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Newbie's notes/questions

Ok..I dont know how they are gonna ship the plants (I got two VFT off this site) so Im not sure what exactly Im gonna have to do right after I get it except water 'em!
I live in South Texas if that has any concilation, and I would like to keep these as inside plants! (I do have a bay window I would put them in)...

Here's what I do know about basic VFT care (Please please correct me if Im wrong or add anything!!)

They need a humid climate (40% was it?)
The more sunshine they get, the redder the insides of the traps become
Feed them insects (and ONLY insects) about 1/4 the size of their traps and no less than 2 times a month
Always keep the soil moist
Place the pot in a dish (1/4 in. deep) with water
Dont use Tap water; Either distilled or rain water
If anything dies, trim only the dead parts off

a few questions I have (trust me, there will be more once I actually GET the plants):
Will my plants go into/need dormancy this year since its their first?
Should I put the two VFT in seperate pots (if they arent shipped that way) or are they ok together?

I apologize for writing a short novel here! thanks for looking!

scott
 
Hi Scott,

No problem with the novel, I like words.

You have a very good handle on the matter at hand.  That's it , pretty much in a nutshell.  I can add a few observations.  Dionaea roots are thin and fragile.  Avoid bending them if possible.  Don't go poking around the bulb to see how wet it is there for the roots are not far beneath the surface.  Both plants in one pot should be fine for a good while, this plant is a clumper by nature.  Since the plants are from TC, they will be able to skip their normal dormancy this round I think, although certainly providing one would not hurt, and is likely to benefit them.  VFT's are light demanding plants to be at their best.  Supplemental flourescent light can always be used in addition to natural light, but beware!  If you buy a 4 foot shoplight with 2 flourescent tubes, you will have additional space for more plants.  Then you will fill the space and buy another fixture.....and another....and another....

With the sort of generosity demonstrated by this Forum, there is just no end to this cycle, and you will end up like me or Tony Paroubek.  Muahahahahaha!  Don't say I didn't warn ya.

If you purchased the potted VFT's they come potted (imagine that!).  The packaging is absolutely perfect, and the plants will be in very good shape.  All you need to do is water them, and start growing them.

Remove the packing carefully so as not to uproot the plant. There is a collar holding the plants secure that will need to be removed, along with the plastic cover to maintain humidity during shipping.  It is not really needed to actually grow the plants.

Be wary of too much sunlight all at once.  These are healthy plants, but were indoor grown. I think you will have no troubles.  Be sure not to let them dry out, and you've got it made
 
Thankies Tamlin!! I just heaved a big sigh of relief!!!
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Yes, but if they don't come potted, BIG TROUBLE!!!

No, just kidding. LOL! You just need to get some peat moss and some perlite or sand. If you need help on that, including how to prepare the peat moss, just holler.

Capslock
 
A tip to newbs, avoid the whole sand thing all together for the moment. It is too much of a hassle to go through (most will kill a plant slowly) , so perlite is very good option for all types of carnivorous plants. I have noticed that petflytrap uses styrofoam beads instead of perlite, so if you can't find any maybe crushing up some styrofoam might be a good option.
 
You could use tap water if it is soft and it has under 100 p.p.m of total dissolved minerals.
 
Actually, I thought it was 50ppm. Ah well, I suppose under 100ppm would do, but the 'softer' it is, the better, right? Good thing singaporeans don't have to care about RO machines or water distillers, the tap water here is safe enough to drink. Ask my bro, he's been at it for years...25ppm, believe it or not.

See the two pinned topics at the top of this forum.
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I dont agree with the feeding bug bit.
On CPUK forum, there was somebody who did not feed his VFT
a single insect for 2 YEARS. In fact, he said
"After 2 years without food, I have just pu my VFTs outside, they are getting
their first food after 2 years without any food."
 
Oh yeah, everything else is correct.
 
  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]A tip to newbs, avoid the whole sand thing all together for the moment. It is too much of a hassle to go through (most will kill a plant slowly)

How does sand kill a plant slowly? From what I've seen, the majority of people use 50/50 peat to sand mix. Plus, sand is what occurs in nature, and not perlite. So if anything, I would think that sand would be better than perlite. As long as the sand was rinsed well.
 
  • #11
thanks everyone for all the tips!! Im getting reeaaaallly antsy to get my plants now!!
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Petflytrap.com says the plants grow best in acidic soil, and they pot their's VFTs in shredded Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss and Perlite...(Do they even HAVE sand in N. and S. Carolina?? lol no jk)
 
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