Venus Flytrap Help

[silverwhite]

Hi!

I've been feeding insects to my VFT and the traps seem to blacken after a few days whenever I do this. Is this normal? :-(

 

[DerbyCityNeps]

how big are the insects compared to the traps? if you have a really big, juicy, soft bodied bug it would rot out the trap anyways. but sometimes when you feed them and they are done. the leaf dies. its natural.
Alex

 

[silverwhite]

Thanks for the reply!

They are pretty big, I have to say, although they can fit into the traps. Hmm... so feeding the traps big insects harms the plant? Would it still be able to benefit at all though?

 

[adnedarn]

Moved this to the Venus Fly Trap forum.

 

[Not a Number]

The general rule of thumb is the insect should be no bigger than about a third of the size of the trap. If parts of the insect are sticking out of the trap they tend to start growing fungus or mold which usually starts the trap turning black.

As noted before when the leaves get old they start to yellow and blacken normally. Feeding can hasten this process.

Some insects can also cause the leaves to turn black. If you find a type of insect that consistently causes the leave to turn black I'd stop feeding with that insect.

There should be some benefit to the plant even if the leaf turns black as the plant should absorb some nutrients.

 

[vraev]

How long have u been growing the flytraps? Are they very robust or are they under stress? What conditions they are growing in ? These are important things to know for VFT's. Remember that if u just got ur flytrap and are trying to feed it......the plant will close on the bugs..but it might be in stress and cannot digest it.

When my flytraps were in kinda the stress period for a couple of months....nearly all traps that ate bugs blackened. It does not harm the plant...it can just make a new leaf..but it takes a little while.

As some guys already said here..the type of bug also makes a difference. I fed a stink bug once which caused the trap to rot. I normally now use pet store crickets. However as ppl again said...size matters...if the trap is an inch long....the bug should be like 1/3 of the inch or so.

Another note: I would suggest growing the plant under nice conditions for a couple of months when it can strengthen and acclaimatise before feeding.

 

[Clint]

You don't have to feed them at all. If you know what you're doing you can foliar feed them.


Actually I take that back, you better not foliar feed them until you get some experience.


Think of it this way, if you ate a whole turkey you wouldn't feel very good either lol.

 

[Alexis]

The traps often blacken if there is poor air circulation (bacteria are allowed the thrive). A heathly flytrap in warmth and sun will happily eat massive meals, even if part of the prey is sticking out of the trap.

Since it's winter, your flytrap should either be asleep or waiting for spring to arrive. Either way, this isn't the best time to be feeding.

 

[jimscott]

Is your VFT in an enclosed terrarium setup, or open tray?