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VFT care question (Brown to black)

  • #21
Kat,
you should consider stopping giving advice until you have been growing CP's for at least two years..
about half of what are saying is wrong..it's not helpful.
you haven't yet learned the difference between what you read on the internet, and what is true..
sorry, but its just a fact..there is a learning curve.

Scot

If most of your advice starts with the words "I read somewhere..." - then you are unlikely providing useful advice; hearsay and anecdote are particularly unhelpful. Its a perennial problem here on TF, unfortunately.
 
  • #22
miguel,
you have a weak plant..not your fault, it was that way when you bought it.
you are also over-fussing with it, and over-thinking..here is what you should do:

1. dont repot it.
2. put in a tray of distilled water, or rain water.
3. put it outside in FULL sun. not indoors, not on a windowsill, not under shade, outside in FULL sun.

Do *nothing* to it for the next month, except keep water in the tray.

That will give it the best chance of surviving..
all you can do is give it everyrhing it needs: good water, and FULL sun.
the full sun will take care of the mold..
the fact that you are getting mold on the surface tells me you havent been giving it enough light! ;)
and/or..you have it indoors, or too sheltered from the elements..

also, where do you live? (just a city and state is fine)
your location will be important when its time to think about winter dormancy.

Kat,
you should consider stopping giving advice until you have been growing CP's for at least two years..
about half of what are saying is wrong..it's not helpful.
you haven't yet learned the difference between what you read on the internet, and what is true..
sorry, but its just a fact..there is a learning curve.

Scot

+1
 
  • #23
miguel,
you have a weak plant..not your fault, it was that way when you bought it.
you are also over-fussing with it, and over-thinking..here is what you should do:

1. dont repot it.
2. put in a tray of distilled water, or rain water.
3. put it outside in FULL sun. not indoors, not on a windowsill, not under shade, outside in FULL sun.

Do *nothing* to it for the next month, except keep water in the tray.

That will give it the best chance of surviving..
all you can do is give it everyrhing it needs: good water, and FULL sun.
the full sun will take care of the mold..
the fact that you are getting mold on the surface tells me you havent been giving it enough light! ;)
and/or..you have it indoors, or too sheltered from the elements..

also, where do you live? (just a city and state is fine)
your location will be important when its time to think about winter dormancy.

Kat,
you should consider stopping giving advice until you have been growing CP's for at least two years..
about half of what are saying is wrong..it's not helpful.
you haven't yet learned the difference between what you read on the internet, and what is true..
sorry, but its just a fact..there is a learning curve.

Scot

thanks SCOTT! I will do this regularly with water and just keep it outside. I will religiously do so till I have it back to life! thanks for all the replies!
 
  • #24
Ive been growing cps since i was 13 im almost 30, i didn't say everything you read online is true i simply said I've read info on people doing experiments online with healthier choices of good (I'll have to find the link its a very interesting read) the fact is this is a weak plant and im giving my knowledge on how i Handle the situation personally. I've done plenty of research and share what i read with others but i never claimed that that is the right way and everyone else is wrong. If i was in a learning curve with cps i wouldn't have so many especially VFTs. But yr opinion is your own just like everyone elses. No matter how long you been growing plants you'll never know everything and you'll never do exactly the same same stuff as someone else.

Did u mention what soil yr miguel_migs? Cause maybe yr not over watering maybe its just retaining to much. I think u should post a picture if u can go to photobucket.com and upload a photo of ur plant in current condition and copy the HTML code into yr reply box. Either way im thinking ur worrying a little to much about the plant. I have plants that lost all their traps acclimating and are now producing new traps in masses now that they are used to my temps. Goodluck
 
  • #26
Good grief! :0o:
 
  • #27
Ive been growing cps since i was 13 im almost 30, i didn't say everything you read online is true i simply said I've read info on people doing experiments online with healthier choices of good (I'll have to find the link its a very interesting read) the fact is this is a weak plant and im giving my knowledge on how i Handle the situation personally. I've done plenty of research and share what i read with others but i never claimed that that is the right way and everyone else is wrong.

Most of the posts you've created here have been bewildering requests for help in assessing the various ailments your plants suffer from. Most of the queries indicate an obvious disregard for the cultivation requirements for whatever genus is sick this time. Its my impression that your growing skills are lacking and that you seem not to have a very good grasp of how to care for many of the plants you acquire, and you don't heed the advice you're given. Is it any wonder your advice to others is coming into question??

