Question
         I have two venus fly traps that have died down to no traps. I took them
out of their pots exposing their rhizome and roots. The roots looked good
and their rhizomes were very hard and white- MOST OF THE RHIZOME. I did
notice on one of them they had a litle section on the rhizome that was soft
and brown. I guess this is some rot. Does rot spread? Probably 3/4 of
rhizome was very hard and white.  I am not sure if I should've done this or
not, but I took a pair of small scissor and tried to remove rotten part of
rhizome.  The tips of rhizome were brown too a little, so I cut them off.
     Is it ok to cut the rhizome? Whe I cut the bad sections off, I accidentally
made a slice into the healthy portion of rhizome, so i cut it off b/c I thought if
I left the slice the rhizome would rot more.  Then I accidentally made another
slice into another healthy portion of rhizome.  I left that slice, b/c I didn't
know if I should keep cutting the rhizome. I hope the slice doesn't rot now.  I
forgot to spray the venuses with my fungicide spray before I repotted them in  
fresh soil.  I didn't disinfect the pot.  I maybe should have.  I just rinsed it
with warm water.  Later on that day, I saw mold again growing on the other
venus. I pulled it off with a toothpick.  
       Should I spray them with the fungicide? I don't want to disturb them
again.  If I was to spray them, I was going to just open the soil up around
them (not take them out again) and spray down towards the rhizome. Since
my venus has rot, is it ok to use a wet fungicide spray on it? I don't have a
fungicide powder.  I read some people use a powder for this problem.
        Last question- what do you use to disinfect your plant stuff (pots,
scissors (etc)).  I keep hearing different things- bleach, alcohol, soap and
water.  I sometimes use alcohol on my scissor and other times I use soap and
water.  I don't usually disinfect my pots. I just rinse them out with hot water.  
When I do disinfect them, I use soap and water and wash it off very good
afterwards.

Answer
Hi Ellen,

Thank you for providing these details.  However, there are a few details missing, such as the method in which you were using to grow your flytraps (sunlight, water, soil) and where you live.  This information is critical to properly assess your situation.  While I can at least address the issue of using fungicides, it may be in vain if the lighting, water and soil are inadequate.

If you notice that your flytraps are rotting out, definitely spray them with a fungicide.  Use a sulfur-based fungicide, either in powder or in solution.  Safer?makes an excellent prepared solution of it.  Use it as directed on the bottle.

You may also need to repot your plant in fresh soil to remove any fungal spores from the plant.  Use a mix of 1 part sphagnum peat moss and 1 part perlite.

The main issue to ask is why did the rotting occur in the first place.  Again, this might be from inadequate lighting, water and/or soil.  Since you didn't provide this information, I can't comment on them right now.

To sanitize your old pots and garden tools, you can place them in a dishwasher.  I've done this on numerous occasions.  Otherwise, you can just soak them in a large tub of bleach solution (1 tablespoon per gallon).  Soak the pots for a minimum of two minutes.  Otherwise the method you're using is fine.

If you want to post a follow-up question regarding your flytrap, I certainly invite you to do so.  Please make sure to include your growing method and your location.  For general information about growing flytraps, please read our care sheet online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin