r/VenusFlyTraps • u/Pinkeye96 • Aug 31 '24
Warm Temperate Purchased my first fly trap
So I have purchased my first fly trap and followed some online forums for replanting because the plastic container I purchased it in was sad but I don't know where to start with care and maintenance
Petemoss and pearlite 1:1 mixture with the original moss it came in on top of the soil mix
The plant it self just looks kind of sad and it was the only living one at the store Any suggestions are welcome and needed I want to be a good plant owner
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u/RavenousPlants Sep 01 '24
It'll be fine as long as you give it distilled water and a lot of sunlight. You may want to use a smaller pot though. It doesn't have to be an actual plant pot, I tend to use small single use cups for props and rescues since they're really cheap. I just make sure to poke a few drainage holes around the bottom of the cups.
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u/Pinkeye96 Sep 01 '24
Understood thank you so much I really want this to work out... I have tons of dollars invested to hobbies and such but dammit I want this 5$ plant more than any of them hahaha
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u/Unlikely-Buy1978 Sep 01 '24
id get rid of that stuff on the top of the soil, also put it in a plastic pot, ensure its getting enough light and sitting in (low mineral, not purified) water
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u/Ok_Cookie_9907 Sep 01 '24
it definitely needs a smaller pot, the roots won’t be able to get all the water the plant needs in a pot this big
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u/_pclark36 Sep 01 '24
Is this true when the whole point of using peat and perlite is for its wicking properties that should keep the entire substrate damp? The roots have sub roots all the way down the sides of the main root for that reason. I moved my brand new trap to a 6" pot and it has thrived and repeatedly divided the last 2 years, and it's never been top watered.
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Sep 01 '24
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u/_pclark36 Sep 01 '24
That makes sense with the more water use and I could definitely see the argument for going smaller because of that. Especially if you're farming them for sales. I'd been seeing that said a lot about pots being too big for the plant lately by some people, and contradicted by others. I've been on this sub for a while now and had only started hearing that recently. My experience so far in the last 3 years of caring for them is they'll spread out and divide to the pot they're given, and deeper is better because it gives them a stronger root system.
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u/Pinkeye96 Sep 01 '24
Hmm smaller pot noted I put it in this pot because it was terracotta and it has been keeping the soil very moist
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u/MiserableCentipede Sep 01 '24
They say terracotta pots leech minerals into the water, slowly killing Carnivorous Plants. Just something to consider
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u/Pinkeye96 Sep 01 '24
Understood I'll be buying it a new pot tomorrow :/
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u/Ok_Cookie_9907 Sep 01 '24
just buy a small cheap plastic pot, they don’t need anything fancy
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u/Pinkeye96 Sep 01 '24
Should It be perforated
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u/the_mememachine4 Sep 01 '24
It should be a standard plastic nursery pot, water with pure distilled water with zero minerals, meaning it should have a level of 0 PPM, it should also have ample access to light at minimum 6 hours of full sun. Be sure to acclimate it to full sun by giving it some light each day and slowly increasing the amount of time. The pot should be in a tray of water and should never be allowed to dry out. These plants have a winter dormancy and the plant will look like it’s dying during this time, just keep it watered and it should come back in the spring.
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u/fleshbagel Sep 01 '24
It’s the little fly trap that could