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Do these VFTs look healthy?

I got these two VFTs (one 'Red Dragon' and one 'B52') over a month ago, and I'm just wondering how they are doing since I have been noticing traps dying over the past few weeks. Where they were grown before, they had higher humidity and I don't think they got any direct sunlight (just lots of bright filtered light)... At my house they get direct sun all day and are exposed to low humidity during the day. When the traps die, they do it pretty slowly and start from the edge and gradually die back to the leaf base over an extended period of time, which I believe is normal.

This typically wouldn't have me worried, but some of the young traps that hadn't even opened up yet have died as well. On the 'Red Dragon' you can see one of the small traps that has turned brown and crispy at the top (that will eventually spread down the whole leaf). The 'B52 used to have like twice as many pitchers, but many of them died off (including new ones) and I removed them. However, you can see in the photos that the plants have new pitchers forming... The only problem is, they seem to have stopped growing. They're not dying, they're just not growing. I'm not sure if I'm just expecting them to grow faster than they actually do or if they really are on standby.

Would all this be a result of going from lower light/higher humidity to higher light/lower humidity? Is there anything I can do to jumpstart their growth again or should I just wait it out? I have them in a tray of water, but I've elevated the VFT corner so the water level is never that high (generally less than an inch, a fraction of the way up the pot). Any thoughts?





 
seems like your plants are a little on the dry side...do you top water them? they seem to benefit from that. they also seem to benefit from a yearly media change--best done during late winter, right before they wake up from dormancy.

but to address the current problem, i would suspect it is your quick environmental changes from high humidity low light to high light low humidity...you should try putting your plants under a shade cloth, so that it is protected in the afternoons, and gradually remove the shade...which will give the plants time to adjust to their new environment.
 
Thanks for the info! I do not top water them, I generally just fill up the tray. I have been keeping the water level lower lately because I read that VFTs don't tolerate waterlogged roots like many other carnivorous plants do, so I dried them out a bit in case it was some kind of root rot that was making the leaves die (previously I would fill the tray up to the top). The moss next to the B52 looks a bit crispy, but I think that's more from the sun than the soil. Plenty of water still comes from the substrate if I press on it with my finger, but do you think it would be wise to raise the water level again anyway?
 
ah...if that's the case, keep on doing what you're doing....when i mean top water, i mean water the plants directly above them...overhead watering allows oxygen to be pushed down to the roots, which the plants benefit from.
 
Last pic shows that the two black traps are shut.......does that mean they are fed and satisfied :) and they eventually die which is normal isn't it ? Just a guess.
 
Yes, mature traps do die (usually) after a few separate meals, but I've also been having young traps die before they've opened for the first time, which is what has me concerned. I'll try top watering and see if that helps a bit.
 
What soil mix are they growing in? It doesn't look very airy. It's a bit late to re-pot them now, but next year try potting them in a mix like 2:2:1 peat:sand:perlite, or just pure LFS.
 
Cool, I will try that. Right now they are just in the substrate they came in, which from what I can tell looks to be mostly peat. You're right, it doesn't seem too airy. Is the best time to repot them during their dormancy period? Also, I've been wondering about how to treat them during the winter. We get all of our rain in the winter, so should I take them out of the tray and just let them sit out since they like to be a bit drier that time of year?
 
I keep my VFT pot in a container that has holes along the perimeter, that are ~3/4" from the bottom. On rainy days I don't water them. On rainless days I water from above, providing constant drainage.

003-5.jpg
 
  • #10
Cool, I will try that. Right now they are just in the substrate they came in, which from what I can tell looks to be mostly peat. You're right, it doesn't seem too airy. Is the best time to repot them during their dormancy period? Also, I've been wondering about how to treat them during the winter. We get all of our rain in the winter, so should I take them out of the tray and just let them sit out since they like to be a bit drier that time of year?

Yes, re-pot them either just as they are going into dormancy, or in the spring when they start growing again.

I think since you are in zone 8 or something, you can keep them outside year round without any problems. Just make sure they are not sopping wet and they will be okay. What temps do you get in the winter exactly?

---------- Post added at 06:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:42 PM ----------

I've never actually overwintered my plants outside before, what I said above is based on stuff I've read. Just saying. :p

Look here for some good info: http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-dormancy.html
 
  • #11
Do you keep them in a tray of water at all times?
 
  • #12
Devon - I'm on the border of zones 9b and 10a. Temperatures below 30°F/-1°C are uncommon, though we usually have a few frosty mornings each winter. Venus Flytraps should be fine in the winter here except for the fact that it rains so much. I don't want them to start rotting in the winter because it's too damp.

