlite or peat and sand. Or 2 parts peat to 1 part perlite and 1 part sand. Your choice. I prefer the first. Water using distilled or reverse osmosis water or tap water if it's very low in PPM like mine.
 
Won't spraying the roots with water make it go into shock or something? Can't I just keep the dirt on the roots? Also, is a glazed clay tray ok to use?
 
green-neon-scared.gif
Oh, the horror. That's the exact same set-up I used with my first VFTs.


Won't spraying the roots with water make it go into shock or something? Can't I just keep the dirt on the roots? Also, is a glazed clay tray ok to use?
You can keep some peat around the roots and rhizome when you take it out. It probably won't make a difference though.... If you use clay pots of trays, make sure their surface area is glazed 100%.
 
  • #10
well the inside is glazed... How big does the tray need to be on a 4 inch pot?
 
  • #11
Won't spraying the roots with water make it go into shock or something??

No shock and no something..
spraying the roots with water will not harm the plant at all..

Can't I just keep the dirt on the roots?

I suppose you could, although there is no reason to..
I would rinse off all the dirt just to be sure all the new media is nice and pure..
there could be mineral contamination from those white rocks..

Also, is a glazed clay tray ok to use?

yep..that would work fine.
as long as the part of the tray holding the water is fully glazed..

Scot
 
  • #12
Exposed clay (unglazed clay on the inside) can contaminate soil and water. I use drained plastic pots - they're also less likely to crack, which would also end in mineral contamination if the pot is clay - glazed or not.

Whatever tray you put it in should allow the soil to sit in 1/2 to 1 inch - ish - of water (so about a 1 to 2 inch deep tray). The tray should be one size bigger than the pot so it doesn't completely evaporate after 1 day unless under very hot sun, it's easier to fill, and you can more clearly see your water line.

I've had best luck letting it evaporate all but completely before adding more, and I only water from above the plants if the soil looks like it's just beginning to dry.

Good luck :)
 
  • #13
Well what about rain? It rains alot here and I want to put it outside. There is much more sun outside than inside.
 
  • #15
So would I be able to keep it outside for 2 weeks before I move, then take it into the car with me? Or is 2 weeks too short?
 
  • #16
Leave it outside. It will be fine.
The end.
 
  • #17
So would I be able to keep it outside for 2 weeks before I move, then take it into the car with me? Or is 2 weeks too short?

too short for what?

it sounds like you are moving..

yes, put it outside for 2 weeks.
yes, "take it in the car with you"
after being in the car with you, put it back outside where ever you are moving to.

you are making this much more complicated than it needs to be! ;)

Scot
 
  • #18
Lol I know... Everything has to be perfect for my special plant.:D
 
  • #19
scotty and yellow are right. I made some fatal mistakes with my first two VFT's that I was sure killed them, but they're both thriving now.

VFT's are tough little buggers so long as you do the research and know how to care for them properly.

If it rains continuously for days, it would still be fine because they can handle more water outdoors than indoors. "VFT does not appreciate long periods of being waterlogged" does not include 3-6 cloudy day stretches with off-and-on rainstorms - it does that in its native habitat in southern North Carolina too.

I started here: http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html
and I also recommend the book "The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants"
 
  • #20
The clay used in terra cotta pots is not like the clay in someone's back yard in Georgia. It's fine to use, has it's own benefits and drawbacks, but it's not going to hurt your plant.
 
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