Question
hey guys my name is brandon and i live on the west coast in southern
california. i had a couple of questions. my first question is: i recently bought a
venus flytrap(forgive me, im not sure of the scientific name of it) but it was
doing fine and now i keep it outside on my front porch which gets 6hrs+ of
eastern light and it is growing new leaves rapidly and now it is also starting to
grow a flower stalk. well as it grows new leaves it seems like a lot of the
leaves are browning up and dieing quickly. i bought the plant in what i think is
peat moss and perlite and i havnt repotted it and im noticeing like some
darker colored moss around the base of the plant. is this fungus? and if so
what should i do?repot it? spray a sulfer based fuguscide? because im sort
of a novice at growing carniorous plants and i dont want to do anything
stupid and kill my plant. and did i mention im only 15? haha
thank you in advance, and i love your webcite and podcasts!

Answer
Hi Brandon,

Good for you for growing your flytrap outdoors!  That's definitely one of the essential requirements for a healthy flytrap.

Without seeing the plant, it's difficult to ascertain what the "dark moss" really is.  It wouldn't hurt the plant to treat it as if it were fungus, but lets hold off on that until we know for sure.  Fungus doesn't normally cause the symptoms you've described.  Usually the attack is very sudden and the plant dies quickly.

From what you're describing, something is definitely amiss.  It could either be in the soil or the water.  If you purchased the plant from us, then your plant is in peat moss and perlite.  If you purchased it from the hardware store, then the soil could be anyone's guess.  If that's the case, you should repot it in a fresh mix.

The other issue is water.  Are you using tap water?  While it's possible to use tap water, you should have your water tested first to make sure it's low in minerals.  The symptoms you've described is consistent with mineral buildup.  If this is the case, you'll need to repot the plant in fresh soil and start using distilled water.

If you need further assistance, please upload a photograph and provide information about how you're watering your plant and where you got your plant from.  This will help me point you in the right direction.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin