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Here is a guide for transporting your plant out of the blue gel.

I recommend rinsing your venus flytrap(s) in warm distilled water to help melt the gel off. It makes the process easier. I let mine sit in warm water for a couple minutes. The gel will get moldy and kill your plant if not clean off properly.

If your venus flytrap leaves start turning black after planting don’t worry. Look at the center of the plant for new growth. If you see a green bump in the middle its still alive.

Humidity is a big issue when you take them out of the bottle. I planted mine in regular carnivorous soil and had a large plastic bowl with a hole at the top and covered my plant with it. have your planter stand in a tray with around an inch of distilled water 24/7. Don’t water from the top, just refill the tray. I use a self watering planter I got from amazon.

If you put it in a glass bowl you risk the plant molding since water will just sit at the bottom drowning the roots. It may be possible but good luck. Here is a video of a guy making a flytrap terrarium. He admits that the flytraps could die and its an experiment.

Most people recommend a plastic planter that stands in water. The plant will be moist but its roots won’t be swimming in water. It’s also why perlite is used. It helps keep the soil airy rather than swampy.

I would occasionally spray the bowl with distilled water if it looked dry. Use a grow light or place your plant by a sunny window. Light is very important.

Everyday take the bowl off your plant for a couple hours to allow it to acclimate and receive fresh air. After a few days, take the bowl off a couple hours longer then start leaving it off all night. You can remove the bowl when at work and periodically check on it. If it looks dry, put the bowl back over the flytrap.

After a couple weeks to a month, your flytrap should be like any other normal flytrap and you don’t need a “humidity bowl” anymore. You may have to acclimate it to the outside weather if it’s different from your inside temperature/humidity.

My flytraps are outside in a dry desert climate with humidity as low as 10. Flytraps don’t like to be wet but rather have moist soil. I recommend a 50/50, peat moss/perlite mix. Make sure your soil has zero fertilizers. You can also buy pre-made carnivorous soil on Amazon for around $12.

Unless you have a grow light, you should have your venus flytrap outside in the sun. Light is the best food for a Venus flytrap. You don’t really have to feed it. If you do, you can feed it once a month freeze dried bloodworms (dry fish food). If you have small traps, a bloodworm paste can be made by mixing worms and distilled water. You can get them from your local pet/fish store. Over feeding can harm the plant. However, they seem fine when they catch a lot of their own food.

They also need a winter dormancy. Just like how trees need to lose their leaves in the winter, your flytrap needs to lose theirs as well.

Good luck! :)

There are some really awesome books out there:

The Savage Garden is always a great gift, but if he's an expert then he probably already has it. California Carnivores sells books signed by Peter (the author,) which could be fun.

Do you have an idea of what specific plants he's into (Nepenthes, sundews, Sarracenia)? If there's a specific type that he's passionate about, Stewart McPherson's books are incredibly detailed and beautiful (they're on Amazon too.)

Plants are a good way to go, but it's risky if you don't know what you're doing. If he's on any forums (Terraforums, etc) then he might have a "want list" posted. I know it's a stretch, but if you can find that then you're in great shape. If you happen to know of specific plants that he's after, PM me and I can try to help you source them.

First, welcome to the subreddit and the hobby! I will try to answer all of your questions, but if I miss something let me know. If anyone wishes to correct any of my advice go for it.

I believe your current soil should suffice for the time being. Many plants do not enjoy having their roots disturbed, so it is probably best to leave them be and replant them later. For the flytraps I would say this would be the tail end of next season's dormancy, and for the sundews, probably at least 4 months.

Your sundews are D. spatulata (I could be wrong on this one) and D. capensis; both are tropical, and will be fine staying inside year round, but you may wish to get a grow light (usually some sort of fluorescent fixture) for a more permanent setup.

The flytraps are a bit different. They will miss their dormancy this season, which is okay. You can put them in a cool windowsill, or just leave them, but I would not advise putting them outside at this point. If you have the outdoor space where they would get sun, they should probably be moved outside sometime in the early spring after the last frost (depends on your location/climate); if you plan on keeping them indoors, artificial light will probably be necessary, and I or someone else can help with that aswell. If they attempt to flower this year, it would probably be wise to chop off the flower stalk.

