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Carnivorous Plants/Venus Fly Trap problem

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Expert: - 3/31/2011


Question

Venus Fly Trap
Hello

1) Venus Fly Trap

2) My venus flytrap died down due to low light but now has more light. The problem I have is that the new traps that are growing out are not opening at all. Sometimes these new traps (that don't open) get a black tip which eventually makes the whole trap black. Why is this? I'd like to add that there is a venus fly trap seedling that is growing in the same pot and it seems to be doing very well.

3)I believe there is adequate lighting as I have other carnivorous plants (including another venus fly trap) who are growing very well. They get about 4 hours of direct sunlight in the morning with bits of sun throughout the day until about the late afternoon where it gets full sun again for about a hour. I use purely rain water on all my carnivorous plants. The soil is peat which is what all the plants came in.

4) I live in Pretoria, South Africa which has an almost identical climate to North Carolina.

Hope you can help me

Kind Regards
Geraldine

Answer
There are a couple issues going on.  First is lighting.  Flytraps are really full sun plants.  At our nursery, we grow our flytraps exclusively outdoors.  During the growing season, they receive 10+ hours of direct sunlight.  Flytraps can grow in a minimum of 4 hours of direct sun, but it'll never look as robust as one grown in direct sun throughout the day.  Your plant has the signs of being grown in low light - dark green leaves, oversized leaves, no redness, lack of traps opening and lack of turgidity in the leaves.  Keep in mind that these plants need a lot of energy to create those traps, and they get their energy from sunlight.  Remember, it doesn't matter whether or not you think the lighting is adequate.  Your plant is always the final judge, and you'll need to adjust your growing conditions accordingly.  Since you live in a climate that is similar to North Carolina, you could easily grow them outdoors.  Also keep in mind that you're entering your fall season, so your plants will natural slow down and go dormant.

The second issue is fungus and soil health.  With poor lighting, the plant becomes weak and isnt't capable of sustaining itself against fungus.  Poor lighting also encourages fungus to grow in the soil.  The signs of traps turning black prematurely is usually caused by poor root health, and fungus is often the primary culprit.

I recommend repotting your plant in a fresh soil mix, spray the roots and bulb with a sulfur fungicide and acclimate your plant for outdoor growing.  For information on using fungicides, watch our video on the subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfVUrMaGjVs

For information on growing flytraps, read our care sheets or watch Volume 1 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

For photos of how we grow our flytraps in Oregon, a climate also similar to North Carolina, visit our photo gallery:
http://www.cobraplant.com/gallery

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

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.

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
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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?)

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http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

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