Question
Venus fly trap
Hi there,
I'd just bought a venus fly trap from a carnivorous plant nursery in my country here in New Zealand. It is currently winter here and the plants I presume are experiencing dormancy. The plant that I'd received only have 4 traps with several dead ones around it. The biggest trap is slowly turning black and yellow around the sides of the leave... I'd attached a photo to you here. Is this normal? Is winter a good time to repot venus fly traps as I plan to do so.. since the pot is a bit small for its size. I also found 2 small venus fly traps around the main fly trap plant. Should I pull them out and plant them in their own pots?
Regards
Francis
AnswerVenus Flytraps' leaves, like the leaves of all plants, have a limited lifespan. They turn yellow, then brown, then dry and black as they die. Any dead leaves or dry and blackened parts of leaves can be carefully trimmed off.
When Venus Flytraps become dormant, they don't stop growing completely, but they grow much more slowly and the leaves are smaller and more prostrate (ground-hugging). During dormancy the older leaves often die while very little new growth occurs, so it almost looks as though the entire plant is dying, but that is not the case.
Even during dormancy Venus Flytraps photosynthesize and produce and store food for the following season's growth, so it is important to give them plenty of light during dormancy, but their water use and need is very greatly diminished, so they should not be watered often, and only when they have dried to just barely moist before watering thoroughly and letting them dry out until just moist again.
The ideal time to repot is just before Venus Flytraps emerge from dormancy in Spring, but they can be repotted at any time of the year. If you repot the plant now, water thoroughly the first time, then wait between waterings until the growing medium (the "soil") is just slightly moist before watering again, to help avoid the rot and occasional plant death that can occur if the plant is both too cold and too wet at the same time for too long.
I would take the 2 smaller plants and pot them up together or separately in different pots than the larger plant.
Dormancy can be tricky for new growers. For many helpful suggestions, information, comments and answers to questions, you might benefit from joining a carnivorous plant forum such as the FlytrapCare.com Forum--
http://flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/
Best wishes,
Steve
