I'm sure you'll get lots of responses, but African Potting Soil mix is probably not good. I see compost and forest products in some ingredients in typical potting soils for AVs. It sounds like those might kill a VFT. You want sphagnum, sand, and perlite. Just straight sphagnum will work, but I use a combination of those three ingredients. Bottled water may not be good either. Either distilled or RO water is better.

i agree with joe.

vfts like acidic soils. sphagnum peat moss is the best choice with a mix of perlite or sand.

they also like distilled or purified water with no salts or sodium. stay away from tap water, unless the water around your area is pure.

also, when you water a vft, its soil must remain moist during the growing season(late february - late october) the gravel that is set in your dish isn't really neccessary. everytime vfts are watered, it is easier to keep their pots sitting on a 1 1/2 inch of water. this will help the media become moist for a while. they also like the humidity that the moist/wet soil provides for them.

i know not most growers use terra-cota/clay containers since it's known that terracotta/clay releases salts very slowly from time onto the soil. not only that, but also, terracota containers absorbs water that is held by the moist soil. and frequent watering is neccessary if carnivorous plants are growned in these terrarcota containers.

most growers tend to use plastic containers. plastic containers hold water longer than terracota.

hm. you should aquire some sphagnum peat moss and perlite. mix these two 50%+50% mixture and repot your flytraps. it will be a while for them to show sign of growth. if you fail during the attempt, there is no harm to try again.

that's how we learn things in life, by learning from our mistakes. :)

Yep.. Sphagnum peat moss with silica sand and/or perlite. Terracotta pot is ok but will eventually accumulate salts in the clay as water evaporates from the surface. That's not ok in the long run. Bottled drinking water may contain sodium and other minerals. Collect rain water or pick up gallon jugs of distilled water. Flytraps like lots of light but careful not to fry them if they have not been growing in sun prior. Oh yes and that cat is no longer ok and must be tossed pronto!

T

I'd like to add LFS (Long Fibred Sphagnum) as being an excellent growing medium. It is only ~$4-5 for a bag of it. As Tony says, these plants are light lovers. At the moment, though, tour plant is in shock / weakened state, on a variety of levels - cat, water, African violet mix, lack of drainage, and probably inadequate lighting. Ut needs to be nursed back to health, slowly. VFT's do best when getting direct sun outside, but it isn't ready for that right now. Do you have a SW window sill? Can you put it in a plastic pot that drains into a plastic container? I would repot into (rinsed well) LFS or anything else recommended above and put at a SW window sill.

Thanks everyone for the rapid responses. I'm such a noob. As of right now I've placed my VFT in direct sunlight, it's a bit cool now so I've got a clear bag over the pot with some holes in it. I'll be changing the whole set up no later than tomorrow and I'll keep you posted (...should you care). Oh...and to Tonyp...I've tossed the cats over the balcony ; ).

{{gwi:558171}}

hmm.. if it's in direct sunlight, i would remove the plastic bag.. the vfts will wilt! :(

lol no no no.. kitties are just curious creatures. they should just be kept outside so they can run.. did they get hurt from the landing? i doubt it:)

did you get the sphagnum peat moss and repotted your flytraps? i would remove the plastic bag if you are growing them in direct sunlight.. you are basically cooking your flytraps inside the heat of the plastic bag.

when flytraps are growned outside, no dome or sealed terrarium should be used.

i grow my flytraps ouside day and night.. all year round even in winter. it took me a while for me to become successful growing them. i began with 3 flytraps in the beginning.. got a few more.. then i ended up with hundreds of plants!! and seedlings!

what you should do is remove that plastic bag off the flytraps' pot. but you may grow them in bright light. they do indeed love sunlight.

as petiolaris said above, you might need to acclimate your plants slowly, they are in shock, you may acclimate them in bright shade at first, after a week after acclimation, you may grow them again in direct sunlight.

whatever you do, just be patient. if you fail growing them.. well i may send you a plant or two! :)

I wouldn't worry about the cool temps. Risky to cover it and possibly bake it inside the bag in the sun. If they have been in the sun since you got them then some of the bleaching on the plant could be from that. The plant was most likely not getting the proper level of light where you got it. I wouldn't worry too much about that once you get them in some proper potting mix the new leaves will be adjusted to the sun.

