why do mine look like this?

[Dim]

and they are not standing up like all the other pics i see here?
I got both of them 10 days ago from a store.

They seem to like their new home , and eat flys like crazy One is even eating a small butterfly .. but i want them to be up not laying down ? There are 2 plants in the pot. One gives out new leaves almost daily. The other , with the tall plant just sits there . I know i know i should have not chosen a venus trap with a tall flower...
Do i need to water it daily ?

Do they look healthy to you? I water them with fertilized water bought from a drugstore



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[jimscott]

They don't look great and they don't look on the verge of death. Their traps work, so that's a good sign. What lighting are you using? They really need as much direct sunlight as possible. I wouldn't use fertilized water. What is in it? Instead, can you get distilled, deionized, RO, or rain water? VFT leaves lay down (decumbent) when in winter leaf mode and the summer leaves are the ones that are erect. If this is a TC plant, might have come to you dormant. Give it lots of light and nutrient free water. They like well-drained soil, so if you can repot it into a larger, deeper pot, so you can water it every few days, that would be best. They don't like sitting in water.

 

[Dim]

i have it outside in direct sunlight
i'll see what i can do about the water..

 

[Pyro]

Dim,

There is nothing wrong with your plants Most of the pics you see here are plants that have been grown by the growers for a year or more so theyare going to look different that your newly purchased plants.

As Jim mentioned, do not use fertilizer water as that will eventually prove to be toxic to the plants. Use as pure a water as you can and you will be fine. Depending on where you are located you might be able to get away with tap water, but I would recommend you see if you can find anyone here on the boards who is close to you so they can tell you iff tap is safe (I am in Atlanta and ours is safe to use.)

You do not necessarily have to repot as that pot is okay. If you do chose to repot you will need an acidic media. The best one is probably peat moss which youcan find just about anywhere (AVOID MIRIGLE-GRO PEAT as it is pre-fertilized and that will kill the plant) but you can use sphagnum if you have to (I prefer high quality orchid sphagnum from Chile or New Zealand, you can usually find it at a garden center). If you go with peat do a 1:1 mix of peat and perlite or peat and silica sand, that should keep it loose enough.

Watering is best done every couple of days, just enough to keep the media on the wetter side of moist but not sodden. I personally do not recommend the tray method but some people find they can get away with it. If you do use the tray method then I advocate putting a layer of gravel in the tray to raise the bottom of the pot up a little.

Other than that just keep doing what you are doing. Ask questinos, search the forums and have fun.

Cheers

 

[ilbasso]

Nobody is mentioning the flower stalk. It is probably best to cut that off before they open. let the plant conserve its energy this summer in the proper conditions and let it flower next year. I've herad that these store-bought plants are best left to concentrate on growing healthy rather than flowering.

 

[tommyr]

Use either distilled, rain or RO water. Keep them in full sun and they'll be fine. I never heard of fertilized water and I wouln't use it for CP anyway.

Tom

 

[Alexis]

'Fertilised water' will harm the plant. Only use rain or distilled water and I'd flush the pot with it to get rid of any residual fertiliser.

why do mine look like this?
and they are not standing up like all the other pics i see here?

Some VFTs grow upright, others stay close to the ground and others grow both types of leaves. Growth habit is a genetic trait.

 

[rockstarcobain]

I'd definitely get rid of that flower stalk. It seems you want them to look good, and with having fertilized water, your plants are going to start getting sick if you don't detoxify them. Add the fact that flowering exhausts your plant, and you could have some really hurting plants soon, if you don't intervene. Congratulations on getting a VFT. Don't be scared, they really are easy. Just don't pick on them all day. Get them comfortable, put them outside, (I wouldn't recommend the tray method either) and leave them alone. They'll be deep red and catching flies in no time. Again congrats!

Oh, and is this your first CP? VFT's are what got me hooked.

Janson

 

[Dim]

ok
i quit using fertilized water
i do have them outside in direct sunlight. I try to keep their soil wet and moist. I water them every 2 days although it has been rainning for the last couple of days. I did cut the flower and now it is growing a new trap The other plant keeps growing new traps daily. They do eat if i give them flys etc... They look to be healthy but just dont grow upwards . THey grow laying down;

 

[tommyr]

I agree with Janson, keep an inch of water in their trays, give them all day sun and leave them alone and they'll do fine. They'll catch their own food, they don't need what you feed them. Too much TLC is not good for most things.

 

[Alexis]

They look to be healthy but just dont grow upwards . THey grow laying down

It depends on genetics. There are tall and short VFTs just as there are tall and small people.