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Whats going wrong

pon14

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Ok I have been growing my venus flytrap inside for about a month. It gets lots of sun and I water it with pure spring water. It does get some humidity. But now all the heads are dieing!! EVen my new grown heads and my heads that are still little oval things WHATS HAPPENING I WANT MY FIRST CP TO LIVE! It is also about to bloom I think
 
It is also about to bloom I think

Making a flowerstalk takes alot of energy from the plant, this means that the plant can look very weak during and after creating the flower. Some people even had their vft die on them after they let it flower.
You should've cut the flowerstalk off when it was 4-5 cm in height
 
Ok....*rip* Bye Bye flower
 
Also, just an idea, call me crazy....


Put it outside. Yeah, it gets up to 105 in Idaho; it gets to 108 where I live. Put it outside.
 
I agree with JLAP...
 
I sometimes put it out side and it gets over 105 in ID lol. Whats the difference with outside and a very sunny window?
 
it may be in root shock and producing bad traps.. when i got some of mine and trasnplanted them, they looked dead for about a month before starting to pick back up.

You might want to make sure there aren't any aphids or other bug problems. Ortho Systemic Bug Killer is something i think all of us are too familiar with.

you'll know if your water is bad if you see a green slimy moss growing on the top layer of the soil. If thats the case, there are too many minerals in your water and you need to change your source. Try distilled or Reverse Osmosis water.
 
Some people even had their vft die on them after they let it flower.

This is NOT true. If that were true, then we wouldn't have a single plant left in the wild because all the flowering VFTs who haven't had the Scissors Fairy visit for a snip, would be dead. :)

It takes energy for ALL plants to flower. It does not kill them. It may slightly slow the growth but that's no biggie. Cutting off a flower stalk is a purely personal thing. If you like the flowers, let it go. If you don't want seeds or flowers, cut it off.

Your plants will NOT die if you allow it flower. The source of your problem is most likely something else. Could be spring water. Spring or mineral water is not good water to use. It has a high mineral content. Rain, distilled or R.O. is what you need. :)
 
  • #10
This is NOT true. If that were true, then we wouldn't have a single plant left in the wild because all the flowering VFTs who haven't had the Scissors Fairy visit for a snip, would be dead. :)

It takes energy for ALL plants to flower. It does not kill them. It may slightly slow the growth but that's no biggie. Cutting off a flower stalk is a purely personal thing. If you like the flowers, let it go. If you don't want seeds or flowers, cut it off.

Your plants will NOT die if you allow it flower. The source of your problem is most likely something else. Could be spring water. Spring or mineral water is not good water to use. It has a high mineral content. Rain, distilled or R.O. is what you need. :)

Exactly, those people probolly thought and believed their VFT died when it really didnt

If flowering killed plants, then the angiosperm population would be dead
Instead, the angiosperms are the most diverse and successful plants :boogie: :banana2:
 
  • #11
A storebought plant that has been cooped up in a plastic dome, sitting on a shelf, that happens to have a flower stalk will croak when a someone takes it home, opens the dome, and lets it bloom. I know.... I did just that, about 20 years ago. What I am getting at is that an already weakened plant, whose conditions then change some more, will experience that adage of, "the last straw that breaks the camel's back". It's just one more stressor adding to its misery. Now a plant that has gone through a dormancy and being outside in direct sunlight I would trust to flowering!
 
  • #12
on the topic of flowering.... are VFT;s able to self pollinate? can I take pollen from a VFT's anthers....save it...then wait for the stigma to be exposed and then brush it on?? Would it self fertilize??
 
  • #13
They are self-fertile but they don't normally self-pollinate. I never saved the pollen, just took a toothpick or something and tranferred the pollen directly.
 
  • #14
Awww Crap I really wanted seeds, YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT SOONER, AND NOW TO GET SOME DISTILLED WATER.......Grrrrrrrrrr I BETTER GET ANOTHER FlOWER SOON OR....OR..OR....................................................................
 
  • #15
Flowering can tax a VFT in cultivation. Cultivated plants may be stressed from growing in marginal condition and a plant recently bought from the likes of Home Depot may not be in the best of shape.

Look what a second flower stalk did to my 'Cupped Trap' in this post.

Here's the same plant as of a few minutes ago (clickable thumbnail - flower stalks #3, #4 and #5 still present):


It hasn't been the same since it flowered the second time, only about half the size. The two long leaves grew right after I clipped the second flower stalk.

I don't recommend letting them flower unless you've had the plant growing well for at least 3-4 months.
 
  • #16
If your plant is on the weak side, then don't even think of getting seeds. This would further sap strength from an already weak plant. Best to just grow it on until you have an actively growing plant. BTW, I also think you are not using pure water.

Cheers,
Peter
 
  • #17
Awww Crap I really wanted seeds, YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT SOONER, AND NOW TO GET SOME DISTILLED WATER.......Grrrrrrrrrr I BETTER GET ANOTHER FlOWER SOON OR....OR..OR

You could have used the search feature on this entire VFT forum for all the gazillion topics on letting VFTs flower or not... AND on what type of water is best. :rollingeyes:

Research and reading is a great tool for learning how to care for CPs. There's lot of info here and at many other CP related sites. So doing a little work on your own is a great way learn. And then customize what you've learned to your own enviroment.

Remember...what works for one person may not work for another.
 
  • #18
Nobody has brought this up but you can use the cut flower stalks to try to propagate by cutting. Just plant the cut end in some LFS or better yet live Sphagnum moss and wait a few months - leave it alone, don't play with it.

Plants from cuttings will grow and mature faster than from seed. In 3 years time you might have a plant 2-3 inches in across vs 1-1.5 inches.

Search this forum for "pullings".
 
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