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Carnivorous Plants/venus fly trap
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Question
i just received a dente venus fly trap i ordered from your company.the traps on it are turning black.i have it in the sun when possible and under grow light when sun is not shining.i live in lepanto,arkansas. i am using sphragum moss with perlite in it. i have it in a small dish of distilled water all the time. what is causing my traps to turn black.
Hi Beverly,
Whenever you look at a plant, especially Venus flytraps you always want to look at what you see going on overall. If the traps that are turning black are older ones, these are just from the previous year and are of no concern. Look at the crown of the plant. Do you see bright green new shoots developing? If so you plant is fine. If the whole top is black then the plant is having serious trouble.
You mentioned the plant being in sphagnum moss and perlite, so I'm assuming you transplanted your plant to a larger pot when you received it. What was the brand of perlite? Also, Venus flytraps definitely tend to do better in peat moss than long fiber sphagnum moss. From your description, I'm also assuming you have your plant indoors. This is against our recommendations for flytraps. It wouldn't be the cause of traps turning black, but overall they are much healthier if grown as outdoor container plants. The plant was in an unheated coldframe here at our nursery in Oregon, and our temperatures are currently colder than yours in Arkansas.
If indeed the whole plant looks dead, be sure to e-mail Jacob through the business contact page on our website.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
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Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
Just the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate
thousands of carnivorous plants each year.
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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION: We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?). Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?) For general plant care, please read our care sheets on our main website: http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets For business questions: http://www.cobraplant.com/contact |
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