How the heck do I repot??? Will he live???

[johnnyfrye]

I have a venus flytrap in a small, 2 1/2 inch pot. I got him about three weeks ago. should I repot him into a bigger prevent to prevent root rot? In the pic, it looks like the center of the plant is black, but it's really just dirt.
And most of the traps are closed because one is dying, and two are digesting. I have had a couple other venus flytraps for over a year now, but I've never had this problem because thay all came in big pots. So I have never, EVER roppoted a carnivorous plant before.

 

[Overmind1632]

he will be fine, it is just recovering from a repot

it will take 1-2 weeks for it to recover from a repot shock

 

[Presto]

ah, it looks fine. If I were you, I'd just worry about your plans for dormancy this winter, and repot in the spring. Repotting it now, as it's starting to go dormant, might do more harm than good.

I'm trying to figure out where you got the notion that larger pots will help prevent root rot. I think perhaps you think it is rootbound? VFTs actually don't have very expansive root systems. the rhizome is about the size of a lima bean, and the tap root is a few inches long. that's it. I don't think I've ever heard of a VFT getting root rot.

so, no worries. deep breath in, deep breath out. Figure out what you're going to do for dormancy this winter. In spring, you can give it a big new pot if you'd like.

 

[jimscott]

Pots are like fishtanks. The more gallons/volume you have, the more stability there is, as well as more room to grow. If you have the wherewithal to do so, You can repot into a larger pot or bucket or whiskey barrel or... The thing to do is to first prepare the larger vessel, with a hole or depression in the center. Then coax the entire pot contents out, as one unit, so as to minimize root disturbance. Place the "plug" in the new environs and add water to help fill in gaps.

VFT's characteristically don't have much of a root system, but perhaps that is more a function of how they are cultivated. The forum member called xscd has demonstrated that VFT's can have a somewhat long root system if they are kept on the dry side. Like any plant, the roots naturally dig deeper for moisture. Where it is dryer, there is more incentive to develop longer and wider roots. It is not unlike exercising muscles, or the lack thereof.

Dormancy for a plant out of tissue culture is debatable. Is your plant inside or out? They do grow best when outside, requiring more light than most other CP's, but some people seem to have demonstrated that if they can provide encredible amounts of lumens, the plants grow and color up nicely. Usuaully, that can be done with really goos window sill exposure and artificial lighting. However, there seems to be evidence that indoor growing is good for the short run and that sunsequent growing seasons yield weaker plants. The best scenarios is outdoor growing and a 3 month dormancy.

 

[johnnyfrye]

I grow them inside. It's too hot outside in the summer, it will burn them.

 

[tommyr]

They grow fine outside and SHOULD be grown outside, sunlight will only burn them if you don't acclimate them slowly to full sun. They LOVE full Sun.

 

[Alexis]

I grow them inside. It's too hot outside in the summer, it will burn them.

But your plants are lightstarved at the moment inside!

 

[xvart]

I grow them inside. It's too hot outside in the summer, it will burn them.

Unless you live on Mercury I doubt that it's too hot.

xvart.

 

[jimscott]

The forum member called xscd has them growing outside, in hot & dry Arizona. It's acclimation that is the issue.

 

[Not a Number]

I grow them inside. It's too hot outside in the summer, it will burn them.

Average highs in Oxnard/Camarillo Jun/Jul/Aug/Sept are mid-high 70's vs high 80's in Wilmington, North Carolina for the same months. How is it going to fry?

http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2460.html

 

[johnnyfrye]

The forum member called xscd has them growing outside, in hot & dry Arizona. It's acclimation that is the issue.

How do you acclimate them? It's kind of a problem because I am in a condo and we don't have any north or east sun. only south and a little bot o' west. And It is also probably tough to acclimate them from a light to sun.

 

[vraev]

I have my VFT's whose roots are almost a foot long. (rough estimate....might be around 10 inches or so)

 

[Carito]

it should be fine, i was surprised at how hardy the venus fly traps were.

they are cute and hardy!

one major lesson learned while i was a newbie was PATIENCE- once i bought a $5 pot of cute venus fly traps from Walmart, the next day SPLIT THE PLANT INTO 4 sections, and repotted them!!!!

THE PLANT NEARLY DIED AND FRIED in the sun!!!!!! (it has to be "acclimated", especially ones that suffered through *****y dull store lights, the same way fish are acclimated in your tank when you buy them from the fish store, you can not just dump them in the tank, that's like dumping a naked person in an arctic pool, or a hot-tub hahaha)

It fried up and underwent massive sunburn--- i was shocked and sad, and GAVE UP WATERING!! a few weeks later i emptied their soil out to reuse the container----

and found little sproutings of flytraps that had survived the long drought and sunburn process---


i wish i had been more patient...


whoa... i went too deep into this LOL, sorry! bye...

