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Help! I'm a first time owner

Hi! I'm a proud new owner of a venus flytrap, a Purple pitcher plant, and sundew. I'm looking for any tips to help keep my new babies healthy. It's the first time I own a carnivorous plant so any help is greatly appreciated
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. I also have a question. On this site it says that the Pitcher plant requires open air circulation and that terrariums aren't recommended. However, the pitcher plant comes with the other two in a terrarium...is there anything I can do to keep all 3 growing and healthy?
 
Hi clemsonrola,
Welcome to the forums!
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I'm sorta new at this too, but the advise everyone will will give you is to only water with rain water, reverse osmosis water, or distilled water. Tap water usually has to many minerals as well as chlorine and other stuff which will eventually kill your plants. Also, never fertilize! CPs especially Venus flytraps are sensitive to minerals in the soil and are easily killed by fertilizing.
As far as your question goes, just leaving the cover open a little for air circulation through your terrarium should be adequate. The flytrap does fine with moderate humidity, I'm not sure of the humidity requirements of the pitcher plant, and the sundew will quit producing dew if it's not humid enough. So if the dew don't have dew close the opening on the terrarium a little bit more.
 
Welcome! Go to the Plant Care and Information part of this site and you'll find lots of answers there. It's very helpful.
Did you buy the plants from here ? If so, the nice folks at
Petflytrap.com send full instructions with all of their plants.
If you bought somewhere else, try here next time for the best plants and service in the world
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Good luck with your new hobby!
 
Hi Clemsonrola!

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your new plants.
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I don't know what area you live in, but your VFT and purple pitcher plant will do just fine outside. Give them lots of sun and distilled water and they will do their "thing" and eat lots of bugs on their own. Humidity is not a big issue unless you live in a very dry area. Keeping them wet and sitting in a tray/saucer of water (1/2 to 1" ) should do the trick.

Your sundew will have a higher humidity requirement. Do you know what kind it is? Some do well outside and some may need a terrarium of some sort. A nice, dewy plant is a good sign.

The FAQs section will offer lots of growing tips and if you have more questions, just pop back in and ask! We've all been where you are!

You will soon find yourself wanting more CPs.
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Good luck!
Suzanne
 
I also just bought a VFT.  I'm really worried I might kill him.  If I find bugs crawling around I feed it to him.  I have one trap that doesn't close when I try to feed it.  Is that normal?  Also my plant came with the clear cup over top.  Now do I keep that on or do I take off, set it upright like you would with a normal cup, fill it with water and set the pot in it?  That's what I got told to do but I am not sure if that is right.  And when it becomes winter and the bugs all die off do I go buy bugs at pet stores?  Thanks for helping!
 
Hi girlylizard, welcome to the forums
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Most of your questions are answered in the Plant Care link at the top of this page under the Exotic Gardens logo, so I'll just answer the ones that aren't covered there.

First as long as you give your VFT lots of light and you only use purified water it should grow nice and healthy.  Just increase the light gradually so the leaves don't get sunburned.

Traps that don't close when you first get the plant are normal and could be caused by several things. See the Tampering subect on the VFT plant care page.

You can remove the cover over the VFT as long as you don't live in a place that has very low humidity like a desert.  They do well with a humidity of 40% or higher. Just remove the cover gradually over several weeks so your VFT has a chance to adapt to the lower humidity levels.

You can use the cup as a water reservoir, but I prefer a small tray under the pot.  Either works, it's a matter of preference.
 
I know this is an old topic but oh well I enjoy looking through the older stuff.  It sounds like you(clemsonrola) got one of those little "bug-biting plant terrariums."  That is how I got interested.  This is to girlylizard, in the winter you v-trap will be wanting to go dormant.  This means that it will want to sleep.  Here is where you can go, Go to General discussions, when you get there there will be to topics that are grey, click on the one that says DORMANCY, HIBERNATION, SLEEPING etc... !!CHECK HERE FIRST!!!
 
Thanks for the help!
 
Hey, no problem, I enjoy helping when I can and that is not usually because I am also new at the carnivorous plant thing... or at least fairly new.
 
  • #10
hello there. I was just wondering, does anyone know if i can separate individual leaflets of my venus flytrap and repot them on their own. Am wanting to give one away.
 
  • #11
I haven't said welcome yet, so welcome! The savage garden recommends this method for leaf cuttings:

"Peel leaves off the rhizome with a downward tug, being sure that the whitish base of the leaf is intact. Lay the whole leaf right-side up on a peat/sand mix, or long-fibered or milled sphagnum. Lightly cover the base of the leaf with a pinch of soil. Keep humid and damp in bright light. Clear plastic bags or seed propagation trays work well to ensure high humidity. In a few weeks, plantlets will appear at the leaf base or on the leaf margins. In a few months when plantlets have several leaves and roots, they can be potted up individually."

Hope this helps!
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  • #12
I couldn't have put it better myself, CN. It usually takes about four weeks to take root.
 
  • #13
Thank you both very much for the advice.  This is my first ever venus fly trap, and once it finally caught a fly I was so creeped out I promised it to my friend, but now it's grown on my and I really don't want to part with it.  Anyway, thanks again.  One more question though, what exactly is the rhizome?
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  • #14
Hello and welcome!

I'm new to this forum as well.

The rhizome is another name for 'bulb like'
VFT'S don't have true bulbs.

I don't think you have to strip the leaflet clear down to the roots when taking leaf cuttings. I think you want a good part of the white which will have the genetic material intact to make a new plant. I think that is what the guys here are telling you; right guys?

Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
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