Question
Plant with burnt or de
I live in Tucson, Arizona, and I recently purchased a Venus Fly Trap at a Frys Grocery Store. Now I understand they are usually very weak and need light so I have it placed under a compact fluorescent bulb and a 75w "grow plant" bulb, and I do have it a plastic container with holes sitting in about 1 1/2" or so of water so that it keeps its humidity high, but I believe I may still be burning it. Its constantly producing new growth, but most of it begins to brown or blacken from the ends before it grows completely. I think it could also be because its not getting enough light, but I go to school for several hours during the day and I'm worried about putting it outside for that many hours unattended (live in a desert). I guess my questions are:
If I live in arizona, how can I get a VFT to grow outside?
Can it grow without being in a plastic container?
How does dormancy work for Venus Fly Traps in the desert when temperature conditions are very extreme during the winter, with +75 degrees during the day and always 40 or under at night?
Is refrigerator dormancy the best idea for me?
If my plant is producing healthy green growth, but it usually begins to blacken or brown around the edges before it finishes developing, what could be going wrong? (burning, lack of light, too much humidity/water?)
What are the best bulbs to purchase if I need to grow it indoors? how many bulbs?
sorry for such a long paragraph, but I thought the more descriptive I am, the better for your answer. thanks
AnswerHello Chris,
Compact florescent bulbs often burn rather hot as compared to florescent tubes, so if the plant is very close to the bulbs, it could be getting cooked.
How tall is the pot the plant is in? 1 1/2 inches of water would not be bad for a 5 inch pot, but would be a bit much for a 4 inch pot. The general rule is 1/4 the pot depth in water for some species of carnivorous bog plants such as Venus Flytraps and sundews.
Be cautious about the soil and past care the plant has had. If it has been watered with tap water before you got it, or repotted in fertilized mix, it will suffer and die a rather quick death within a couple of weeks. Best bet would be to repot it in sphagnum peat moss and pelite in a 1/1 mix and ensure the mix is not fertilized product if you suspect that the plant has tainted soil by now.
Venus Flytraps do best when they have been given a proper adaptation period to low humidity and allowed to grow open pot. Just punch some holes in the cover every three days until it no longer holds in humidity and remove it after two weeks or so. They can adapt to humidity as low as 15 percent and tolerate temperatures up to 100 degrees. If your zone is too hot and too arid, you might have to try the plant indoors. An overlarge tray under the pot, perhaps 2-4 inches wider than the pot, will give the plant some ambient humidity. The humidity dome just keeps the plant from getting enough light. As for indoor growing, I advise against it, however; some people simply have no recourse. I have several indoors under 4 40 watt florescent shop light tubes 4-5 inches from the lights and sitting in a south facing window. The artificial lights are on for 16 hours a day. My Flytraps are flowering and multiplying under those conditions.
The refrigerator can work for dormancy, however; so can a cold window sill. The less the plant is placed in an enclosed space, the better. Sit the plant right against a cold window sill during winter and it should be fine, even if the temperature varies some. I generally use an ice chest with frozen water bottles around the pots and leave the chest open by day in a window, closed by night... replacing the bottles every 12 hours. It takes more work, but it keeps the refrigerator clear, the plants healthier and fungus free, and I can control and vary the temperature at will to feel more natural to the plants. Typically dormancy for Flytraps occurs around 60-40 degree temperatures, lower in nature, but in pots you will want to keep the temperature over freezing, so 40 degrees works best. The temperature really is not the main factor in dormancy, sunlight is. Short winter days causes the plants to get ready for cold weather and makes them slow down in growth. The cold weather completes the process and puts the plants to sleep until longer days and warmer weather returns.
Christopher
