FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello everyone!
I'm a first time carnivorous plant mom to a small VFT I named Medusa, received as a gift. I did basically everything wrong care-wise, but against all odds she managed to stay alive and do decently over several months. It was only when I fertilized her along with my other plants (DOH!) and everything started turning black that I went online and learned with horror about all the things I had done wrong. The past several weeks, I've been reading up and trying to rehabilitate, and she seems to be doing better - started growing a super tall flower stalk, and grew some new leaves and little traps. Yesterday I repotted in the Amazon CP soil and a much larger plastic pot, and snipped the flower stalk, which I stuck in the soil also. She is on a very sunny South facing window sill, which I have read here is not ideal, but it has been a cold snowy winter (NY Tristate area) so I didn't want to put her outside. Has anyone had any success with a VFT in a very sunny windowsill indoors, or is it an impossible dream? I do enjoy seeing her in my kitchen throughout the day.

Your description of the plant and the growing conditions says that the plant is throwing up a death flower stalk in hopes of reproducing before it dies. They cannot be grown indoors without significant artificial lights. If you would like to grow something in a sunny window, choose a Drosera capensis.

As far as the soil goes, most of the CP soil sold on Amazon is actually toxic to carnivorous plants.

Welcome to the forum! Yup, VFTs are not great houseplants. There are a good number of us that have tried indoor growing to various degrees of success but they're really much happier outside. BTW, there are other CPs that would love your windowsill - check out drosera (as Panguy suggested) and pinguicula for two.

Hello MedusasMom and welcome to the forum!

We've all gone through the rite of passage of killing our first venus flytrap so don't feel bad if it eventually expires.

Growing it in a south facing windowsill can definitely be done. Try to give it as much direct sun as you can while keeping the soil moist and it should do fine. It may not win any contests but it should survive.

Sounds like you made the right choice about keeping it indoors for the winter as well. They're typically hardy down to ~20F but need some time to prepare and go dormant properly to be able to withstand those temps. Skipping one years dormancy won't kill the plant but if it never gets a dormancy then it'll get weaker and weaker until it eventually expires. Kind of like a college student pulling all-nighters.

I'd also avoid feeding it until it's recovered and looking good. If it traps a bug on its own then don't sweat it but I wouldn't feed it anything yourself since that can be problematic.

Btw, I'm not familiar with Amazon CP Soil ... do you have a link for that?

Panman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 4:19 pm Your description of the plant and the growing conditions says that the plant is throwing up a death flower stalk in hopes of reproducing before it dies. They cannot be grown indoors without significant artificial lights. If you would like to grow something in a sunny window, choose a Drosera capensis.

As far as the soil goes, most of the CP soil sold on Amazon is actually toxic to carnivorous plants.

Really?! Oh no!!! This is the soil I got, based off a recommendation from a CP blog: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1C ... UTF8&psc=1
What should I do? Would love to know what you recommend. Thank you!

evenwind wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 4:21 pm Welcome to the forum! Yup, VFTs are not great houseplants. There are a good number of us that have tried indoor growing to various degrees of success but they're really much happier outside. BTW, there are other CPs that would love your windowsill - check out drosera (as Panguy suggested) and pinguicula for two.

Thank you, I will definitely check them out!

Actually, if it contains what it says it does, then the soil is fine.

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice! I'll give it a little longer on the sill, but now that it's warming up outside, based on the recommendations here I will probably move it outside and look into a more suitable indoor plant. Much as I will miss seeing it throughout the day.

davinstewart wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 4:31 pm Hello MedusasMom and welcome to the forum!

We've all gone through the rite of passage of killing our first venus flytrap so don't feel bad if it eventually expires.

Growing it in a south facing windowsill can definitely be done. Try to give it as much direct sun as you can while keeping the soil moist and it should do fine. It may not win any contests but it should survive.

Sounds like you made the right choice about keeping it indoors for the winter as well. They're typically hardy down to ~20F but need some time to prepare and go dormant properly to be able to withstand those temps. Skipping one years dormancy won't kill the plant but if it never gets a dormancy then it'll get weaker and weaker until it eventually expires. Kind of like a college student pulling all-nighters.

I'd also avoid feeding it until it's recovered and looking good. If it traps a bug on its own then don't sweat it but I wouldn't feed it anything yourself since that can be problematic.

Btw, I'm not familiar with Amazon CP Soil ... do you have a link for that?

When you move it outside, be sure to acclimate it to full sun or the leaves will burn. It will recover, but it is pretty traumatic. Move it out where it gets a couple of hours of sun per day and increase the exposure every couple of days.

Panman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 4:46 pm Actually, if it contains what it says it does, then the soil is fine.

If.

Flytraps can be rather resilient if given the conditions they need. Give it time. Keep a 1/2 inch or so of water in its water tray and let it let go dry for a day or so in between waterings.

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:12 pm If.

Maybe I'm too much of a history nerd but I immediately thought of this: Philip II of Macedon (Al's old man) sent a message to the Spartans saying “If I invade Lakonia you will be destroyed, never to rise again.” The Spartan answer "If."