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My 1st Venus fly trap [HELP]

Peanut

I like this
Hey guys, on my birthday a few days ago, im 15, and my grandmother just bought me a venus fly trap from the local flower shop. It looks pretty hard to take care of from what I've seen.
It came in a plastic bag which I took off, and a care sheet that didn't seem accurate.
Can someone give me some tips on how to take care of this really cool plant?

this is it:
Picture029.jpg


Picture030.jpg


sorry for the quility. I used my dad's 1990's camera

Oh! and I water it with this:
Picture028.jpg


just wanna know if it's the right water.
 
as long as it says distilled. your fine.

VFT's (in my experience) are more difficult than your new D. capensis. they are more light needy, need a winter dormancy, and...for me...just plain fussy. dont let me deter you though. i live in kentucky so my growing conditions are very different from yours.
Alex
 
Well... thanks, I leave this outside on my Balcony and I leave my D. capensis on a dusty window sill. I don't know if they will live long.

That Distilled water was $2.00 -_- it doesnt even taste good(believe it or not water has taste)..at least its good for my plants. Long Beach..... it used to be 90 cents.
 
Ever noticed how monotypical genera are SO temperamental for some people? Cephalotus, Aldrovanda, Dionaea, Darlingtonia, they are just those fussy plants for some people. Am I the only one that's noticed this with monotypical genera?

Put them both in full sun. Aclimate if you want. I don't but then again I have more experience than you do. That water is expensive, try a RO refilling station and bring your own container. It doesn't taste good because it's devoid of minerals.
 
well...I pay 99 cents for a 4L of distillled water. Find the cheaper brands in price chopper or food basics. Always look for distilled or RO water with ppm<10 or so.

About VFt's, I find them personally not at all fussy! I guess each one has his own "genus" of speciality ;) ! However, I still have to try dormancy with the majority of my plants.

In anyways...I recommend that you put them in a "bright, SUNNY spot". If you get direct sunlight in your balcony for like 6 hrs...your VFT will thrive as long as you water it well. And for that...VFT's don't care too much. use a tray under the pot...fill it with water and leave it be. :) Make sure that you don't trigger the traps un-necessarily as it costs the plant energy.
 
hahaahaha! I am trying my best to care for them, but my parents won't help me which I think is funny :-D Just today they got mad at me for going out and buying distelled water for my CP's xD

please, any other suggestions?
 
well...I pay 99 cents for a 4L of distillled water. Find the cheaper brands in price chopper or food basics. Always look for distilled or RO water with ppm<10 or so.

About VFt's, I find them personally not at all fussy! I guess each one has his own "genus" of speciality ;) ! However, I still have to try dormancy with the majority of my plants.

In anyways...I recommend that you put them in a "bright, SUNNY spot". If you get direct sunlight in your balcony for like 6 hrs...your VFT will thrive as long as you water it well. And for that...VFT's don't care too much. use a tray under the pot...fill it with water and leave it be. :) Make sure that you don't trigger the traps un-necessarily as it costs the plant energy.

On my balcony, the most strong sunlight I get is about 4 hours and if im lucky..5 :-( all my windows and bolconys face west and since the sun rises in the east this is a bad situation for them.
I want to try terranium, but lots of people said its a bad idea for a begginer:blush:
 
its not a bad idea. it can be overwhelming though. and before you know what is and isnt neccesary id ask some questions and look through past threads. i used a terrarium for a while. but it got kind of expensive.


JLAP: i noticed this a few months ago. really funny! although i dont find cephalotus or darlingtonia hard at all. i wonder if one of those becomes a polytypic(right word?) genus then it will become easy :D
Alex
 
VFT's Darlingtonias.... They are really easy if you have the either the right climate, or enough patience. I live in Washington, so we have pretty Mediteterrainian(that's spelled wrong, huh? lol) climate. It's fairly easy to grow Cobra's or VFT's.. Just put them outside in full sun or bright shade, keep water in that water tray. And leave them alone! That's it. Enjoy your newfound hobby, and trust me.... it'll get expensive, but it'll be more exciting as the CP bug digs deeper into your skin! :-D
 
  • #10
Yes i am getting addicted to CP's
 
  • #11
Hi! i live in Long Beach to!!!!!
 