As a side note, for when you wish to repot the plants, a good soil mix is a 1:1 ratio of peat moss to perlite (or some people prefer sand). You can purchase peat moss from Lowes or Amazon and perlite from Amazon. The main thing is to make sure that whatever you buy has no additives or fertilizers; an example of something to avoid would be miracle grow perlite. If you live in a region where neither of these stores are an option, I'm sure we can find somewhere that you can purchase soil.

Hmmm, I guess I was looking on that one site:
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq6010c.html

But im glad to know they aren't recommended...It kinda seemed like a hassle like you said.

I was looking at something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/EnviroGro-FLT24-4-Tube-Fixture-Included/dp/B002JQBQZQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449169556&sr=8-3&keywords=t5+grow+light

Seemed to have good reviews.

Im thinking about getting one of those home depot 3 stack shelves: such as this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-3-Shelf-Steel-Shelving-Unit-in-Black-EH-WSTHDUS-006B/205885545?cm_mmc=SEM%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-PLA-BT3-HDX-D59-Decor%7c&gclid=CKy8geWxwMkCFYn2HwodPV8H8Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

I just wonder if i'd need some sort of reflective coating around the sides..or maybe if I keep the light close enough it would be ok.

Thanks for your help btw!

Yay ! New CP people :)!


For water: Do not use Tap water. Use Distilled, Reverse Osmosis, or Rain water only.

​

Dormancy has been covered above. Where do you intend to keep your VFT? Inside / outside?


California Carnivores are a great resource for care tips :)
https://www.californiacarnivores.com/collections/venus-flytraps-dionaea-muscipula/products/dionaea-m-typical-deluxe-potted


Also a good resource is the CP bible
https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Garden-Revised-Cultivating-Carnivorous/dp/1607744104

Here's what I posted previously, hopefully this helps! Once I situated them, I've pretty much ignored them except for watering.

I'm using Hoffman Horticultural Perlite, without the miracle grow: found here and Better-Gro Premium Grade Orchid Moss: found here for my mixture. I got them local, but found the links to the specific items on Amazon. Neither has any plant food additives and are nutrientless for the VFT. This is my second time having some. I let the moss soak in distilled water before I mixed portions in a bowl until I felt there was enough perlite in it. They sit in a decorative glass jar inside a medium size open top terrarium next to a window. However, because my other plants weren't doing well at the window, I bought and installed this LED Plant Grow Light for Hydroponic Gardening: found here, but from what I understand I could also use my flex strip LED lights on blue and violet to give my VFT the right amount of light.

I have the light scheduled to turn on at 8 am, shut off at 6 pm through my Alexa devices.

Tips: I've found they grow better in a container that is deeper than it wide. Mine are watered gently from the top along the edges with distilled water, just enough to keep the moss wet. Since May the dead moss apparently has new growth from seeds or whatnot in the mix, so those are growing in there with the VFT too. :)

First off, here is a good guide for growing VFTs, which should help a lot.

> I've been using regular seed-soil, as I read that they like low fertility-soil.

Accurate, but regular seed-soil still has way too many minerals in it - get some sphagnum peat moss and some perlite without any additives or fertilizers, then make a 4:1 ratio mix and repot into that. It's likely experiencing mineral burn on the roots which will kill it over time.

> So far I've been using tap-water, but am going to switch to rain-water.

Good - tap water may also kill plants over time, depending on the mineral content of the tap water.

> It has started to bloom though, which maybe is a good sign?

Not if the rest of the plant is wilting - I'd snip off the flower stalk so the plant stops putting energy into that and can focus instead on making more leaves / traps.

Looks like a few things are wrong with its setup, but they can all be fix-able - fixing the soil should be your first priority, then getting it in a semi-boggy condition (just use a ceramic bowl that you'd use for food or something for now) with rain water.

> Also, will these plants multiply on their own if conditions are good?

Yep - VFTs will put on baby plants over time from what I've seen - you can sometimes also propagate them via leaf cuttings. You might even be able to get new plants out of the flower stalk if you snip it and put it in some sphagnum moss (not peat moss, but the long-fibered stuff) and keep it wet, but I'm only just starting to try that myself.

Good luck! Hope that helps.

