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craziecomrade

Venus Fly Traps and some type of Pitcher Plant

craziecomrade
14 years ago

I recently bought 4 VFT's and 2 different breeds of pitcher plants. They are all planted together in a long 2' flower box. The soil is mostly spagnum moss and some plain dirt, no fertilizers. So when I first got them a couple of the VFT's weren't looking too good, some leaves turned black and they went kinda limp.

Then I realized it was because I wasn't watering them enough, so I thoroughly watered them and nothing new has turned black yet. But a lot had turned black so those two look pretty small now (with just a few stems). So my questions:

1. How do you know how much to water? I keep seeing very wet but not like soaking wet. What the heck is that supposed to mean? Because now I have the two VFT's I mentioned earlier that are recovering, there's one that looks really good, and then the fourth one hasn't been turning black but it just looks limp. I'm mainly concerned that maybe I'm over watering the limp one? How can you tell if they're being over or under watered?

2. One of the pitcher plants is tall and only has about 5 stalks(I believe it's an American pitcher plant). It had brown edges when I got it and it's very slowly becoming more and more brown, so I'm wondering if they're supposed to be browning or if they should be all green and red like the rest of the pitcher.

3. The second pitcher plant looks slightly different in that it's short and wide, but had maybe 20 stalks coming out all over the place. It looks kind of like a cobra but doesn't have that bow tie looking part. The bottom pitchers are turning brown, should I be concerned with this? The box is placed inside so everything doesn't get 360 degree sun but it right up to a huge glass door, so maybe that plant just isn't getting enough sun?

4. Am I just over worrying? Could all of this just be the initial shock from repotting?

Comments (4)

  • taz6122
    14 years ago

    If they could be grown in plain dirt then we wouldn't have to spend the money on sphagnum moss and perlite/silica sand. There are trace amounts of nutrients and minerals in that plain dirt that will kill your plants. Every time you water those minerals are going to leach into your sphagnum so now it's contaminated too. Where are you located in CA and where did the plants come from? If they are going dormant it might be a good idea to bare root them and stick them in the frige. Whatever you do you need to get them out of the dirt.

    To tell if you are over watering tip the pot on one side and if water runs out then you are over watering. If no water runs out and the soil is moist then your doin good. Never let the soil dry out completely.

    These plants need to be outside to receive the signals to go dormant. You can leave them out until temps drop to the lower 30s then unpot them and put if frige. You could leave them out in the pot if it doesn't get too cold there.

  • craziecomrade
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    The thing about the soil is that a 2 of the 4 that should look good still look good. So I don't think the soil is the problem. My main concern was about sunlight and watering. The main reason I'm still keeping them inside is because I'm still transitioning them from inside the store to outside. Also it's been getting really hot midday and I actually put them out one day recently and one of the stalks turned black within a couple hours so I'm going to keep gradually transitioning them.

    Do you really think that VFT's natively grow in moss and sand? They grow in a specific kind of medium in the south that likely is partly composed of dirt. Most growers that have pots use this stuff because it's readily available at the store, not because it's ideal.

  • taz6122
    14 years ago

    In order for you to transition them you have to actually put them outside. Start with one hour and increase by an hour a day until they are out all day. The soil needs to be acidic and nutrient poor. Many of us, like you, thought the soil wasn't that important but you'll find out.

  • buckcity
    14 years ago

    Per the North American Sarracenia Conservancy (link: http://nasarracenia.org/index.php?option=com_deeppockets&task=catContShow&cat=2&id=20&Itemid=33 ,)

    "Sarracenia tend to inhabit permanently wet fens, swamps, and grassy plains. These habitats tend to be acidic with soil made up of sand and Sphagnum moss. Frequently, the soil will be poor in nutrients, often continuously washed clean by moving water...In cultivation, use a soil substrate consisting of some combination of peat moss, washed sand, and perlite. "

    Personally I have seen sarracenia lutea growing in Georgia clay but they need special soil in cultivation.

    Don't forget to use only sterile water or rain water.

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