As far as this Dionaea discussion is concerned, you are offering a lot of very poor advice that will only serve to mislead and confuse the OP. Enough already.
 
  • #28
Most of my posts here are about plants that had issues when given or purchased by me or others and most not from my doing, i like everyone else uses this site to share knowledge and absorb it from others. Im not offering advice that hasnt been proved to work in my favor or others. And i ad information that others have posted or discussed elsewhere from a variety of experiments done by myself and other people, i didn't say THIS IS RIGHT YOU ARE ALL WRONG..BLAH BLAH BLAH! Im sharing my information and what works well in the same situation I've dealt with with the same species of plant. They can either take my information and run with it ir let it go in one ear and out the other... That's their choice but to automatically put someone down and Everything they say without even taking what im saying and the plants health into consideration and judging by how many VFT plants i have that are living and thriving perfectly fine with my care. If i was naive then id be asking for help with my VFTs on here aswell, cause that's what this is for to share and receive knowledge with others and share the love of the species of CPs and other plants in this site with others and post photos. Their is not Just one way to care for a plant. If their was then everyone would be wrong based on their locations what Works for their locations...etc..etc..

Here are a few of the links i was talking about, theirs others but i don't wanna serf around for them right now:

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/venusflytrap.html

http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/vft-overfeeding-experiment-t3276.html

Enjoy.
 
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  • #29
Im not offering advice that hasnt been proved to work in my favor or others. And i ad information that others have posted or discussed elsewhere from a variety of experiments done by myself and other people, i didn't say THIS IS RIGHT YOU ARE ALL WRONG..BLAH BLAH BLAH!

And yet you offer gems like this piece of baloney:

If u feed more then 3 a week or so the plant could die.

Queue eyeroll.
 
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  • #31
And i ad information that others have posted or discussed elsewhere from a variety of experiments done by myself and other people

A plant deprived of prey for an extended amount of time and then bloated with prey in every trap certainly doesn't represent the norm, and cultivation advice shouldn't be given off of that. B. Rice's experiment and other such experiments show us that excessively feeding a plant that was starved for a period will cause it to abort growth (not even kill it, mind you). These experiments do not show us that excessively feeding a normal plant (or even a stressed plant from a department store) will kill it, and they certainly don't allow us to come up with numbers like "3 traps a week". The statement "avoid feeding a stressed plant excessively" can be made, the statement "feeding a VFT more than 3 times a week can kill it" CANNOT be made. This gives the impression that any VFT fed over 3 times a week is in mortal peril, and although the statement was probably made in reference to a weakened plant, such advice is very confusing to beginner growers and helps propagate more hearsay and false information on the internet.

Frankly, it's irritating and upsetting that beginner growers often fall victim to these sorts of "plant rumors" (especially when enhanced by statistics - who isn't convinced by solid numbers?) and thus attribute their problems to them while ignoring the most important aspects of cultivation. So many people (including research greenhouse staff at several respectable universities) are caught up on the hype of "don't feed more than X amount in one week" that they totally ignore the issue of getting their plant out of that stagnant terrarium and into enough light. These false bits of information are very gimmicky and are quite good at convincing people that growing carnivorous plants revolves only around feeding them, and not around just treating them like plants with specific requirements.
 
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  • #32
Frankly, it's irritating and upsetting that beginner growers often fall victim to these sorts of "plant rumors" (especially when enhanced by statistics - who isn't convinced by solid numbers?) and thus attribute their problems to them while ignoring the most important aspects of cultivation. *edit* These false bits of information are very gimmicky and are quite good at convincing people that growing carnivorous plants revolves only around feeding them, and not around just treating them like plants with specific requirements.

Exactly. There's so much bad cultivation "information" being promoted and shared (especially here in TF, sadly) that leads many new growers completely down The Rabbit Hole, from which they may never return. Rumors, hearsay, anecdote and fantasy are poor substitutes for genuine care info written by people who have years of experience cultivating their chosen genera.

Kat, if you were as skilled at collating superior cultivation information as you are at dispensing and defending the pointless, misleading junk information you're so free with, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But honestly - I've come to think you don't care what is being said as long as the attention - either positive or negative - is focused on you.

