What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

A little help to a newb

Hi I am new and I have been wanting a venus flytrap for some time now and was wondering what all should I know befor I get some is there a site that tells everything that I should know or what will anyone help me?
confused.gif


Brian
smilie4.gif
 
Hello Brian!
One of the resons why people fail with venus flytraps is because they use tap water. DO NOT use tap water, it kills the venus flytraps. Use either rain water or disstilled water. These plants are fond of sun, east facing windowsills are the best. If you do not have a east facing windowsill, try a south facing or west facing windowsill. DO NOT put them on north facing windowsills.
These plants like to be on a tray watering system, put them in a tray of rain or disstilled water only. DO NOT use tap water!! Wait untill the water in the tray evaporates completely, then wait about 1 day before adding more. They do not appreciate being constantley waterlogged.
Dormacy:
This is why most people fail with venus flytraps.
A dormacy lasts for about 3 months, and the plants have to be kept colder and slightly drier(DO NOT let them dry out, just reduce watering)
Less sun is also good when in dormacy. DO NOT let the plants freeze.
A good place for a dormacy is an UN-HEATED garage. The plants may die down to their roots(their will be no foliage) If this happens, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES thorow it away. Some leaves will turn black. As soon as they do this, imediatley cut them off. This will reduce the risk of botris. And believe me, you do not want to get botris(the fluffy grey mould, it can kill plants) Oh yeah, NO DORMACY MEANS DEATH.
Cutting off dead leaves applies all year round.
Hope this helps,
Dino:)
 
Oh man where do I start...I'm not going to say it all in 1 breath right here, but here are some helpful websites which might be of some help to you:

Everything you need to know about VFTs and more!

This is our own Goldtrap's VFT care sheet, found pinned at the top of this board, excellent in my opinion. He must have been bored when he wrote that, a little piece of advice, get popcorn b4 you read it

And if in the unlikely chance your VFT decides to flower, look here!

I'm just too tired of repeating the same thing over and over again, sorry, but I'm quite busy right now studying 4 exams...

Jason
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Oh yeah, NO DORMACY MEANS DEATH.

Not over here, in tropical singapore they don't need dormancy from the scorching heat...and the most light any plant will ever receive, that's why it so green here and in the tropics!
smile.gif


D@mn it, thats why I got mould growing on my dead leaves...how stupid of me to just let nature take it course...

Jason
 
I disagree with you,Jason. No dormacy does mean death. Did your plant have a dormacy last year? If not,your plant will eventually get weak and die. After winter, it will take around 8 months for your plant to die if it did not recieve dormacy. If you live in hot climates, put them in a fridge. If you dont believe me, e-mail Peter"D amato(author of savage garden) He has been growing VFts for more than 15 years, so I think he would know. Or you can check out his growing guide fo VFTs(Its on his website)
 
I recommend books too! Especially "Savage Garden" it has been said that this book is the bible for CPs
smile.gif
 
The High Commandments of CPing:

Thou Shalt not use any water that is not purified by distillation or that does not fall from the sky. (Rain/Distilled wate only)

Thou Shalt not fertilize thy plants.

Thou Shalt provide thy plants with full sunlight. If the sun of thy land is too strong, thou shalt shade thy plants from it's wrath.

Thou Shalt Not feed thy plants hamburger or any other food meant for the consumption of man. (no ppl food)

Thou Shalt not grow thy plants in any medium but a combination of sphagnum peat moss and sand/perlite.

If thou obey these kaws, thy plants shall prosper.
 
Now wait a second here.  Starman, you are making some pretty broad statements.  Please bear in mind that there are many different ways to successfully grow flytraps; there is no ONE method engraved in stone.  Yes, there are some general rules that need to be followed (pure water, dormancy, etc.) but you have to bear in mind where the grower lives.

Flytraps like full sun or very bright light.  An east window may or may not provide enough light.  Here in VA USA, that would NOT be enough light...thats only a few hours of weak sunlight.  But somewhere else in the world an east window would mean strong light and it might be enough.

VFTs can be grown quite wet...they live in bogs.  They are sometimes submerged.  If being wet killed them, there would be no flytraps in the wild.  The Mother is not carefully monitoring how much rain she dumps on her plants.  
smile.gif


"Less sun" isn't very clear. What the plants need is reduced photoperiod. That means less HOURS of light (mimicing winter's shortened days).  They also need cold/cool temps too. They are fine left outdoors in most temperate areas. You can put them in the refrigerator for dormancy too.  Temps?....mine have been frozen solid...they are fine.

As for dormancy in a garage...would that suggestion work for someone living in California?  Or Singapore?  Nope.

Anytime you offer growing advice...its best to use words like "In my experience..." or "Its my understanding that..."

Blanket statements won't always help people in different locations than you.  With any CP, there are always those growers who successfully break the "DO NOT"s.
 