Wow, if you really want to make those heliamphora happy inside, you've got quite a project ahead of you. Get these things: an aquarium tank 30 inches long x 12 inches tall x about 12 or 15 inches wide. The first two measurements are the important ones. Get two of these to mount on each side of your tank:

https://www.amazon.com/iPettie-Aquarium-Cooling-Chiller-Adapter/dp/B00M9UV9LI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474724537&sr=8-2&keywords=aquarium+fans

Go led for best light:

https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Reflector--Spectrum-Indoor-Plants/dp/B01B4GQ6MO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1474724631&sr=8-3&keywords=2+ft+led+grow+light

Now get this for humidity:

https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Monsoon-Rainfall-System/dp/B004G62868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474724740&sr=8-1&keywords=monsoon+mister

wrap the tank in a reflective material, put your helis in, and they'll do fine.

I have tried a few and recommend these 2:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y6KSZN6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXK4J8U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1st one is much brighter and stronger (one of the strongest desk grow lights I have seen). The 2nd one gives you the freedom to change the bulb later in case you change your mind and want to switch to a 6500k led bulb or sthing.

Thanks, I was looking online at some of those this morning but wasn't sure about them. I have some very long cords with light fixtures at the end I grabbed on eBay, I was going to try them over hanging neps in dark corners. Those lights would be perfect in them.


I picked up this a few months ago and the orchids love it https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JQBQZQ

Here's a good amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C25R3UG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fGcEDbW5Q32FN


New Zealand Sphag is the best stuff, that's what you wanna get. They produce Sphagnum in Chile and Wisconson as well I believe, but those varieties usually come with a bunch of sticks and other detritus in my experience. The New Zealand stuff is the softest and most porous.


To hazard a guess I'd say yours is probably Wisconsin sphag, I have some Nepenthes growing in the same right now that I should really change out soon.


Sorry for the long post, I just really love moss....


Oh also, Wisconson sphag isn't necessarily the worst thing to use, but it does break down fairly quickly and isn't the best at staying aerated.

As others have said your plant is living but not thriving. They CAN be house plants with a little help. I reccomend setting it in a container of water that pretty much stays water logged. I'd wait until the container empties and then fill it up again. The roots do appreciate oxygen. I would also reccomend a little supplemental lighting. Something like this https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLF27D-Desktop-Plant-27-Watt/dp/B008UZJQMA/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?adgrpid=55268324319&hvadid=274697981880&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9012307&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=e&hvrand=3528631283533194238&hvtargid=kwd-302644940824&keywords=desk+plant+light&qid=1554253221&s=gateway&sr=8-9 on a timer. During the colder months set it outside for 3 or so months and then bring it back in. Your plant will not stay healthy without dormancy.

Hardware stores usually wont have the stuff you'll want to use, places like Lowes and Home Depot only carry Mosser Lee brand sphagnum which is basically 50% sticks and twigs, not very good stuff. Lowes and Home depot will also never carry unfertilized perlite in my experience. If you have any smaller, specifically plant shops in your town thats where you would want to look, otherwise, it is easy to find on amazon. Here is links to the stuff youll want:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Zealand-Sphagnum-Moss-grams/dp/B00C25R3UG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1505882345&sr=8-8&keywords=sphagnum+moss


https://www.amazon.com/100-Natural-Perlite-1-quart/dp/B01MRWRRAV/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1505882357&sr=8-5&keywords=perlite



If you cant find anything locally and have to wait on shipping, id reccomend flushing your pot with distilled water after removing all of the fertilizer pellets. When I say flush I mean really flush. Pour a lot of water in and let it run out the bottom, youre trying to rinse out all the possible mineral build up to help your plant live longer until your new soil arrives. Another user also mentioned more sunlight which is also a good idea, they like filtered sun all day if possible, southern facing windows are ideal but western facing windows will do as well.

unless you have a large budget and lots of expertise, it probably shouldn't look much like a terrarium at all. I have an indoor setup for small-sized intermediate species (hamata, rajah, burbidgeae, robcantleyi, chaniana, boschiana) that consists of:


A 2'x2'x4' Weed tent.


A cool mist humidifier running half-hour on, half-hour off during the day, and always running through the night. Always on the lowest possible mist setting.


Two 1200 lumen outdoor-rated daylight-spectrum floodlights mounted on bendy desk lamps; one sitting ~22 inches above my plants at a slight angle providing direct light, and the other covered with a layer of duct tape and pointed at one of the top corners of the tent to provide a bit more indirect light. Direct light stays on 13 hours per day, indirect turns on an hour earlier and off an hour later.