To the TF reader in general: do yourself a huge favor and acquire a copy of The Savage Garden. 95% of everything you need to know for success with most genera is provided in clear, concise detail in that book. Peter does not offer care suggestions unless he has personal experience informing him to do so. You will not be misled by a good book written by an experienced grower.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to feed my Flytrap four insects, just to watch the plant roll over and croak. *sarcasm*
 
  • #33
Cause if their insides are squished out sometimes it eats threw the trap because of their stomach acid.

I am without words... Kat, you need to offer advice based on your experience, not myth. Precisely where did you find this lovely tidbit of information? The person who made it up should be flogged.
 
  • #34
And again i was saying if u feed the plant more then 3 times a week (in a single trap) the trap WILL die if not become unresponsive and stop triggering to close. The plant is weak i am again assuming the plant hadn't been fed for who knows how long let alone been watered for good only knows how long! In its weakened state it could cause the plant to stunt in growth or cause other issues. Usually a trap eats about 4 or so times before dying back for new growth to form anyways so i don't kno why we are still fussing about it. I still don't see what is misleading about me saying they should only feed their plant about 3 feedings per week until their plant becomes healthy enough to grow properly. And i don't see what is wrong with me sharing info on how i read flies aren't the best food for VFTs cause it takes long to digest them? I didn't say they shouldn't feed them flies i just added info on an expiriment I've read about it Taking long to digest them which leads people to beleive that they may not be the healthiest choice in Meals.. I didn't say not to feed them flies or anything. And in my experience squished flies feed to VFTs may result in the trap being rotted off or kind of burnt from stomach acid or whatever that's squished out of the fly from being swatted.
Many of you have a tendency to always have to be right or to prove someone wrong and just start a fight or tiff with anyone at any time. Their is nothing that i saod to this OP that would cause their VFT any form of harm or mislead them into not being able to properly take care of their plant. I know I'm NOT miss popular on here but its pretty crazy that y'all insist on discrediting anything i say or post regardless if it works for me or someone or is right or not. Im sharing MY experiences just like everyone else does - if they work for me then they can't be wrong can they. Its like saying when u eat a slice of pizza u have to use your hands and i use a knife and fork and cut the pizza up to eat it, doesn't mean cause i do it one way doesn't mean its not the wrong way of doing so..the pizza still gets eaten.
I have many books on VFTs and other CPs and they all share different information on how to care for every plant and have all sorts of different information on doing things that aren't always the same with every book or information.
I think y'all are making this thread about discrediting my experiences and my advice and the experimentation I've done and read about and shared Instead of about helping the OP with their problem. The plant is weak to our knowledge that we basically can all agree on, correct. The plant needs time to get used to being cared for properly outside of the death dime ot was probably bought in. So it will turn brown and black on the traps or petioles because of stress and may get burned from introducing stronger light and the change on temps, which is perfectly normal. Its traps will eventually die back causing new growth to push forward that will be completely acclimated to its new surroundings. It will then grow normally. You can care for the plant as you would any other healthy thriving VFT. Feed it whenever u want, whatever u want. But don't feed it meat or silly things like the guy on youtube with his VFT Charlie... In about a week or so your plant will be putting out new growth and it will prob be smaller traps until its properly gotten completely grown in the right conditions and your temp and environment, atleast that's case in my EXPIRIENCE. Others may have experienced other signs and results, but speaking from my experience and the success I've had with my care and whatnot. You should just let the plant get used to its New environment give ot time to get used to everything keep the soil moist but not too damp and keep a tray with about 1 to 2inches of distilled water and keep it in bright light or indirect light for a few days until u feel comfortable putting it in stronger light over a period of time and the plant should recover well.
I use peat and perlite mix and top it with live sphagnum moss to make it look nice and trim it from time to time when it grows to high, but thats just my personal touch its not really needed. If the Traps start turning black snip the black growth off where the trap meets the petiole and snip the rest of the leaf as it turns black and dies back in time. But usually if u snip the dead/dying black traps off the leaves live a while longer before eventually turning black and dying back. Feed your traps with bugs as much as you'd like once the plant revives in health, try to keep the meals from poking out the trap cause it sometimes causes the trap to not close all the way or properly but i havent noticed to much of an issue in my own experience. Have fun and enjoy the plant.

