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HALP! Rotting VFT

adamtekium

WRC Fan
Hi all,
I just recieved this from a giveaway. The user packaged the plant up well and it should have been here unharmed, but UPS put a major delay on the package. The delivery guy actually opened the door to my apartment and threw it inside while I was walking to the door....
Anyway, the leaves are all dark colored and damp. I'm not talking about just the senescing traps, but all the leaves. Should I trim them off and bury the rhizome or what?
Thanks
P2110021.jpg
 
Hey, I just responded to your PM. Sorry the plant arrived in that state. I don't know how I can ship a package to Tucson in 2 days but it takes a full week to get to where you are. That's what I get for not throwing down the extra few bucks for a flat rate box...
 
It's all good man. I'm just happy to get something for free.
 
From the appearance of the plant in your photograph, it looks like it froze hard, and solid, then has thawed out. If it is completely soft and mushy, it is likely beyond reviving.
 
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You mailed a VFT from NY to Montana in February??
ever hear of this thing we call "Winter"? ;)

yeah, it totally froze..the look is umistakable..
not a good idea to put plants in the mail this time of year..
you should wait until May at the earliest..
most plant nurseries dont ship at all in the winter..

but its still possible the plant is alive! (unlikely..but possible)
I would trim off all the leaves and plant the rhizome..give it a few months and see if anything happens..
you never know! :)

Scot
 
The roots and rhizome feel firmer than the rest of the plant. I guess only time will tell.
 
Man, I guess I didn't realize that UPS exposed their cargo to the full elements. In one way I'm surprised that this one didn't make it... The other three I sent arrived just fine... But at the same time it didn't take the others one week in transit. That's a real drag, man. Sorry for your loss lol. At least this was a freebie. If we do a trade later in the year I'll throw in a lil something extra.
 
I also received one of these plants, got there in 2 days but was thawing when I got it. I potted it up well right when I got it, and just plan on keeping it in good conditions and see if it can pull through!
 
I got two dentes in a box in perfect condition.. The trick is a heating pad and foam cushion to insulate..
 
  • #10
Vbkid... Was yours mushy too?!
 
  • #11
Not sure on mushiness, didn't want to over handle it, but it had definitely froze in transit and is quite limp right now. As I said, I'm ever the optimist and just hope that time will help restore it.
 
  • #12
Man, my apologies to both of you. Really wasn't expecting that. I learned me a lesson today. I'm still optimistic (after all, those plants thrived under my care, which says an awful lot...), but next time I'm definitely waiting...

---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:50 PM ----------

And of course, please keep me posted with the recovery *crosses fingers* of your plants.
 
  • #13
Just a note about my experience shipping plants in winter...I ship plants year round and I always ship plants via USPS Priority Mail and I've never had a plant get frozen in transit. As long as someone is there to receive the plant when it arrives, USPS keeps the packages above freezing and from cooking.

I have no experience shipping via UPS but after seeing the condition of that plant, I'll likely never chance it.
 
  • #14
I received a bunch of plants via USPS priority mail, was there to receive it, and they were all frozen solid. Lost every single plant.
 
  • #15
Well, it's a crap shoot either way, sounds like. What USPS offers is faster shipping as standard - which is an obvious bonus when your plant in transit is in a race against time before it freezes! At least one of the VFTs I sent made it OK, that I'm sure of.
 
  • #16
I've gotten a lot of shipments of plants through USPS in the winter. Both living here and when I lived up North .. just got a few more Orchids just the other day... they were perfect even though temps here were in the 20's.
So far only one plant has arrived rotten.. it wasn't from freezing though. It was a few months ago. A succulent, that the person sending it for some insane reason thought it needed to be submerged in a ziploc bag of water.
 
  • #17
I received a bunch of plants via USPS priority mail, was there to receive it, and they were all frozen solid. Lost every single plant.

Those were nice plants too!
 
  • #18
Well i recived mine by ups and mine is perfect. I guess it just depends on where it goes and for how long it is shipping for.

---------- Post added at 10:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 PM ----------

Also i recived my Venus flytrap in two days the earliest i have ever recived a plant.
 
  • #19
I received a bunch of plants via USPS priority mail, was there to receive it, and they were all frozen solid. Lost every single plant.
Yeah, I imagine that it does happen from time to time. But Steve and I have shipped probably over 100 orders during the winter months via USPS Priority Mail and we've not yet had one customer report that the plants were frozen upon arrival.
 
  • #20
i live in northern ny where we are sometimes coldest place in the us and usps has been shipping plants to me all winter with no problems. ups = death when it comes to winter
 
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