Crofthulhu - Yes, they are sitting in a tray of water, though the water is less than an inch deep to keep the soil from being waterlogged.
 
  • #13
Crofthulhu - Yes, they are sitting in a tray of water, though the water is less than an inch deep to keep the soil from being waterlogged.

If you are keeping them in a tray of water at all times, then you are keeping them too wet. Venus flytraps benefit from letting the soil dry out maybe half an inch to an inch from the top. To check I will usually poke a hole and feel with my finger.

Here is a pic of one of my venus pots. I will usually let it dry a little more than this before watering again. Sorry about the penny in the picture.. I'm re-using a pic.
IMG_4798.jpg
 
  • #14
I keep mine sitting in a little bit of water and they do fine.
 
  • #15
I've read a few places that keeping them in a bit of water all the time is preferable in hot, dry climates so the plants don't become dessicated. I think if I took them out of the water the substrate would become a brick after the first day! Our humidity here often drops to 20-25% or lower during the day (Wednesday we had 14% humidity), which I think would be even harder on the plants if they weren't sitting in water.

I think the real problem here is the substrate... I took out a few chunks of substrate of the Red Dragon pot, and it smelled strongly of marsh gas. That means the soil is hypoxic and the anaerobic bacteria are having a ball in there. In this case, would it be best to repot the plants now rather than wait till the winter? Also, from what I could tell, the substrate seems to be 100% peat.
 
  • #16
Wow, that doesn't sound good! You can probably re-pot them now, but I would be worried about stress because they are still growing during this time. I have never re-potted my plants at this time though, so I can't really say for sure if it will put them in a lot of stress. As long as you are "saving" your plants from death, then it's all good.
 
  • #17
I've read a few places that keeping them in a bit of water all the time is preferable in hot, dry climates so the plants don't become dessicated. I think if I took them out of the water the substrate would become a brick after the first day! Our humidity here often drops to 20-25% or lower during the day (Wednesday we had 14% humidity), which I think would be even harder on the plants if they weren't sitting in water.

I think the real problem here is the substrate... I took out a few chunks of substrate of the Red Dragon pot, and it smelled strongly of marsh gas. That means the soil is hypoxic and the anaerobic bacteria are having a ball in there. In this case, would it be best to repot the plants now rather than wait till the winter? Also, from what I could tell, the substrate seems to be 100% peat.

Ahh yes, you are right. Sometimes I forget that I never get days over 80 degrees..

Could very well be the stuff you got them in. Either way, I really hope they recover! :(
 
  • #18
M'kay, I repotted them! Unfortunately I awoke this morning to find that my dog, intrigued by the marshy smell coming from the pots, had pulled up the Red Dragon. No damage to the plant as far as I could tell, when he pulls up my plants he usually just carries them someplace else and puts them down. Luckily it was before the fog had lifted so everything was damp and the plant wasn't dried out.

Anyway, I planted them in larger pots with a 1:1 mix of LFS and horticultural sand, since that mix seems to hold moisture and allow a lot of air in. I also put a top dressing of LFS to hopefully raise the humidity around the plants a bit more. When I was removing the plants from their original pots, the soil looked like almost 100% peat with a pinch of perlite mixed in and a 2cm layer of LFS on the bottom. It was very dense and both pots smelled marshy.

Hopefully the plants will recover and thrive in their new pots... All I can do now is sit back and watch what happens.



 
  • #19
I've repotted my plants in later in the growing season and they weathered a very harsh dormancy perfectly fine. Your's should survive without a problem.
 
  • #20
If you are keeping them in a tray of water at all times, then you are keeping them too wet. Venus flytraps benefit from letting the soil dry out maybe half an inch to an inch from the top. To check I will usually poke a hole and feel with my finger.

That goes against decades of experience from..well..everyone! ;)

No, keeping them is a tray of water at all times is NOT keeping them too wet..in fact, its perfect, and exactly what you want to do..especially during the growing season, Spring-Summer-Autumn..I would also not let the top layer dry out..that could be bad. basically, that is all very bad advice that no one should ever follow..

your winters could be an issue if you do get a ton of rain..I would keep them in shallow trays..perhaps shallower than the growing season, and maybe cover them from the rain if the rain is excessive..or..you could take them out of the trays completey and let winter rains keep them wet, but well-drained..but then you have to watch for becoming too dry, if you have no trays...but otherwise, the climate of San Fran sounds about perfect! you are very lucky!

Looks to me like the media was REALLY old..like the plants havent been repotted in years..repotting was definitely the right thing to do..they should recover fine! Dont expect too much new growth right now..they should be going dormant soon..you might get a few new leaves before winter, but not a lot..normal growth should resume in the spring..

Scot
 
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