  • #12
I'm just up the coast in Venice.

All my Sarracenia and VFTs are on my west facing covered balcony. They get 4-6 hours of direct sunlight daily. They are growing well and coloring nicely. See the flytrap photos here from last week. The trap with the green margin on the second 'B52' is now completely red and almost as dark as the rest.

Put the flytrap on the west windowsill if you don't want to put it outside. Just provide some sort of shade for the pot or the roots might cook as happened with my Drosera capillaris x rotundifolia.
 
  • #13
well, I grow all my VFTs inside and they are not looking bad either. Well...actually at this time they are kinda looking bad. These both are typicals and they are looking alright after the repotting...the others are still messed up.

Hi guys,

You all know I repotted my VFT's in pots. I guess with the increased light intensity, the traps have become deep red. Even the outer edge has a wonderful line. :)

Here are a couple of photos I snapped when my friend came over.

So far these 2 typicals are the only plants looking good. The others will take a while.





And this is the other typical...looking good. I guess it will be a few more months....maybe next spring before I see this sight with fresh leaves.



vraev
 
  • #14
Hi Peanut. :wave: Welcome; you have a fabulous looking VFT. Hopefully it will be the first of many. :)

Here are some tips:
-Give it as much direct sunlight as possible.
-During the hot summer days keep it well watered.
-Watch out for pests.
-Trim off the dead petioles and traps when they fully turn black/brown.
-You don’t have to feed your plant, but if your hell bent on doing so, use a small soft-shelled insect (like a fly) no more than once about every month. (Opinions may vary here).
-Read as much as you can regarding dormancy. Read previous topics, books, websites, and of course ask questions so that you are prepared come November.
-About water… Try looking for Glacier Water dispensers outside of various grocery stores. A gallon of RO cost only 25 cents. They’re all over California.
-Have fun watching your plant grow!

Vraev- The first two typicals look awesome. They look like Green Dragons!:bigthumpup:
 
  • #15
If I leave it on my balcony it can get about 4-5 hours of sunlight but its so breezy up there. Will this make the plant unhealthy somehow?
 
  • #16
If I leave it on my balcony it can get about 4-5 hours of sunlight but its so breezy up there. Will this make the plant unhealthy somehow?
Not necessarily. Just make sure it’s well watered and that its water tray is full if the ambient humidity is low. My area gets quite windy at times, and the air is always very dry. In order to avoid the pots from drying out and damage to the plants, I top dress them with a nice thick layer of dead long fibered sphagnum. It retains water very well and provides extra humidity to the plant’s foliage. I don’t think “breezy” conditions will do any harm.

Good luck!
 
  • #17
ok thanks very much. I don't know when I will be getting spanguhmmmnum o_O? but

"Just make sure it’s well watered and that its water tray is full if the ambient humidity is low."

Don't they need high humidity?
 
  • #18
ok thanks very much. I don't know when I will be getting spanguhmmmnum o_O? but

"Just make sure it’s well watered and that its water tray is full if the ambient humidity is low."

Don't they need high humidity?
If you adjust them properly, they do just fine in low humidity environments. I mentioned the statement above as a response to the wind issue. Dry, hot winds can damage your plant, so keeping it wet will prevent the plant's foliage from drying out in those conditions.
 
  • #19
I used to grow the plants in a terrarium at like 50% humidity. Now they are in pots at like 40% or so...they do fine. :) VFT's don't really care about humidity. They are sun or light thirsty..give them that and you will be successful with them. :)

@ joosa,

lol! the first 2 are pics of the same plant. THe second typical is the last pic. These were old traps dude. I am still waiting to see how the new traps will form. Basically the first one is just now moving and putting a new leaf after one month from that repotting. The second typical lol!, it was making new leaves from like after the first week. :p Anyways, thanks for the comments buddy! I really hope all these babies can go through and come out of dormancy without issues. This time...I will put the entire pot in the fridge. :)
 
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