Newbie with some questions

[kat_pond]

Hi. My name is Kat and our venus fly trip is called Vinnie.

This forum has been really helpful but I have a few questions.

1. The flower stalk is very long, over a foot. How short should I cut it?

2. The guys are hanging over their pot, do you think I should repot into a bigger one?

Thanks for your help.

Kat

 

[schloaty]

Hi Kat and Welcome.

1) Most people snip off the stalk near the base. It would look kinda weird if you had a long green stalk with nothing at the end...

2) What size pot is it? I've seen then sold in itty bitty 1 1/2 inch pots, and also in 3 inch pots....In any event, if you do choose to repot, it's usually best to wait until the plant goes dormant. I say usually because if the roots are really crammed in there, and you see signs of stress, you may not want to wait. If it's in a 3 inch pot I would definately wait.

 

[BobZ]

If your plant is in a very small pot and looks cramped, you can easily and gently place it in a larger pot without undue disturbance. Simply prepare the larger pot and make an indentation in the new soil the same size and shape as the smaller pot. Gently knock out the plant and soil, place it in the indentation. If you are careful, the VFT will not be shocked. The advantage with larger pots is that the temperature and moisture levels fluctuate less.

 

[vft guy in SJ]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kat_pond @ July 31 2003,1:12)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">1. The flower stalk is very long, over a foot. How short should I cut it?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Hi Kat..  welcome to the forum

Its prolly too late..  the damage is done, I'd say let it flower, and try to get seed and pray the parent doesnt die. Flower stalks should be clipped at the base of the plant as soon as you see them. Its explained in Barry Rice's FAQ see here: http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2470.html

Good luck with your plant
Steve

 

[schloaty]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Its prolly too late.. the damage is done, I'd say let it flower[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

You sure? I thought the bulk of the dammage was done because so much energy goes into the actual flowering and seed production....Just growing a stalk will use up energy, sure, but it's not too late to get some benefit from trimming the stalk until it's forming seeds.

Am I way off base?

 

[vft guy in SJ]

Thats what it says in the FAQ.. " If you wait until the flower stalks are about 30 cm (12 inches) tall, you might as well let the plant flower--the damage is done. What the heck, pollinate the plant and maybe you'll get seed. Your flytrap is probably going to die, though, unless you are a pretty skilled grower. "

Steve

 

[Sarracenia0]

I dont think its going to die. I have never had a vft die after flowering. It will probably just make some smaller leaves for a while, within a month it should be back to normal.

Mike

 

[Wesley]

Hey Kat welcome to the forums. Have fun and learn lots.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Your flytrap is probably going to die, though, unless you are a pretty skilled grower. "[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

Not, nessecarily(sp) I let my flytrap flower in the fall and forgot to put it through dormancy until the next spring, and it's still going strong.  At that time I was NOT a skilled grower.  Just my two cents.

Wes

 

[WildBill]

I don't think it will die either. You might want to consider fortifying it with live flies, ants, or other bugs. I have some very nice flowering VFTs right now - I made sure they stayed fed. They are still growing new traps and 3 of them are sending up secondary flower scapes at the moment.

WildBill

 

[kat_pond]

I took the plunge and cut the flower stem down to the base. We've only had Vinnie for one week and the stem grew very quick in that time! It was non existent when the plant arrived. I can already see two new heads growing up from the middle so I think it's still a healthy plant. Thanks for your help.

Kat

 

[Wesley]

Anytime... I hope you enjoy your new flytrap(Vinnie). If you have any more questions we'll be glad to help if we can(and I'm sure at least one person will be able to help).

Wes