Black traps on a "typical" VFT?

[oceanblue28]

My VFT's traps are turning black. I don't know what's wrong. I have it in 100% peat moss, from a huge bale of the stuff I got from Lowe's. I also have been watering it with both rain water and water from the goldfish pond we have. I've been careful not to use tap water. I just don't know what I am doing to cause this. The only thing I can think of is maybe making the substrate deeper. Would that be the reason for it looking so ill?

Pictures:

 

[Plant Planter]

Goldfish pond? Maybe the goldfishes', um, you know, is poisoning the plant. Mix some perlite in with the peat to give it some aeration, though that's not as necessary, and only do it when it's healthy. Stop using the goldfish water is my advice. Your plant should recover in a couple weeks if you do.

 

[BigBella]

The goldfish, depending upon their number, may be excreting a good deal of ammonia into the water, through their gills and kidneys -- something to which Dionaea is particularly sensitive.

The compost also appears too wet . . .

 

[East_to_west]

Yeah I've been told by multiple sources not to use fish water. Having kept plenty of aquariums I can tell you that there are TONS of chemicals and nutrient content secreted into the water. You might as well use miracle grow..

 

[amphirion]

media should be 75% sand and 25% peat. and like others have said, no goldfish pond water and keep it on the slightly drier side.

 

[hcarlton]

On top of all said above, if the traps are old, they may just be dying off too. But definitely keep the soil a little drier, add in some perlite or sand to aerate the mix, and stop using fish water.

 

[Not a Number]

Sunburn isn't helping any.

 

[Plant Planter]

But definitely keep the soil a little drier...

...and keep it on the slightly drier side.

Yeah, your flytrap looks waterlogged. That probably isn't helping. Like hcarlton and amphirion have said, keep your plant drier--still wet/moist, but never soggy.

 

[lil hokie]

Ive personally noticed that my flytraps like it when they get flooded every once in a while but most of the time I keep them in a more shallow water tray. Of courde I agree about the goldfish water. Flytraps tend to be a little more picky about water and there is just too much that can go wrong with goldfish water. I would also suggest that you add perlite or silica sand, it helps aerate the soil and keeps it from compacting on the roots.

 

[Maiden]

On top of all said above, if the traps are old, they may just be dying off too. But definitely keep the soil a little drier, add in some perlite or sand to aerate the mix, and stop using fish water.

+1

Your vft are drowned. I think you should repot into new, dryer soil mix. For myself, I use 50% peat moss, 25% perlite, 25% orchid bark and i water once or twice a week from the top. I add water when the substrat is almost dry at the surface.

Hope this help!

 

[Nanthawat]

I'm late here but pond water is essentially regular tap water with, probably, more dissolved solids.