Why is my venus flytrap dying??

Question

I bought a venus fly trap. I placed it in a put outside with a water dish on the bottom plenty of water cought incects but suddenly it starts going black. The plant still has some green bits on the roots and has 1mm stems how could i encourige it to grow?? which fertileser should i use??

Answer 1

Hi Cool,

It sounds as though it is too cold outside for the plant.

Unless you live in a tropical climate, it is an indoor plant.  It likes high humidity and warm temperatures.

I wouldn't worry about fertilizer.  They are accustomed to poor soil, which is why the catch insects to absorb their nutrients.

I hope this helps!

Hiking Tony

Answer 2

Hey there,

What ever you do, don't use any fertilizer.  This will most likely kill the plant.  There are 3 basics to keeping a venus fly trap healthy:

1)  Lots of sunlight

2)  Pure water

3)  Nutrient poor soil

1) Lots of sunlight - Be sure that you have your venus fly trap in a very sunny windowsill (south, east, or west facing).  For best results, grow it outside in full sun.

2) Pure water - It's best to use distilled water or rain water to water your flytrap.  They don't like minerals in their water which can get stuck in their soil and make them sick.

3) Nutrient Poor soil - The easiest thing to use is peat moss or sphagnum moss.  Most people mix this with sand or perlite to help with aeration.  I would suggest repotting your venus fly trap since it most likely has been watered with impure water and these impurities have built up in the soil.

Here is a good site to help you with your venus fly trap:

http://www.flytrapcare.com