A single 10x20 tray on top of some cheap plastic shelving from walmart. Though it's a 3-shelf unit, I only put two of them together.


A small temperature and humidity reader thingy.

My plants grow well and pitcher continuously. Part of that is being careful and responsible in making sure the species I buy are well-suited for my temperature range, which the setup does not have much of an effect on. There is enough room in the tent's 16 cubic feet for the immediate future, but at some point in the next few years I'll have to get a bigger tent or build an actual greenhouse (totally fine with that tbh)

if you or anyone else have any questions please don't hesitate to ask

I have this giant one for a tree I’m overwintering indoors

SANSI 70W Daylight LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TKKG8Q3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BteYDbYG795KM

These are the ones I use for most of my other plants

SANSI 24W LED Plant Light Bulb Full Spectrum LED Grow Light Plant Lights for Indoor Plants, E26 Grow Light Bulb for Hydroponics Greenhouse Houseplants Vegetable Tobacco, Sunlight White UV IR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRKT56T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0CeYDbH3P8EP2

40W Daylight LED Plant Light Bulb Full Spectrum Ceramic LED Grow Light Bulb, E26 Plant Bulb Sunlight White Grow Light for Indoor Garden Farming Greenhouse Grow Walls, UV&IR, 90-132V https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N1WVVW7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.DeYDbPG6RHVW

They’re pricier than some others, but last way longer and are much more effective. They haven’t burned any of my plants that sit very close and are still effective a few feet away.

I use T5HOs for my other CPs, but for the neps I just have them under a couple of these large CFL grow lights with aluminum reflectors. I'd like to get either a new T5 strip or maybe play with LEDs (I have a couple that my pings like, but I've only just put a nep under one today). I grow orchids under the CFLs which is plenty for them, and had space on the shelf for the neps is how that happened.

This is the CFL.

I kind of feel like I could use more light for the nepenthes, so I'll likely be getting a new T5 fixture soon.

I have this and it produces about 50k lux 10" away from emitters. I use it to light my 2x4 grow tent instead of a handful of less powerful lights.


And different carnivorous plants have different light and temp preferences. My light is too bright for direct use on my Nepenthes, but I bet Fly Traps or Sarracenia would love it being only ~6" away.

I like it alright. It's pricier in comparison to the fluorescent lights. I have these two at the moment, though only the latter is in that grow shelf set up:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WDJ7LG2/ (The advantage of this one is that it has two on/off switches so you can control half of the bulbs separately. It also has a power plug that you can plug another light in to.
https://smile.amazon.com/4lamps-DL844s-Fluorescent-Hydroponic-Fixture/dp/B00HEYCRI8 (This one is only two inches tall, so you can fit it into a grow shelf without losing as much headroom. The bulbs are connected by little cords at each end instead of over the top, and it only has one on/off switch and no plugs.

The thing to keep in mind is that the fluorescent lights are all about 1 ft x 4 ft, while the LED light is only 12.6x7.9x3 inches. I could fit three of the LED lights into the same space as one of the fluorescent lights. You can look at that as good or bad, I guess, since it means it's more expensive, but you can also get much brighter coverage over all if you invest in it.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the LED light is fairly loud. The fluorescent light is completely silent, while the LED is louder than a gaming desktop. They can supposedly be modded with quieter cooling fans though, if that matters.

I use this: it's really cost efficient and great. https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Spectrum-Hydroponic-Greenhouse-Houseplants/dp/B07BRKT56T/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=led+grow+light+bulb&qid=1557776569&s=gateway&sr=8-12

> Do I put sand / bark / styrofoam / tiny rocks at the very bottom of the pot?

You dont have to put anything at the bottom of the pot. Personally I use rocks as a filter so I dont lose any medium through the drainage hole, but i've read you can use LFS and it'll do the same thing.

> Should I use an empty bottle inside the soil as a water reservoir or is a pipe with holes in it a better solution?

I've done both. With the bottle I can dump a lot of water very fast into the pot. I use it for my big pots. The pipe is okay but will quickly overflow and I still have to wait for the water to be absorbed into the soil before I can add more.

> After browsing this sub for a while, it seems to be the consensus to create a 33:66 to 50:50 mixture of sand:soil. Why is that a thing? Is it to make it easier for the water to spread throughout the pot?

