FlyTrapCare Forums

Hey.

Unusual question but I just ordered a VFT for the first time through mail and the order hasnt moved from the country's customs for a couple of days.

I was wondering how many days, more or less, they can spend in total darkness until it starts to affect them badly.

It is bothering me and needed a little of reassurance to tranquilize my mind.

Cheers!

I should be able to answer that question soon. On a whim, I bought 20 inexpensive flytraps from an eBay seller in Slovakia. They've been in transit for 30 days now, should arrive by this weekend (I hope).

It is not really how long it can go without light. You should be more worried about temperature, handling, and humidity. If they are exposed to extreme heat and cold in a flimsy cardboard box, they will perish. Certain delivery companies enjoy throwing boxes, and damaging the plant. If the plant runs dry, you have a plant that will defiantly not be revivable. The actual time is not computable. Depends on the packing job and temperature, weather, company, and humidity the box is out through.

JoaoBM wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 12:24 am Hey.

Unusual question but I just ordered a VFT for the first time through mail and the order hasnt moved from the country's customs for a couple of days.

I was wondering how many days, more or less, they can spend in total darkness until it starts to affect them badly.

It is bothering me and needed a little of reassurance to tranquilize my mind.

Cheers!

Judging by your name I guess you're Brazilian. Brazil has quite strict quarantine laws due to the existance of one of the most beautiful ecosystems on the planet (la amazona), they also have tepuis, maybe getting Graomongolensis, Magnifica, and Heliamphora is not too hard for you, sounds like paradise. If you happen to be Portuguese, Portugal has requirements much like the EU and US, and is relatively fast (since it's part of the EU).

If you don't have a phytosanitary certificate, it could be a lot longer. I wouldn't expect plants to be in the mail for too long and be OK. However, I have sent packages that the Postal Service had delayed for 3 weeks, and the delicate plants arrived alive. VFT's can survive without light in the mail for about 14 days, in my experience, more so if they were shipped dormant.

That said, Brazil is a hot country. I hope your plants do well. If anything, try reaching out to your nearest Customs agency and asking how the order is doing.

MikeB wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 2:26 am I should be able to answer that question soon. On a whim, I bought 20 inexpensive flytraps from an eBay seller in Slovakia. They've been in transit for 30 days now, should arrive by this weekend (I hope).

Oof, fingers crossed for your little plants! Hope they survived the trip.

Benny wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 2:46 am It is not really how long it can go without light. You should be more worried about temperature, handling, and humidity. If they are exposed to extreme heat and cold in a flimsy cardboard box, they will perish. Certain delivery companies enjoy throwing boxes, and damaging the plant. If the plant runs dry, you have a plant that will defiantly not be revivable. The actual time is not computable. Depends on the packing job and temperature, weather, company, and humidity the box is out through.

Makes sense! I live in Portugal and have bought it from a nursery in UK.
The nursery seems experienced at mailing CPs from what I can see.

I'll stay positive in the meanwhile. Thanks for the reply!

hungry carnivores wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 2:49 am
Judging by your name I guess you're Brazilian. Brazil has quite strict quarantine laws due to the existance of one of the most beautiful ecosystems on the planet (la amazona), they also have tepuis, maybe getting Graomongolensis, Magnifica, and Heliamphora is not too hard for you, sounds like paradise. If you happen to be Portuguese, Portugal has requirements much like the EU and US, and is relatively fast (since it's part of the EU).

If you don't have a phytosanitary certificate, it could be a lot longer. I wouldn't expect plants to be in the mail for too long and be OK. However, I have sent packages that the Postal Service had delayed for 3 weeks, and the delicate plants arrived alive. VFT's can survive without light in the mail for about 14 days, in my experience, more so if they were shipped dormant.

That said, Brazil is a hot country. I hope your plants do well. If anything, try reaching out to your nearest Customs agency and asking how the order is doing.

Close one!
Portuguese actually .
I ordered from a nursery in UK and is stuck at "Langley HWDC" since last Thursday.

Thanks for the informative reply! I will give it until the end of this week to start contacting someone. Their website says the international shipment plan used on my package takes 3-5 working days to arrive.

Let's hope for the best. Cheers!

Perfect! I supposed you were Brazilian due to a lot of Brazilians owning CP's. Lucky for you, Portugal has less-strict quarantine. In the future, I suggest you order from somewhere like BestCarnivorousPlants.net, as they can supply phytosanitary certificates, and are located in the EU. Since you're Schengen, you can consider yourself blessed, as we Americans have to go through lengthy import processes and shipping from these labs in Europe.

In the future I would consider ordering from an European Lab, as they are always cheap. If you order from Wistuba, you could even land a Nepenthes Rajah Large for 45 euros! (In the states, they go for 200-300).

Anyhow good luck and happy growing! I hope your VFTs survive the journey.

.... a lot longer than they would be able to survive inside a female package!




[...OK, maybe I should switch to decaf?]

My 20 Venus flytraps from Slovakia arrived today. The plants were packed 10 to a bag, with a slightly damp paper towel wrapped around the roots. They are not happy about spending 30 days in the dark. The seller didn't spray them with anything, and I'm surprised by the lack of mold. Here they are cleaned up. And here are all of the dead leaves that I trimmed off. Right now, the plants look more like bean sprouts than flytraps. I can't pot them for another day-and-a-half, so I put some rainwater in the tray and set it in indirect light near a south-facing window.

It's going to take some work, but I think I can salvage all of them. I've learned my lesson, and I won't do this again. The shipping ordeal was very rough on the plants. It would have been better for them if they had been sold to someone in Europe.

Man, that's kind of depressing. Sorry. Was there something special about these VFTS to make you order them from so far away? It's crazy how they survived that journey with a month in the dark. Hope you get them going again.

They look quite viable! Amazing the abuse these plants can take.

Please post a follow-up picture in about a month -- I bet they take off.

ApgarTraps wrote: ↑Fri May 29, 2020 4:23 amThey look quite viable! Amazing the abuse these plants can take.

Flytraps are much more resilient than most people realize.

ApgarTraps wrote:Please post a follow-up picture in about a month -- I bet they take off.

You're reading my mind. I'm going to pot them tomorrow morning and then find a shady place to put them outside. It's very warm and muggy at my location right now. That should go a long way toward speeding their recovery. After they green up a bit, I can start acclimating them back to direct sun.

I guess I'm searching the "old thread graveyard" today.

@MikeB, Mike, how did the pale flytraps turn out?

@JoaoBM, did your flytraps make it to you? Alive? (if you're still around)

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:25 pm @MikeB, Mike, how did the pale flytraps turn out?

Every single plant survived their ordeal.

Freshly potted 10 weeks later

Wow! What a transformation!!!!

Thanks for the follow-up!!