  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] ](Rain/Distilled wate only)

:cough: or reverse osmosis :cough:
smile_m_32.gif
 
  • #11
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Starman @ June 13 2004,7:35)]I disagree with you,Jason. No dormacy does mean death. Did your plant have a dormacy last year? If not,your plant will eventually get weak and die. After winter, it will take around 8 months for your plant to die if it did not recieve dormacy. If you live in hot climates, put them in a fridge. If you dont believe me, e-mail Peter"D amato(author of savage garden) He has been growing VFts for more than 15 years, so I think he would know. Or you can check out his growing guide fo VFTs(Its on his website)
Missing just one dormancy does not mean death... Who said they die in 8 months?
confused.gif
They wont die if they miss just one dormancy, but the plant usually doesnt do as well the next year. Miss dormancy for a second year and its likely to be very small the next year... miss a 3rd dormancy and its gonna get weak and die
smile_m_32.gif


I must say, some info from Peter isn't completely true...
smile_m_32.gif
laugh.gif
 
  • #12
You can use the tap if the ppm of total dissovled minerals are under 106. Btw in the winter my plants get frozen during the night an it hasn't hurt my plant.
 
  • #13
Its been said before and I'll say it again...The Savage Garden is a good book BUT take it with a grain of salt. Don't feel like you must grow your plants word for word according to TSG. There ARE some errors in it. Read other books, research online, ask questions. Draw your OWN conclusions from ALL the material you've studied.

You need to learn how to grow your plants according to YOUR location and conditions. And one of the best ways is to study their natural habitat (water, temps, sunlight, soil, etc.) and try to mimic that.

And experiment...if you are keeping your plants on the dry side and they aren't looking good, try keeping them wet. If you think they look too long and leggy...try giving them more light.

Follow the basic tenets and you should be fine: pure water, a lot of light, nutrient-poor soil, 3-4 month dormancy period with reduced photoperiod and cool/cold temps.
 
  • #14
Well plant a Kiss, I DID research where they live. The plants DO sometimes get submerged and waterlogged, but this does not persist, that is why I said they dont appreciate being constantley waterlogged. You CAN waterlogg them from time to time. The things I said DID work for me, that is why I gave the advice out. I NEVER give out advice that does not work.
If your windowsill gets 4 or less hours of indirect sunlight, but if it is very bright during other times, it will probably work. And yes, there is more than one way to grow VFTs. I grow my plants on an east facing windowsill, they grow fine. Even Peter D"amato says they grow fine on east facing windowsill, and I have been growing them on an east facing windowsill well before I got his book. I have just given out advice that works for me. And I will say it again on dormacy, it does mean death. Long ago I didnt give my VFT a dormacy, and about 6-8 months later I was surprised when it died. Howerer, I will not keep arguing with all of you about dormacy.
 
  • #15
I agree with PAK, I do recommend "Savage Garden", I even said it in this thread, but dont feel you have to everything that it says EXACTLY.
For ex: I dont use the recommended soil exactly, and my plants are doin fine.
 
  • #16
Starman,

Just let me give you a tad of advice; Saying "even peter did it", doesn't give you much backup these days in the CP world
smilie4.gif


Lets not start manufacturing wrist bands that say: "WWPD?"  
smile_k_ani_32.gif
laugh.gif
!!!
laugh.gif
!!!

They may not like being waterlogged in certain potting soil, ie a very COMPACT one. If your VFTs are gropwing in a very airy, open mix, they may appreciate being waterlogged. I personally have best results by not keeping them fully submerged for long periods.

Starman, how is this arguing? its debating!
smilie4.gif
Learning how to debate can be very important later in life...

You have to take into consideration other things that may have caused the VFTs death after 8 months. It may not have been JUST dormancy that did it. Wrong potting soil maybe? Or perhaps little to no sunlight with too much water?

Think about something a little more before shouting out that they WILL die NO MATTER WHAT without a dormancy in 8 months. Having it happen with just ONE plant doesnt mean it will happen with every other plant. Maybe you just had a weak clone?

Like I said, think about something before you post. Believe me, ask NepenthesGracilis yourself, and the first thing he'll say is "Yep, that spec has made a lot of mistakes in his early years in the forums" ...

...

...

"And he still does"
laugh.gif
!
 
  • #17
No matter what you say about dormacy, I will think the same. It may not happen to other plants, but why take the risk?
 
  • #18
you tell them starman
smile.gif



oh and please dont start on me im only little
smile_n_32.gif
smile_n_32.gif



p.s
im serious
smile_h_32.gif


not really










smile_n_32.gif
smile_n_32.gif
 
  • #19
oh yeah i forgot to mention his vft is thriving
smile_n_32.gif



so there by the way i still dont want any troble
smile_n_32.gif
smile_n_32.gif
smile_n_32.gif
 
  • #20
also its got big traps and is slightly scary




smile_n_32.gif
 
Back
Top