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joossa

Aklys
Hello everyone!

I would like you guys to tell me whether or not there is still hope with 2 of my Venus Flytraps... I keep telling myself that they will come back stronger than ever in the spring, but I am growing afraid that this is just false hope...

I bought 2 of my VFT's back in April. I decided (without any knowledge of CP's or opinions on how I should grow them) to grow them in a terrarium. They grew well, and in about late August the new leaves were growing long and skinny and the traps started to decrease in size.

In late September, a member of TerraForums suggested that I pot my plants and place them outside for Winter dormancy. I knew my temps were close to ideal in order to grow them outside year-round, but I was hesitant to remove them from the terrarium and pot them because I was afraid it would add stress to plants that were already very weak. So, the member convinced me not to do the fridge method, and so I potted them and moved them outside.

Today I did a check up on them. I had to clip several blackening leaves. I gently moved the growing medium to check the rhizome, it was white and firm (the way it's supposed to be). I have noticed little growth (probably because of the colder temps). The leaves and traps look HORRIBLE!!! (skinny black leaves with 1cm unopened traps), but the rhizome seems healthy.

So... is there still hope for my plants to come back in the spring?

Thank you for your responses!
 
Joosa, I swear! You're as bad as new momma with her first baby!
(But then most of us are with out first CPs
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)

Anyhow, don't mess with it so much unless you plan to bare root it and stick it in the fridge. Generally, as long as the growth in the center of the plant looks green and healthy, the plant has a chance. That doesn't mean that a plant that has no growth in the center is a gonner either. Several people over the past few years have reported that their VFTs died back to the rhizome during the winter and came back the next spring.

Also, it's not that unusuall to have traps and leaves die back a little. This is a common occurance in VFTs when they are going dormant. It looks worse than it is mostly because the plants growth has also slowed down and the dead/dieing leaves aren't being replaced as quickly as they are when the plant is in full growth.

It is a good idea to keep the dead parts trimmed off to prevent fungus and to allow light and airflow to reach the plant and soil.
 
well...joosa...all I can say is that you are not alone. As you know..I am doing the fridge method for dormancy as well....and regularly I keep checking the bulb to see if it hasn't turned black or any fungus has infected it.

I guess all we can do is wait. I know its hard..but thats VFT's for us. We gotta follow their rules.
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The first year of dormancy I went through with my VFT they died back completely with nothing above ground and they came back in spring. This is my second year going though dormancy outside and I am wondering why I still have plant growth above ground. Don't worry if they don;t come back then it gives you a reason to get more next spring. I do believe they will come back though. Just keep the soil damp and not sitting in water and they should do fine. That is how I over wintered mine. I just left the pots outside and let them get water from the rain.
 
I've still got nice rosettes, too. It's normal.

During dormancy, if there is no frost, they can retain a small, decumbent rosette
 
Here is what my VFTs look like at the end of the growing season..they are perfectly healthy!
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cpdormancy035hn.jpg


yes, VFTs look like crap this time of year, all the old leaves are dying off, thats perfectly normal.

think of it this way..
the individual leaves, with the traps, are expendable,
they grow, live, and turn black die during the course of one growing season..its the *rhizome* that needs to stay alive all winter..not the leaves.
as dormancy approaches, growth slows down and essentially stops (depending on the temp) so over the winter ALL the plant's leaves and traps are "old"...and they all LOOK old..because they are old.
new healthy growth will appear in the spring.

Scot
 
OMG! scot, your dormant VFT's look better than my spring VFT's
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. amazing
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anyways back on topic..... blackening traps on feeding them....is this a sign of dormancy as well when digestion is slowing down??
 
Indigestion
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but this time they are just crickets.
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and especially the right size for each plant...from the pet store. Doesn't digestion slow down due to dormancy?

All the typical traps which I fed (2 with crickets, 1 with a spider, 1 which the plant actually caught itself...[I woke up one day to see a closed trap with hairs sticking out of it]) all of them blackened. The plant is not dying as it has put out 4-5 more new leaves in this process. The new trap forming is actually the biggest I have seen on the typical yet.