There is a book called The Savage Garden where the author talks about different media mixes he has tried. For Sarracenia he recommends 80/20 peat to perlite. Perlite is porous so its full of air and will absorb water . The book also goes through other common mixes and states their benefits.

> Is the height of the pot an issue?

I dont think the height will be an issue. If youre worried about the amount of soil you'll need, you can put something in the bottom to fill up space. Ive heard people use Styrofoam to fill up space and reduce weight

> Will the water be able to spread to the middle from the bottom, or the bottom fill up with standing water that will eventually start to smell?

Peat moss is like a sponge and will keep itself moist all over as long there is water in the pot. I read a post from somebody who said they used new soil every 2 years because the plants started doing poorly and the water would start to smell bad at the bottom. I havent experienced any issues in my setups though.

Pretty sure it's something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Agrobrite-FLT24-Fluorescent-Light-System/dp/B002JQBQZQ

> Is there a guide anywhere to owning them?

You're lookin' for a guide, huh? Well, this book is one of the best ones out there. Not only is it a guide to venus flytraps, it's a guide to all kinds of other carnivorous plants too. You could check your local library to see if they have it, the library near me does.

Oh, like this? https://www.amazon.com/100-Sphagnum-Peat-Gardening-quart/dp/B01FBM22W0/ref=asc_df_B01FBM22W0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193142362025&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18110371884157279385&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017274&hvtargid=pla-308320642440&psc=1

​

It's not hard to find, heck, if you don't feel like ordering some online, places like Lowes usually have huge bags of it (though, the quality is rather crappy).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRKT56T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lSIXDbWQMJH71


This should handle the job. Just need a clamping portable light socket unit. One without a reflector. Start out a couple feet away and if it looks like you need to move it closer, do it in increments. I don't have any plants like you, I just like looking at what's all about them. I use
300 watt bulbs on echeveria's which are light hogs.

https://www.amazon.com/4lamps-DL844s-Fluorescent-Hydroponic-Fixture/dp/B00HEYCRI8 these lights are very bright, cheap compared to other lights. They are 250 watts and output more than enough light for your plants up to a max distance of 1 foot from the tip of your plant to the light. they cost around 75 bucks and are well worth the investment

I grow my VFT and D. Capensis inside using a CFL light/can light from amazon. They thrive if you leave it on all day. This is the one that I have and it works beautifully

The glass vase might be another problem as well. Maybe not what you're dealing with currently but like someone else said, you need to have a way for the water to drain. I would suggest an unglazed ceramic pot. It should be inert enough for carnivorous plants and they're extremely breathable. The only thing to consider is that minerals can build up in it, so once a year or so, either replace the pot or soak it in distilled water.

Ooh, that explains my question. This is the one I use. Seems to work pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Reflector-Spectrum-Indoor-Plants/dp/B01B4GQ6MO/

Meizhi LED lights are great, alternatively this T5 is fantastic... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B009GU4RMC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZadbBbX9R537N

Try this.

http://amzn.com/B002JQBQZQ

I have the 4 foot version with 4 tubes and am growing plenty of sundews, pitchers, and flytraps under it. They are getting a nice red coloration. I have them sitting roughly 4-5 inches below the lights and the temps only ever get up to 77 or so degrees.

See, this is why I'm confused.. These are the exact fixtures that Natch had recommended and that he grew with these ones which they say are HO and are 24 watts.. So I'm not too sure why they're reading so low.

https://www.amazon.com/besgrow-Zealand-Sphagnum-Moss-grams/dp/B00C25R3UG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=besgrow+8+liter&qid=1574875391&sr=8-1
This is the one I buy, it is a lot for the price and high quality.

Would this be a good mixture? http://www.amazon.com/Hoffman-15503-Canadian-Sphagnum-Quarts/dp/B0000CBITW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407383942&sr=8-1&keywords=peat+and+perlite

Stink bugs are not their natural most common prey, but they wont be exempt from turning into snacks.
Give your plants time and those conditions described above. For the future: read Savage Garden, its a great source of information and will answer all your questions. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607744104/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Look into dormancy in the winter. You may need to add layers of protection, like wood chips over your plants if your winters are harsher than the ones they usually experience. You have time obviously to look into this.