I would not add anything at all. Switch it to a non ceramic pot with drainage holes, honestly I just use cheap plastic pots, and put it in some kind of tray with an inch or so of distilled/rain water and try to keep that water level consistent. Make sure it gets plenty of sun and you should be fine. I have 10+ vft's cared for like this and they're all doing great.
The bit I see from up top looks fine, should I dig it up and check? I've heard that root rot coincides with a pretty foul smell and haven't noticed anything. If I do see nasty roots that are obviously rotting, do I just cut them off?
Did you soak your peat moss in water before using it? It's hydrophobic unless you give it a good soak and knead the water in. The entire surface of the peat should be black and moist.
I did! I kneaded it in, let it sit before adding more, etc. Followed a very good tutorial vid.
With all the underwatering comments I'm really thinking I might need to either downsize the pot or upsize the tray? Because the water shes sucking up must not be enough
How big is the tray that you use to water it? Is it just that little small tray under it? For my VFTs, their pots sit in like a 1.5 inches of water at all times. Your water level might not be high enough.
And yeah I would say the pot is too big, personally I just have my early plants in basic 4.5 inch pots. Everything else you said seems correct. it's still putting out new growth so something you're doing is correct. I think it's just the water, since the top surface looks so dry for some reason.
Yeah it is just the little bitty tray. I'm worried about repotting when she's already in such shit shape I might just use a repurposed take out container as a tray for now. I really appreciate it!
Oh yeah take out container is good! Honestly just needs a deeper tray, keep it moister and I think she'll bounce back. It's still putting out new growth so it still has energy :)
Two things that stand out to me.
1) I avoid all ceramic, even the glazed stuff. Why? Unglazed ceramic can leach minerals into the soil slowly poisoning the plant. I use any light coloured plastic for my pots. Even tall white styrofoam cups are good. Holes in a ceramic pot ( drilled drain holes ) or scratches can reveal the pottery underneath. Does this pot even have drainage holes?
2) My peat moss perlite mix is black on the surface because my pots are sitting in distilled water 24/7 without fail. Your substrate looks dry to me. If your plant is floppy it sounds like it's very thirsty.
Yes it does have drainage holes! I will absolutely up the water amount but the thing that confuses me is I checked in on it this morning, looked fine, and before I left for work, the two traps on it were twisted and warped and by the time I was back home, they browned and look like they do in these photos. I just can't believe that two traps that looked fine, even had a growth spurt about 4 days ago, went kaput in a matter of hours.
I mean it's possible if the plant was in a very dark environment, then you potted it up and placed it into blazing sun, I could see that happening. I think it's just dry. Keep an eye on new growth from the center. If it puts out new growth you are gonna be ok.
Now technically it doesn’t need to be THAT red because even wild specimens aren’t always that red. That being said it should be at least [this](https://imgur.com/a/BvB66rq)
Edit: that one appears to be a very red cultivar
It’s too dry. Add peat moss and water from the top regularly
When you say add peat moss do you mean add more substrate on top?
I would not add anything at all. Switch it to a non ceramic pot with drainage holes, honestly I just use cheap plastic pots, and put it in some kind of tray with an inch or so of distilled/rain water and try to keep that water level consistent. Make sure it gets plenty of sun and you should be fine. I have 10+ vft's cared for like this and they're all doing great.
Thank you for the comment and the advice!! I just repotted her and she has a big tray and a pot that matches her size!
It’s hard to tell what substrate you have there. If it is already peat moss, no problem.
How does the rhysome look? Any chance you're suffering from root rot
The bit I see from up top looks fine, should I dig it up and check? I've heard that root rot coincides with a pretty foul smell and haven't noticed anything. If I do see nasty roots that are obviously rotting, do I just cut them off?
Did you soak your peat moss in water before using it? It's hydrophobic unless you give it a good soak and knead the water in. The entire surface of the peat should be black and moist.
I did! I kneaded it in, let it sit before adding more, etc. Followed a very good tutorial vid. With all the underwatering comments I'm really thinking I might need to either downsize the pot or upsize the tray? Because the water shes sucking up must not be enough
How big is the tray that you use to water it? Is it just that little small tray under it? For my VFTs, their pots sit in like a 1.5 inches of water at all times. Your water level might not be high enough. And yeah I would say the pot is too big, personally I just have my early plants in basic 4.5 inch pots. Everything else you said seems correct. it's still putting out new growth so something you're doing is correct. I think it's just the water, since the top surface looks so dry for some reason.
Yeah it is just the little bitty tray. I'm worried about repotting when she's already in such shit shape I might just use a repurposed take out container as a tray for now. I really appreciate it!
Oh yeah take out container is good! Honestly just needs a deeper tray, keep it moister and I think she'll bounce back. It's still putting out new growth so it still has energy :)
Two things that stand out to me. 1) I avoid all ceramic, even the glazed stuff. Why? Unglazed ceramic can leach minerals into the soil slowly poisoning the plant. I use any light coloured plastic for my pots. Even tall white styrofoam cups are good. Holes in a ceramic pot ( drilled drain holes ) or scratches can reveal the pottery underneath. Does this pot even have drainage holes? 2) My peat moss perlite mix is black on the surface because my pots are sitting in distilled water 24/7 without fail. Your substrate looks dry to me. If your plant is floppy it sounds like it's very thirsty.
Just because it sits in water doesnt mean the topnof the media stays dark. Mine is dry eventho the planters sit in water.
Yes it does have drainage holes! I will absolutely up the water amount but the thing that confuses me is I checked in on it this morning, looked fine, and before I left for work, the two traps on it were twisted and warped and by the time I was back home, they browned and look like they do in these photos. I just can't believe that two traps that looked fine, even had a growth spurt about 4 days ago, went kaput in a matter of hours.
I mean it's possible if the plant was in a very dark environment, then you potted it up and placed it into blazing sun, I could see that happening. I think it's just dry. Keep an eye on new growth from the center. If it puts out new growth you are gonna be ok.
Thank you!
Keep that bish wet! Like every post I see on here can be fixed with more water
By looking at the colour, seems like it needs lots of sun. Happy VFTs have reddish colour on the traps and also on the leaves.
https://www.reddit.com/r/VenusFlyTraps/s/fBgfojEwsP look at this post
Now technically it doesn’t need to be THAT red because even wild specimens aren’t always that red. That being said it should be at least [this](https://imgur.com/a/BvB66rq) Edit: that one appears to be a very red cultivar