Do what you want take whatever information you find that works for you and enjoy yourself.. Don't fuss to much over it.
 
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  • #35
I am without words... Kat, you need to offer advice based on your experience, not myth. Precisely where did you find this lovely tidbit of information? The person who made it up should be flogged.

I was speaking in MY experience
Here's only a few pictures this is why i only feed live flies to my plants. U can see where a hole from the Bugs Stomach acid or whatever makes a blackened hole in the trap it also refuses to reopen the trap cause it gets stuck together.

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/igethigh420/Mobile%20Uploads/20150712_102645-1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20150712_102645-1.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/igethigh420/Mobile%20Uploads/20150712_102721-1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20150712_102721-1.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa215/igethigh420/Mobile%20Uploads/20150712_102636-1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20150712_102636-1.jpg"/></a>
 
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  • #36
I'd have to disagree. I keep my plants outside and they get that kind of leaf damage all the time, nobody's swatting those flies! :-O There's no shortage of new leaves to replace the old, and if the plant produces its own acid (is it considered acid? Please correct me if I'm wrong), what makes you think it can't handle that of its prey?
 
  • #37
There's no shortage of new leaves to replace the old, and if the plant produces its own acid (is it considered acid? Please correct me if I'm wrong), what makes you think it can't handle that of its prey?

A biochemist would harp about the details and call them enzymes (amylase, chitinase, phosphatase, protease, and ribonuclease are some of the enzymes that have been detected in Dionaea), but since their pH is acidic for all intents and purposes they are considered organic acids. An acid is any chemical compound that releases H+ ions in solution (and thus has a pH of <7.0), while enzymes are proteins that catalyze reactions, such as the breakdown of complex proteins in captured prey. I'm sure you Bio major types would be happy to point out some of the finer technicalities. So yeah, they're acids, but not acids in the sense of something like "stick your finger into a beaker of 1M HCl solution and watch it dissolve", they're more like "chew a cracker in your mouth for a long time and note how you can begin to taste the sugars that have broken down". :)

If the acids in the fly's gut (a very small amount, by the way, and definitely not on the level of human gastric acid) do cause the trap to die, it should happen regardless if the fly is whole or has been "squashed". I find it more likely that the bacteria in the fly's gut are accountable for some of the rotting if the prey is not completely broken down, a trend common in plants that are being cultivated in less-than-ideal conditions or old traps. My plants eat flies perfectly fine, regardless if they've been swatted or not - I've even fed my plants flies that have been killed by an electric bug zapper and nothing abnormal happened!
 
  • #38
I was speaking in MY experience
Here's only a few pictures this is why i only feed live flies to my plants. U can see where a hole from the Bugs Stomach acid or whatever makes a blackened hole in the trap it also refuses to reopen the trap cause it gets stuck together.

Just out of curiosity, why does it seem that your plants are always in plastic bags whenever you take pictures of them?
 
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  • #39
That's the crappy camera phone photos and prob cause my lenses is wet or smudged but its bright so i don't notice the pictures are foggy.

And this only happens with swatted flies and only when the yellowish fluids are coming out. Now that i just stun them and feed them or freeze them and thaw them out and feed them to the plants i haven't had any burn holes and blemishes spots where the fly is in the trap on the traps. But that's my experience in the matter. Idk what it is if its acid or whatever but whatever it is that's what happens with my plants when feed with a fly that's oozing guts.
 
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  • #40
And all those traps still have had the same meal in it for weeks even up to a month and the only spot that's discolored is where the squished fly is and its like the Traps are fused together with glue. I eventually snip them off and let the petioles stay alive and green until they decide to die back but they last pretty long. I did a few experiments by putting the squished fly only on one side of the trap and only that one side turned black from the middle where the guts were to eventually the whole side the fly was on was blackened, But the leaf and trap continued to stay green for weeks/months without dying back it just closed with the meal and the discolored spot. I used new traps that recently emerged and haven't eaten yet and counted emerging traps that grew after on the plant..etc..etc it was really interesting to see how it only happened to the plants the squished flies were in. ..i won't get to Into the expiriment results and whatnot in here, But it was just really odd that in my experience this is the result with squished flies that have their insides leaking out.
 
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