 

[adnedarn]

The forum member called xscd has them growing outside, in hot & dry Arizona. It's acclimation that is the issue.

He's in New Mexico. Which I think is a tad cooler and more humid than here (in Arizona) I've tried a few times to aclimated CPs to outside with zero success. But we're talking about 130f summer days and single digit humidity. I think he grew him in an enclosed sun room which would have some climate control and humidity because of all the water sitting around.

-Andrew

 

[Not a Number]

A southern exposure is usually ideal as this usually gets the most sunlight all year round. I say usually because it depends on what sort of structures and trees that may be shading the area. If you can provide your plants with at least 4 hours of full sunlight a day they should do fine with good coloring.

Move your plants outside in the late afternoon or in the morning. This will lessen thermal shock as they will warm up or cool down slowly as the outdoor temps rise/fall over several hours naturally.

Place them where they will be shaded most of the day, maybe getting two to four hours of full sunglight a day. You'll have to be creative here, taking advantage of awnings, other plants etc. You might have to provide shade with some large enough object that is sturdy enough
object sturdy enough to withstand the winds - a trash can for instance. Leafy plants would be ideal.

Over the coarse of a week or two move the plants or cover so that they get more hours of direct sunlight each day up to the max they can get.

If your still afraid of temps check the historical highs of Ventura, CA vs Wilmington, NC:
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USCA1193
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USNC0760

Your plants will go dormant. No need to refrigerate them. You may want to bring them indoors if we have another cold snap like back in January but that's it.

 

[jimscott]

He's in New Mexico. Which I think is a tad cooler and more humid than here (in Arizona) I've tried a few times to aclimated CPs to outside with zero success. But we're talking about 130f summer days and single digit humidity. I think he grew him in an enclosed sun room which would have some climate control and humidity because of all the water sitting around.

-Andrew

Okay... there' this guy in New Nexico, somewhere in that desert Southwest.... in the land of scorpions and snakes and tumbleweeds and his VFT's had pretty long roots, due to drier conditions than that of North Carolina.

 

[johnnyfrye]

A southern exposure is usually ideal as this usually gets the most sunlight all year round. I say usually because it depends on what sort of structures and trees that may be shading the area. If you can provide your plants with at least 4 hours of full sunlight a day they should do fine with good coloring.

Move your plants outside in the late afternoon or in the morning. This will lessen thermal shock as they will warm up or cool down slowly as the outdoor temps rise/fall over several hours naturally.

Place them where they will be shaded most of the day, maybe getting two to four hours of full sunglight a day. You'll have to be creative here, taking advantage of awnings, other plants etc. You might have to provide shade with some large enough object that is sturdy enough
object sturdy enough to withstand the winds - a trash can for instance. Leafy plants would be ideal.

Over the coarse of a week or two move the plants or cover so that they get more hours of direct sunlight each day up to the max they can get.

If your still afraid of temps check the historical highs of Ventura, CA vs Wilmington, NC:
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USCA1193
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USNC0760

Your plants will go dormant. No need to refrigerate them. You may want to bring them indoors if we have another cold snap like back in January but that's it.

Unfortunately, I just realized that there are automated sprinklers that shoot unfiltered water all along the southern side. the only other place I own outside is in my patio, wich gets about 2 1/2 hours of morning sunlight a day. So I added another couple flourescent bulbs and lots o reflective paper to my setup. I've tried everything. I just Can't grow them outside! too many problems, such little sunlight ours. and i have thought about using glass or plastic to block the sprinklers, but that would toast them. That's how Dr. X was killed.:-(

 

[Not a Number]

Sometimes it is not practical to grow outdoors. Definitely improve your lighting. What are you using now?

You should consider trading or giving away the Sarracenia to someone that can provide more light as it is difficult to provide Sarracenia other than purpurea or psittacina enough artifical light. For now I would put the Sarracenia on the patio - even with 2 1/2 hours of light each day it will probably get more light than from your setup - probably no need to acclimate. Just make sure it never dries out.

 

[johnnyfrye]

Sometimes it is not practical to grow outdoors. Definitely improve your lighting. What are you using now?

You should consider trading or giving away the Sarracenia to someone that can provide more light as it is difficult to provide Sarracenia other than purpurea or psittacina enough artifical light. For now I would put the Sarracenia on the patio - even with 2 1/2 hours of light each day it will probably get more light than from your setup - probably no need to acclimate. Just make sure it never dries out.

OK. My brother just got a Sarracenia and we both put ours outside.

And this is my lights I use for my lighting: Two flourescent tubes, One flourescent bulb on the left, and one on the right. (both 30 watt, not sure what the tubes are) I also put glossy reflective White Photopaper all around the setup. The setup is about 3 1/2 feet long, on top of a small desk. And dats mah setup. It is VERY bright.