T

You guys are awesome! I wasn't sure that I'd get any responses but you guys have been a great help. I replanted my VFT in a new plastic pot that drains into a plastic container along with sphagnum peat moss and perlite. And from now on,... no more Dasani, but is 'Deep Park' spring water ok? Am I supposed to water my VFT from the bottom (by filling the drainage container) or the top? And should I water around the VFT itself, on top of his stems, or directly in the middle? Thanks again everyone, and sorry for the dumb questions. The websites I've been to have been a bit vague and there are way too many posts to go through here.

In case you're curious, the cats survived the landing enough to clean house and apologize for their recent bad behavior. I've since forgiven them and once again we're all hanging out on the balcony ; )

hey carnevoo,

venus' flytraps can be watered any way, as long as their soil is kept moist at all times during the growing season.
there is no such thing as a dumb question when you try to learn about something. that's how we learn, by asking :)

i never tried 'deep park' spring water. flytraps prefered distilled water, rain water, or purified water. as long as is 'sodium' free water then it's fine. good luck with your flytraps :)

The balcony sounds like a nice place to hang out ;>

Spring water may still contain lots of minerals which in time will build up in the soil and damage the roots. You might be able to get bulk water out of one of them machines in the grocery store. As long as it is Reverse Osmosis water then good to go. Either that.. collect rain water or get the gallon jugs that say distilled on them. Walmart and other stores carry them but you may have to look in the pharmacy area or somewhere other than the drinking water aisle.

T

Yep...in general, avoid bottled "drinking/spring waters". It's sually more expensive and sometimes harmful to CPs. I buy RO water (fill your own jugs) at the grocery stores here in MN...about 39 cents a gallon. Distilled water will run you about 79 cents a gallon at Walmart. Rainwater is free and I have a few ways to collect that.

What's RO water?

Reverse Osmosis

What would suggest if I wanted to keep some as a decorative feature in my house (i.e. planter...plastic doesn't do it for me). Could I put it in a big glass jug with an opening on top and maybe rocks or pebbles in the bottom to help with the lack of drainage?

My two cents would be to worry about getting them healthy and keeping them alive first. Plastic doesn't work for you, but it does for the plants! Once you've mastered keeping them alive, you'll have a much better idea what you can get away with as far as decorative features are concerned.

Regarding your bowl idea...sounds like that setup is headed for a green algae slime jug if you ask me. I'd rather have the plastic! ;)

Lol! Thank you for the honesty. I had a feeling that was the sort of response I'd get. They're doing much better now that I've got them in the proper potting mix, pot, and in the sun. They are now beginning to grow in the upward direction rather than just laying there on the soil. The leaves are turning a darker green too.

Carnevoo,
Glazed ceramic pots are a suitable alternative to plastic pots. They're more expensive but they're also more attractive than either plastic or terracotta (IMNSHO).
Andrew

Use distilled water or rain water ONLY. No bottled! Full sun all day outside and don't feed. They will get plenty of food on their own!

Tom

Turning a darker green is a good sign. VFT's also like conditions where the pot drains well. They don't do as well if sitting wet conditions. It also won't encourage root development.

I sense a strong affinity for aethetic taste with how you approach things (just like my wife). You'd probably hate my "ghetto" setup, with my wife's Tupperware (shhhh...), Gladware, yogurt cups and other assorted plastic things she doesn't know about.

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hey petiolaris those are nice plants you got there! NICE collection :)

Thanks! Do you still wanna work out a trade?

hehe, sure, but i do not have any peat moss left! only seeds!!!!!!!!! :)

Just received a bunch of mexi-pings and immediately took a lot of leaf cuttings.

To get your VFT red again just give it more sun. My answers to the other questions have all ready been said.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.cobraplant.com/

Am I supposed to water my VFT from the bottom (by filling the drainage container) or the top? And should I water around the VFT itself, on top of his stems, or directly in the middle?
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I'm not an expert by any means (just have one VFT) but wanted to add a tip on watering that I've learned by trial & error! If you water from the top, be careful not to actually drip water into the open traps, they might think they've caught a meal and snap shut. I've done it a few times and always feel awful about it, my poor little guy wasted a snap because I'm a "noob" (heehee)!

I like to keep the tray under the pot full of water (changing it daily because of all the horrible mosquitos in my yard!), and a few times a day, when there is NO direct sun on the plant, I will spray a really fine mist of water about 2 ft. above it. That way no big fat drops fall into the traps, but the whole thing gets wet.

J

Learning from an individual from Arizona who has been keeping them outside for many years, his recommendation is water from the top and allow the water to drain. As CP's go, VFT's like it a bit drier than most. This in contrast to Sarracenias, which can live in standing water.