Hi Im new at this

[geffcardo]

i just bought a vft from a green thumb store and it looks very good.
my mom saw it and wanted me to get rid of it, but i dont want to, and my brother keeps messing w it, im plannin on leavin it outside durin the day and inside during the night, does it need light during the night?
how often should i water them?
whats a good place to put them inside? away from people
also, should i leave the cup on?
all the pics ive seen dont have the original pot and cup
is it good if i raise it n the same pot and cup that came in at the store?
how do i feed it? do i take off the cup?
if i leave the cup on(for humidity), wat should i feed it?
i tried ants but they keep dodging the traps
wat about dead bugs?

 

[nepenthes_ak]

VFT Care sheet

this has all youre awnsers next timeyou have a question try searching the board b4 asking cuase theirs a good chance youre not the first person to ask!

good luck!

 

[geffcardo]

yes i already read it and it didnt answer these questions
should i leave the cup on?
if i leave the cup on, how will it eat?
should there b light during the night?

 

[Presto]

take the cup off.  just keep the soil wet.  (leaving the cup on will either cook your plant - via the "greenhouse effect" - or just encourage mold growth)
if you leave it outside, it will catch all the food it needs.
and if it's getting a full day's worth of direct sun, no need for light at night!

 

[geffcardo]

thanks but doesnt it need humidity?
if i take the cup off and it doesnt get all the light it needs, then what happens?

 

[Presto]

on humidity, quoted from the above link:
it does'nt need much for healthy growing , just remember to keep the soil moist at all times and plenty of air circultion.

give it as much light as you can.  if you're keeping it outside all day, should be just fine.

 

[geffcardo]

k thanks
i just dont want them to die so soon
since ima failure and all

 

[Presto]

aw, you're gonna do fine! just be patient, and I'm sure they'll thrive!

 

[geffcardo]

would it b fine if i left it outside all day and night?

 

[Presto]

that's what I do!

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

If you keep the soil moist (use the tray method) then low humidity won't be a problem. My humidity gets very low at times, but it has never bothered my plants as long as I kept their soil moist.

4 hours or more of direct sunlight will go a long way to helping your plant stay healthy. Long story short if they don't get enough light they die.

 

[geffcardo]

wats the tray method?
i keep a cup under the pot
surprsingly the pot fits on top of the cup

 

[geffcardo]

also
ive had it n my room since i got it, do u think it will react differently now that i have put it outside? (nighttime)

 

[nepenthes_ak]

Hey sorry, I didnt read all the way through, I thought you were being a anxious n00b, dont worry we all start out where you are now!

tray method is keeping a tray filled with watter 24/7 (preferable about an inch to two inches it varies from person to person)

you shouldnt worry to much about it, even if a few of the traps get burnt, the new ones should come in fine!

ps- youre not a failure! It just takes some patience! I cant spell very good lol!

 

[Capslock]

geffacardo, for someone with a vft that doesn't know how to care for it, you could not have come to a better place. I give you props for even knowing the questions to ask and where to ask them.

You live in California. Keep the vft outdoors in the sunniest spot you can all year round. It will grow GREAT where you live. Trust me. For now, keep it in the pot it came in, and find a plastic bowl or somethign you can put the pot into so you can set it in an inch of water. Keep water in the bowl or tray all the time. You can let it get down to almost no water then add more. (always use distilled, but if it's an emergency, tap water is better than no water.)

Speaking of the water, you should use distilled water or rain water. Since it doesn't rain much where you are - get distilled water. It's pretty cheap at the supermarket, and for one vft, one jug will last a while.

Do not feed your vft. It will catch it's own food when left outdoors. Only bugs are acceptable, no skittles or hamburger. Don't let your brothers mess with it - teasing the traps will eventually kill them. (once in a while is maybe OK - like don't tease the same trap twice and leave some alone completely.)

Do these things, and it will grow really well for you.

Capslock

 

[geffcardo]

thanks man
wat about repotting?
im not too sure about doing it even though your supposed to repot them every year
how do u transfer the plant into new soil? do u just pull em out of the original pot?

 

[Capslock]

Don't worry about repotting until winter at earliest. The key now is to get it into good conditions and leave it alone! People mess with their plants too much, repotting, moving them around - just put it in good conditions and let it grow. This winter, the plant will go dormant, and you can safely and easily repot it.

Capslock

 

[geffcardo]

i have a question, what happens if u watered it w tequila?
like just once

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

Water yourself with the Tequila and give your plant the worm. Alcohol has a desicating effect and if you watered your plant with enough of it, it would kill it.

 

[jimscott]

Hey, welcome to TerraForums! The advice is already covered.