FlyTrapCare Forums

So last post, I had some issues with new traps not growing properly. That issue was solved after leaving the plant outside as suggested. It has been growing well until just this week, receiving a lot of direct sunlight and water. However, then the soil started to get really moldy/mossy (not sure) on top, the traps, including the petiole started getting very grayish and the petioles became hard (especially near the base). Out of frustration and desperation I cut off all the traps and petioles and removed the moldy/mossy top of the soil. Now it is getting water again, but nothing new is growing so far. Should I toss it? I also some other questions:

A. Is pollen bad for flytraps?
B. How quickly does a flytrap die from not receiving water? It was completely w/o water for roughly 2-3 days with an average temperature of 18~ Celsius. It seems unlikely that it'd turn gray and hard so quickly.
C. Is mold/moss bad? It had green moss, likely from watering (even though it was watered from a tray), and some whitish mold/moss that I don't recognize.
D. When is it time for a new pot / new potting soil? The pot seemed pretty small when the plant was growing to its fullest. I'm wondering if I should've changed the soil once it got mossy and after being underwatered? Could a too small pot have caused this?


These were taken a few days before it started getting worse. It had started regrowing new traps and healthy traps were getting more colorful I wasn't able to get a good image of the white mold/moss, but this is what it looked like before the plant deteriorated: Once, it got worse, it looked about the same but very grayish and stiff/hard. Nothing was really dry or anything except the traps themselves. The petioles got harder the closer they were to the base yet greener.

This is what it looks like now after cutting them off and getting desperate. The traps were all dying and nothing seemed to be growing at all.

If the rhizome is still firm and white, I would try a repot in new soil, spray with a fungicide if you have some and put it back outside.
Pollen is not harmful to my knowledge.
A flytrap would probably not die completely without water for 2 or 3 days but it wouldn't be very happy either, the rhizomes could last a while unless it's really hot like full sun.
VFTs should be repotted every year during dormancy but some say you can go longer without stunting the growth, depends on the soil condition.
Google said that mold and moss are not harmful to plants, but it can indicate overwatering, low light, or root rot.

What media are you using? Did you presoak it before potting? Whatever it is, it looks very dry. Media (peat mix/lfsm) for vft are hydrophobic unless presoaked.