FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello! Fairly new to carnivorous plants and looking for advice on watering and/or growing medium.

My VFTs are all potted in LFS. The LFS is staying really moist for days, except on the surface, which is drying out quickly. Still, when I press a bit deeper, it’s really saturated.

I previously shared a photo of one VFT that was struggling and turning black, and the advice I got was to not over-water. I’ve been using the tray method, and have been cutting back some and also bringing my plants under cover when it rains now; they’re outside, and we’ve been getting a LOT of rain lately.

But I guess I’m just wondering about any tips for keeping VFT in LFS appropriately hydrated without over-watered. When I do put water in the tray, they drink it up quickly. But even when I go a day or so without adding any water, they are staying really moist.

Should I consider switching to perlite/peat? I shouldn’t need to repot until fall, but I’m thinking I may just be struggling with the LFS, and wonder if there’s any benefit to repotting sooner with a different media. Or, is there a secret to keeping the LFS the “Goldilocks” standard of not too wet, not too dry?

Thank you so much for any advice and suggestions! I want to learn!

I’ve always grown mine in 50:50 peat and sand. It stays wet, yet the water drains quickly. I don’t keep them in standing water unless I am away for the weekend. However, if you watch a lot of YT videos, quite a lot of growers keep their plants in water all of the time. So, it is really hard to say if it is bad or not.

Hello,
I would have it in an inch of water on a tray, but this could vary based on plant size, pot size etc. I typically place my vft's that are in smaller pots in 1/2 inch of water to 1 inch of water, and let the tray dry in between watering. For larger pots like 5 or 6 inch pots, I put in 1 inch of water or more, and also let the tray dry. Since it is in LFSM, the sphagnum will hold a lot of water, so I guess you could let the tray go dry for a 2-3 days before watering again. I have my flytraps in these conditions and they have been doing great. You could switch to peat and perlite, but LFSM will work just fine. LFSM also supposedly helps flytraps grow faster.

Happy growing!

I would only use a water trey for peat/perlite. LFSM is like a sponge and will just rot if you leave it in water long term.

not a bad 1st pitcher

One thing most people don't consider when discussing watering is the size of the pot. A taller pot can sit in a tray of water with a higher water level. A shorter pot my not be able to sit in water. I do keep some flytraps in 2 inch pots in a water tray. I add 1/2 inch of water and wait until the tray is dry and the medium is no longer soggy before watering again. I also top water those pots so that it will help draw oxygen to the roots.

Generally, in summer stand in water to no more than a third of the pot height, let the level lower to near the bottom of the pot before refilling the tray.

HOW MUCH WATER IS TOO MUCH WATER?

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Mon May 13, 2024 1:08 pm HOW MUCH WATER IS TOO MUCH WATER?
Jr_overwatered_flytraps.jpg

Looks like me when I leave the water trough filling overnight.