Question
Hi
I am giving my Flytraps alt of sunlight and only using rain water. Should i keep them in a tray with water? I live in western Pennsylvania near the Pittsburgh area. Some of my flytraps traps are turning black and some are green but starting to shrivel up.  Should i just leave them alone?,or should i cut these traps off? If so,how much do i cut? Should i only cut the black or shriveled traps off? Or should i cut the stem of the black traps off also? Please let me know.
Thanks for your help.

Answer
There are six primary reasons why one or more traps would turn black--

1. Natural old age -- Venus Flytrap leaves, like all leaves, have a limited lifespan. The older traps furthest from the central growing point of the rosette will die at some point, and at that time the dry brown or black parts of the trap can be cut off. Leave the green parts because they continue to photosynthesize from sunlight to produce food for the plant.

2. Being too dry or sunburned -- If the sunlight is intense, the weather hot, a stiff breeze is blowing and/or the growing medium not sufficiently moist or the roots not sufficiently developed to be able to keep the whole plant hydrated under stressful drying conditions, some of the leaves may dry and blacken, perhaps just along the edges of the leaf, or perhaps the whole leaf.

3. Being too wet and getting fungal or bacterial rot -- The leaves, and especially the roots and rhizome (the "bulb" underground) of a Venus Flytrap are susceptible to rot from fungus and bacteria if the growing medium is always too wet. It is best and healthier for Venus Flytraps to grow them uniformly moist, not wet all the time, and to discard the drained water. Water thoroughly when you do water, but then allow the medium to dry until just moist before watering thoroughly again.

4. Chemical burn from too many dissolved mineral salts in the growing medium or water -- If the water is just pure water with nothing added, such as rainwater or distilled water, and the growing medium is a typical nutritionless mix for carnivorous plants, then this is unlikely to be a problem. However, the growing medium must be flushed with water from time to time and the drained water discarded, to avoid a slow buildup of soluble material in the growing medium.

5. Freezing -- If the temperature gets below freezing, some or all of the leaves may die, although the roots and rhizome may be fine and the plant may grow new leaves. It is best to avoid freezing temperatures.

6. Dormancy -- If the plant is going into its winter dormancy, starting sometime in mid to late fall, or was not given its usual winter dormancy, it may grow very slowly and weakly and most of the leaves may die. A Venus Flytrap needs its yearly rest period where it barely grows at all, but the green leaves continue to use sunlight to photosynthesize food for the plant, which is stored underground in the rhizome for a nice food supply when the plant decides to emerge from dormancy in Spring and begin to grow vigorously again.

Venus Flytraps need lots of fresh air and plenty of light in order to flourish. They are not bog or swamp plants as is commonly assumed, but rather usual grow a little higher than the water table in sandy soil, near but not in the water. They need well-drained soil that contains about as much air as water.

For more and better answers to your Venus Flytrap care questions, please join the FlytrapCare.com Forum and post your questions along with a photo or two of your plant. You will receive a lot of good suggestions and comments.

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