The red dragon...I fed 3 of its traps with baby crickets. Earlier when I got the plant...I somehow noticed a black ant in my terrarium...don't know how it came there...I fed it to the red dragon....1 week later it opened back and there was NO TrACE of any exoskeleton....perfect meal for it. The plant was obviously growing better with the nutrients. Now with all the crickets...nearly all those traps have blackened and are looking like dying.
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However, newer traps are also being made and the biggest yet on the plant is now forming.

Now the 2 blade wonder...I have fed 3 of its traps as well. I noticed that one of the cricket traps has opened with the remains of the cricket exoskeleton. There is a lot of redness in the trap...this is making me think the redness signifies the ability of the plant to have functional digestive glands on the surface. it is like a perfect meal for it.

the B-52 is also growing but the trap in which I fed the cricket seems to be ok so far.

sorry if I am again going off topic.
 
  • #10
There's poor air movement in a terrarium, so bacteria getting in and blackening the traps is more likely.

Outside, traps turning black are usually a result of the trap dying of old age after its final meal.
 
  • #11
Ok, so I guess I'll just wait for Spring to see what happens. Hopefully they'll look as great as Scottychaos' VFT's. =)


Vraev: Yes digestion is less efficient during dormancy. In fact, the traps may stop closing all thogether after dormancy has started and lasted for a few weeks.

Consider this: In there natural environment, VFT's go dormant in late fall and through the winter (duh!). Insects also die and some (I believe) hibernate too. So, VFT's don't get to a chance to eat during the cold months, becasue there is nothing for them to eat. If your plants are starting to go into dormancy, then their digestion is going to slow down. So you may want to cease feeding them until the spring. Also, like Alexis metioned your traps turning black may just be because they are old. I remeber when I fed my biggest traps house flies: they would turn black and die too. Just becasue winter dormancy has begun doesn't mean that the all the traps and leaves will blacken and die, I have read that some make it throught the winter without any problems.
Remember: Feeding your VFT should only been done seldomly when being grown in a terrarium to avoid loss of traps. You can feed them as much as you want, but IMO it's too risky. =)
 
  • #12
hmm...yeah...I guess I will kinda stop feeding my plants for now...atleast till I get enough traps. I think the typical 3 traps of which 2 were brand new...died probably becos of slow digestion and bigger prey than the trap can eat.

I don't know why but the red dragon whom I fed the right size crickets...the traps are dying as well.

All this in contrast to dear old two blade wonder...
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..his trap opened today showing the dry cricket.
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darn...well...I am again left with max of 3 good traps which are new.
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If u notice my B 52 in the photo thread....there are soo many cut leaves. Some of these were becos of the two stink bugs which rotted the trap. I leaf is however still fine and providing sugars for the plant.
 
  • #13
It's kind of hard to tell, but the cricket size seem just perfect for the trap's size (the proportions are right). As for the red dragon traps, have they eaten before? (gone through an entire digestion process?) If so, then that is probably why they are blackening and dying off.

Just lay off on the feeding for a while and this will reduce the amount of blackening traps.
 
  • #14
[b said:
Quote[/b] (vraev @ Oct. 29 2006,10:51)]....and regularly I keep checking the bulb to see if it hasn't turned black or any fungus has infected it.
How dan when do we perform bulb-inspection?
 
  • #15
[b said:
Quote[/b] (vraev @ Oct. 31 2006,8:21)]If u notice my B 52 in the photo thread....
Huh? You have a 'Love Shack" 'Roam'ing around in there? I don't say any Kate Pierson or that Schneider dude!
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  • #16
[b said:
Quote[/b] (syx @ Nov. 06 2006,12:48)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (vraev @ Oct. 29 2006,10:51)]....and regularly I keep checking the bulb to see if it hasn't turned black or any fungus has infected it.
How dan when do we perform bulb-inspection?
Around once in two weeks ..I just remove the bag....take out the plant....check if the moss is damp...also have a look around to see if there is any rot or fungus signs. Then wrap it back...bag it up ...try to keep as much air out..and yeah...back into the cooler.
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  • #17
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Nov. 06 2006,6:36)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (vraev @ Oct. 31 2006,8:21)]If u notice my B 52 in the photo thread....
Huh? You have a 'Love Shack" 'Roam'ing around in there? I don't say any Kate Pierson or that Schneider dude!  
smile_m_32.gif
lol!
biggrin.gif
 
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