FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello, my B-52 Venus flytrap has been acting strange lately. It's been producing traps that are still very large but they haven't been opening and some are turning black while forming and I have no idea why, I've had it for 3 years and I've never seen this before.
Here are it's growing conditions:
In summer I grow it inside under artificial lighting as I've had issues with squirrels trying to kill my flytraps. I grow my flytraps in a Venus flytrap soil mix that is 2 parts peat, 1 part sphagnum, and 1 part perlite. They get repotted every spring.
In winter the flytraps go outside in a shaded area where they then go dormant for about 4 months, and when they come out out of dormancy they go back inside. And I'm using distilled/rain water and I don't have them constantly sitting in water so the roots don't rot. So I have no clue why this is happening.

I feel like I should mention that I have a good springtail population going so it couldn't be fungus. And it couldn't be rot because the plant isn't slowing down in growth at all or producing smaller traps. They just don't open or die before opening.

Photographs are provided.

Have you seen any fungus gnats? I know their larva tend to only eat seedling roots but maybe this is the problem. Have you put the plant through any kind of stress? What are the temperatures it grows in? Do you water it with distiled water (if the plant has survived for 3 years water is most likely on the reason but maybe you bought water that has to many minerals in it but it still says distiled water on it). Did you get some soil that is not cp friendly (there may be brands of peat that say they are good for vfts but actually contain mineral)?

Please remember that I am a beginner at growing cps and this is just my opinion. It may be wrong.

Anyway, I hope this helped!
Adam

If it is under stress I don't know why because it's growing conditions only change twice a year. I haven't seen any fungus gnats or their larvae. The light it's under makes it's general area around 80°F at night it drops to around 74 because I turn it off. I collect rainwater and test it with a TDS meter before I use it on my plants. Everything I buy is safe for carnivorous plants.
I've ruled out most reasons so I have no idea why this is happening

Carter wrote:Hello, my B-52 Venus flytrap has been acting strange lately. It's been producing traps that are still very large but they haven't been opening and some are turning black while forming and I have no idea why, I've had it for 3 years and I've never seen this before.
Here are it's growing conditions:
In summer I grow it inside under artificial lighting as I've had issues with squirrels trying to kill my flytraps. I grow my flytraps in a Venus flytrap soil mix that is 2 parts peat, 1 part sphagnum, and 1 part perlite. They get repotted every spring.
In winter the flytraps go outside in a shaded area where they then go dormant for about 4 months, and when they come out out of dormancy they go back inside. And I'm using distilled/rain water and I don't have them constantly sitting in water so the roots don't rot. So I have no clue why this is happening.

I feel like I should mention that I have a good springtail population going so it couldn't be fungus. And it couldn't be rot because the plant isn't slowing down in growth at all or producing smaller traps. They just don't open or die before opening.

Photographs are provided.

Do you top water or bottom water? If you bottom (tray) water, when is the last time you top watered? Did you re-pot it this recent spring?

I'm a newbie to CPs, so this is just some observations of mine. From what you've said, the plant is three years old and the new growth does well for a while but as time goes by and the new growth matures the traps do not open and eventually begin to turn black and die. It seems that the rhizome initially produces healthy new growth but as the new growth is exposed to its growing conditions over a longer period of time it begins to fail.

To be healthy, in my mind, the plant needs:
1. A mineral-free growing environment.
2. The proper amount and type of water.
3. The proper growing medium that has good drainage.
4. The proper light in regards to color temperature, intensity, and duration.
5. A period of dormancy.
6. A disease/pest-free environment.
7. An absence of toxic chemicals.

Do you mix your own growing mix? If so, do you rinse the ingredients before using them, especially the perlite? I was shocked recently when I rinsed some perlite...the rinse water turned into a milky white liquid. Perlite isn't easy to rinse, but I'll never use any again without rinsing it.

The "2 parts peat, 1 part sphagnum, and 1 part perlite" mix seems (to my novice mind) like it could be too soggy for indoor growing...sitting out in the hot sun in 90+F temperatures is one thing, but sitting under LED lights indoors at "around 80F" seems a bit cool to be keeping a flytrap very wet. For sundews I would think your mix would work well, but they like it wetter than flytraps.

"Everything I buy is safe for carnivorous plants." Actually, you *believe* everything is safe. There has been instances where there has been regular, retail-bagged potting soils (some major brands like Miracle-Gro) that were found to contain herbicides in them that caused plant damage. The cycle of applying pesticides to pastures and hayfields and even on grain crops finds its way into manures and composts. We like to think peat and "natural" things are safe, but they're at the mercy of human influence. Even bottled distilled water can sometimes be "off" a bit. There are no absolutes in regards to purity of things.

Having been growing this plant for three years and suddenly it starts doing badly I would look for *anything* that might be different. A different batch of growing medium or ingredients (even it its the same brands and types)? A different mixture of ingredients, ratio-wise? A different brand of distilled water? Different height of lights. Different lights? Catching water from a different area of the roof or a different roof? Any pesticide use in the general area of where they were located outdoors during dormancy? A new pot?

You mentioned "flytraps" as if you have multiple VFTs growing. Other than the B-52, how are the other flytraps doing? And, are they being grown in the same conditions, medium, etc.,.

One thing you might do is to do a heavy top watering, collect the drain water, and check the TDS of it.

I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, just giving you food-for-thought so you can maybe do some brainstorming and revisit the different aspects of the plants culture. If nothing has changed the plant wouldn't be acting differently, so something *must* have changed...either its environment has changed or there is a sudden appearance of some kind of pest (bugs, fungus, bacteria, disease, chemical, whatever). The plant didn't make up its own mind to start killing off new leaves...something changed that's causing this.

Just a lame-brained, newbie "tome" (as a friend has recently described my writing...I just refer to it as being "OCD Me"! ).
Best wishes!!!

Yes I've trimmed them off