FlyTrapCare Forums

time to collect empty bottles in the alleys so you can buy a gallon of distilled water from your super market.

D: Hey guys. I've been taking care of my Venus Flytrap, adjusting him to the sun and all that. Two sunburned heads have turned black and there's another one on the way. A new trap is beginning to mature. However, my plant still looks very sad and droopy. Is this normal? About how long should he take to start recovering?

EDIT:

@ Adam - XDD; Think my mom would notice if I started taking some water bottles from the fridge?

VFTs grow quite slowly if the conditions aren't really good. Patience is needed. Lots of sun, lots of pure water and it'll be just fine.

Wow- I've also just bought my first plant- exactly 1 week ago, and have pretty much the exact same experience. I was thinking the wilting leaves and traps closing were due to overwatering (it's in a pure sphagnum moss medium- not my first choice as I tend to over-water to begin with).

Thanks all for the responses. This thread has really helped me out, even if I wasn't the one asking the questions

@ Adam - Alright. Are there any signs of recovery or getting worse that I should look for?

@ Angel - OTL I'm glad I'm not alone in my cluelessness. I hope that your plant gets better, too!

The new growth should be nice and solid with no deformities. Your droopy leaves may revive a bit if watering was the problem. It's going to take a couple of weeks to see signs of improvement.

Thanks a lot for all the info Adam. It's been a huge help to know things probably aren't beyond repair, and to know a few of the things I should be doing to care for the little guy.

It's amazing how ALL of the literature I've come across has said high humidity high light and warm temperatures, and yet NONE of it said to acclimatize your plant slowly to it's new home. I picked mine up from a florist in a mall- so it hadn't seen natural light in I don't know how long, and the sphagnum medium was DRENCHED. I took it home, put it in a bright window, and now I'm finding out I may have given it a sunburn by trying to do exactly what everyone recommends

Which is why, I'm grateful I found this site, and specifically this thread where others have asked the exact questions that were on my mind.

Don't worry too much about sunburn. I've done that to my plants before by being impatient and they all respond by sending up new, acclimatized leaves soon after!

Adam wrote:Don't worry too much about sunburn. I've done that to my plants before by being impatient and they all respond by sending up new, acclimatized leaves soon after!

Yup, me too!

Hurrah for learning from mistakes

Dystopia- good luck with your new addition. We'll keep each other company in our learning

So this morning I get up and move my plant to get it's morning sun (if I'm home for the day it can move around in sunny window patches ) and I find that ALL of the leaves are now totally droopy and withered looking. I know that over-watering and under-watering often will show the same symptoms. Yesterday I had assumed it had been overwatered as it was DRENCHED, and had been for the entire week it was in my house (even though I hadn't really watered it), so I set up a fan in the room to increase air circulation to help dry out the medium a bit. Now it's damp, but even the new-forming leaves are droopy and sad looking. Is it normal for things to look like they are getting worse before they get better? I haven't let it dry out completely, and I'm trying to cut down't it's humidity gradually as it came in a little humidity cup- but I've been airing it out more and more, and now have it out of the cup entirely and just on a humidity tray..... If it's just the sunburn turining the traps and mature leaves yellow/brown I know it'll be ok, but now I'm worried about water levels. URGH!!!!

first of all has your plant been acclimate to sunlight? if not it's prob best to do that

allen,

Don't worry too much. If the plant has been kept too wet for too long, its roots won't be very well developed (or some of them may have rotted). So you have to carefully water it for a while. Never let it dry out, but don't keep it soggy all the time and try to let it dry out between waterings as much as you think you can without causing too much harm. "Droopy" is not too bad, but if you notice that the leaves are losing their gloss, then they may be a little too dry. In that case, sometimes spraying with a mister is sufficient instead of watering, if the medium is still moist. If the plant is droopy and the medium feels very dry, then by all means water it with distilled or rain water, but then let it dry out until the leaves are droopy again and the medium is just moist, before you water it again. You'll have to be a little vigilant, but that will produce a healthier plant in the long run.

Remember, if the plant was stressed, you will have to be a little careful to acclimate it to several things at the same time: less humidity (it was 100% humidity in its little "death dome"), less constantly wet, and more sun. The plant will adjust just fine if you don't go to extremes to "help" it. If you go from one extreme to another and wear yourself out from worry, the plant will suffer too.

So just relax a little, make sure it has enough water not to dry up completely so that it doesn't have "an excuse to die," slowly allow it to have more and more sun, don't worry about the humidity (the plant will adapt), and even if some of the leaves around the edge die, that's fine so long as you notice healthy new green growth in the center. That growth will be less "leggy" (less long and weak), more robust and adapted better to your environment.

Post pictures if you can. They may help everyone to help you.

Steve's right. You should post some photos showing the plant and the conditions it's grown in. Many people here will be able to help you a lot more.

*sigh*

Came home from work today, and the plant had bit it Roots had rotted away to nothing, despite trying to let it get to slightly damp before watering again. It just sat at soggy for too long to begin with I think

But I refuse to give up. I'm considering this a learning curve, so I've already found myself another plant. Made sure it had lots of new growth on it so it was healthy when I got it. Keeping a better eye on moisture levels to ensure it's not too soggy, yet staying damp, and trying to not sunburn it by introducing it to natural light slower than I did the last one. Here's hoping

I was going to post up pics tonight of the sicky.... but now there's no point. I will try to get pics up of the new one though.

Dystopia- I hope you have more luck than I did.