I just got a venus flytrap and the traps are black but the leaves are green please help?

Question

i got it today y is it like this

Answer 1

The traps can only open and close a few times. After two hairs are triggered, a series of reactions happen resulting in quick growth of the cells near the midrib of the trap. After absorbing nutrients from whatever was in the trap, it slowly grows back open again. It can only do this a few times, depending on what it's been given and temperature and a few other factors.

If you just got the plant, chances are people at the store were playing with it and getting the traps to close, it should grow new ones soon enough!

Answer 2

This could indicate that your plant is stressed out.  Or, like another answerer said, it could be that the traps had been teased too much at the store and they have closed and opened enough that they have expired.

In either case, simply cut off the blackened traps and leave the green leaves.  Anything green on the plant can still perform photosynthesis, which is vital to providing the plant with nourishment.  In fact, it is one of the three key factors to keeping a venus fly trap healthy.

1) Lots of light - Venus Fly Traps will grow best with at least 4 hours of direct sunlight every day

2) Clean water - Distilled, Rain or Reverse Osmosis water are basically your only choices for watering your plant.  In general, tap water will eventually kill your plant.

3) Proper soil - most growers use a mixture of peat moss and perlite.  Some people use sphagnum moss.

To read more about how to take care of your plant, read here:

http://www.flytrapcare.com

If you have any more questions, feel free to post them in the forum:

http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/

Good luck with your new plant and enjoy it!

Answer 3

Let it suck on your finger for a while, it will take some nutrients out, very good for plant.

Answer 4

You may have been feeding it too much and the wrong things. I had a venus fly trap, and I gave it Salami. Needless to say, the thing died.

Answer 5

If the traps are already shut, then they're black because they've already been "used."  A venus fly trap's "traps" are actually specialized flowers.  They don't work the same way our mouths do.  Once a trap is triggered and an insect is digested (which takes a long time), the trap blackens and falls off.  Then the plant makes another one to replace it.  

If they aren't closed or they're all turning black at once and you can't see another group forming near the base of the plant, then you (or whoever had it before you) is probably over fertilizing or over watering it.  A venus fly trap naturally gets most if not all of the nutrients from the insects it ingests.  There is no reason to fertilize the soil if the plant is getting enough insects.