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Transplanting questions

Hey, I'll start off with the 2 year old plant. It's a big flytrap, about 5 inches tall. I haven't transplanted it once since I got it, and it's done really well. I filled a jug with rainwater from the fall and used it all winter, but I'm wondering if I should have just used distilled over the winter because the water could have lost some of the nutrients. My traps are pretty much all red right now, and the roots are starting to grow out the holes in the bottom of the pot. Do you guys suggest transplanting it?

Once transplanted, what is a good way to water it? They say to let the water soak up from the bottom and that's what I've always done in the original pot, but I'm going to put it in a terrarium, so would I put a straw in the soil to the bottom or trickle the water down the side?

We just got 2 new ones and transplanted them, and have the same watering question about watering in the terrarium.
Thanks guys.
-Paul
 
Hi. Distilled water and rainwater are very similar - both are lacking in salts and nutrients which is exactly what you want. Rainwater is also slightly acidic, which is even better, so rainwater is fine.
If the plant's doing fine then I would leave it. Since the roots are coming out of the bottom you might want to transplant it once it's gone dormant in the winter. Keeping it in a saucer of water is also the right thing to do.
I don't know much about terrariums but I'm sure someone with more knowledge will answer your question.
 
Hey, thanks for the answer, I'll probably leave it in this pot then for the summer. Do you believe in putting it in the fridge to make it dormant? That didn't seem good to me just to leave it in there all winter.

Is it ok if all the traps are red (except the new ones)? Someone said that's healthy, but it seems like they're too red. For now we took a turkey baster and put water into the terrarium soil that way until it was saturated. Do you think that's good? Thank you.
-Paul
 
Hey please correct me if i am wrong but i thought that it was a better option to re pot your vft during the spring ,just as it has come out of dormancy and began to commence growth, because isn't it true that re potting it in winter would disturb the plant during the critical dormancy time. Anyway it seems common sense to re pot in spring because as it will be commencing growing then the plant can make the most of it's fresh media where as in autumn it would probably send the plant into shock and possible snap it out of dormancy or kill it?
Please can someone get back to me on this so i know if there has been any cultivation changes in these plants since i was last here under the name "Mondo" thankyou...
 
I was thinking the same thing, it seems like this would be a good time to transplant. I've heard plants like a cloudy, cool day to do it, but is that the same for flytraps? I don't know, it just seems like it should have more room than that pot it came in since it's so big. I posted pictures on the topic "add you pictures here" or something close to that, if that helps. hmmm, well, I'll hold off until I hear back, thanks guys.
-Paul
 
Actually its now pretty much summer the time to repot is around Valentines day when most of us take them out of dormacy.
I dont know if either you have seen the roots to a vft but they are 5-10 very thin string and like. they dont "ball" up but grow straight down. So if you see the roots comming out of the pot thats a good sign to repot.
It wont hurt them much if you insist on repotting now but remember you run a risk of putting them into shock which will ofcourse slow down thier growth. I have had to repot all of mine this month since they all fell off of the deck and trust me I am not too pleased that the growth has been all messed up now.
 
ok, thanks a lot unknownclown, maybe I'll repot it pretty soon. I understand it will slow down the growth, but does that mean just the growth of the plant as a whole or the growth of new traps as well? My plant is pretty big now, so it hasn't grown in size for a while, but it is growing new traps like crazy. The roots are coming out, so I don't think I have much choice. Thanks for your help.
-Paul
 
what if you just cut off the plastic container they come in without disturbing the roots? would that be better? just cut off the plastic container and leave the potting medium intact and just repot the the plant and potting medium.would that be better than trying to remove the plant and roots?
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Yes it would be better to take soil along with the plants out then plant the whole clump instead of separating them. That way your plants will hardly notice the switch. If you just turn the pot upside down everything should pop out in one big clump. No sense in ruining a pot unless you have to.:)

If your plants go into shock EVERYTHING will slow down which means don't feed them cause the bug will more than likely rot before its digested. Personally I'd wait about 2 weeks before I let them eat again.
 
  • #10
Ok, cool, I'll repot them this morning. I'll be real careful with the roots and turn the plant upside down so I get the whole clump of soil. I really appreciate all the help guys, thanks a lot. We've been watering the two younger plants in the terrarium with a turkey baster. Is there a better way or is this a good thing to do? Thanks guys.
-Paul
 
  • #11
best way to water a terrarium is to go out to a local store that has a garden section and get a plastic bottle with a spray nozzle on it that has like a mist setting and a single stream setting.i think there called misting bottles.once you have this set it for a single stream of water and aim on the side of the terrarium and spray so that way the water hits the side of the terrarium and runs down into the potting mixture,that way the water is distributed evenly and the plants are not disturbed by the jet of water.

isnt it great that we have such a good community of people willing to help each other
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  • #12
ok, cool, thanks man. It is great that so many people help, I would have had a lot of troubles if it weren't for you guys, I sure appreciate it.
-Paul
 
  • #13
thats what were all here for man,to help each other and to share experience
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