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The true healthy-ness...niss..

Yea, as many of you have read I bought a VFT from franks nursery a week ago, and so far its looking pretty good, but how do you tell if its healthy? I know the red trap thing and stuff, but the traps arent red, there purple/pink. They look like a really light shade of pink, but then theres like purplish mixed in making it look like kind of reddish, weird looking. And also I thought it was a common VFT but its growing traps that are going up into the air, like a dente!
 
Here are a couple of my vfts to compair with. Mainly on the leaf color. If I remember correctly, vfts produce leaves that extend into the air in the spring, and traps closer to the ground thoughout the summer and fall. There is a variety that produces traps that extend into the air during the entire growing season.

TypicalVFTPinkJaws.jpg


CVFTRedTrapCloseup.jpg


RedCenterGreenTeeth.jpg


RedCenterRedTeeth.jpg
 
Sounds like you have a redpurple vft. If it is a redperple you have a very nice plant. They grow big traps with very nice coloration.
 
Naw, red purples are extreamly pigmented, a pinkish purple center is what an average garden veriety typical will have, very few plants on the market have the ablity to produce real red traps. Upright leaves, are, as said, a seson based thing and all immature traps look dente.

Yup, just a nice classic typical. Although be proud you have pygment at all, they can be real funny about producing color (I have one that almost never has pygment, but it's my little freak anyways, lol).

As to your origenal question regarding health, a good indecator is how regularly it starts growing new leaves and how quickly they mature. In peak condition, my typicals usually start and finesh 1-2 new leaves every week. Also, consistant trap size is a good indicator with traps getting slightly larger or smaller depending on the season. The more mature traps on the plant, the better health it is in. I hope this helps
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The upright and prostrate (close to the ground) leaves are seasonal, though as Nick stated some varieties produce the upright leaves all year long.  The upright leaves are the summer leaves and the short, stocky prostrate leaves are the winter leaves.  At least that is what many texts state.  My plants had prostrate leaves ~3" long all summer.  During the winter they produced 4" long skinny upright leaves.  The reverse of what they are supposed to do.  My typicals are pink to dark red inside the trap.  Mine have never had any purple tint to them.  I believe that Trapsrock's plant will become more pigmented now that he has it in more light.  It wasn't in a very bright spot in the store and winter isn't known for having the best quality of light.  None of my immature traps look like dentate traps.  They all look like miniature versions of the larger mature traps:
             
young%20vft%20trap.jpg


Trapsrock, maybe you can post a pic of your VFT when it's started its Summer growth and has colored up a bit 
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That isn't an immature leaf, it's a small almost mature leaf. ...See the upper right trap on Nick's plant, the first photoe? Thats an immature leaf that is just past the dente looking stage.

If the plant in quesion is a Big Mouth, it will have traps over an inch long and a less yellowish green leaf.
 
ahhh, you mean the stage where the teeth are still folded in prior to the trap opening. OK, They do resemble dentate teeth at that point.
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