Why Is My Venus Flytrap Dying in Winter?

[@OneAnOnlyOptic]

Glad I saw this, I’m worried about my plants bc these are the first carnivores plants I’ve gotten. I have a small vft and some sort of American pitcher, I’ve done a decent amount of research about them but dormancy is still scary. To hear you talk about varying levels of death of leaves helps to keep from being too anxious about them being dead! I hope to buy a nice sundew with any Christmas money I get, they are my fav., lots of love, keep on growing 💖

[@California_Carnivores]

I’m happy this helps! I know the die back of dormancy can be really scary to watch! It’s always like a magic trick watching everything regrow again in spring ✨

[@Tommyr]

Lately I've been seeing posts on Reddit by people that say they don't need dormancy. They even say that the ICPS says they don't need it! WHAT??? I stopped arguing with these clowns.

[@Ragnar0kske]

You can skip 1, or maybe 2 winters, but after that they will suffer imo.

[@ramonasantiago5740]

I used to live in FL I tried Venus fly trap there without the dormancy and they didn't do well now that I'm in north carolina all 21 of my carnivores plants are doing great probably even better

[@California_Carnivores]

I’m so curious why people want to skip that dormancy so much! It’s so beneficial to the plants long term. There’s a certain look that they get after they’ve skipped five or six dormancies and then they usually die after that. We’ve seen it time after time.

[@Tommyr]

@@California_Carnivores A good number of people want to grow them indoors. I try to explain to them they are not houseplants but there's always a few people who swear they can be grown indoors. I got tired of arguing with these people and now just tell them good luck and move on. Even the ICPS says they can be grown indoors and I disagree. Some people just have to learn the hard way.

[@juliafowlkes848]

i live in NC and this is my first winter with my venus fly trap, serena williams! she lives outside full time. i’m excited for her to come back, but since it’s been so cold, she’s starting to get freeze over! this is okay, right? just regular NC weather fluctuations the VFTs are used to? 😰

[@deandavis8165]

thank you, Daniella!

[@40JoCharles]

Very informative. Thanks for sharing 🙂

[@CheziahKatt]

I would love to see some images of truly Dead versus dormant. We just got some snow at my place and I had just gotten a red dragon half a month before. It was raised outdoors in the same state where the snow came from. But I'm still worried she's dead. She's very dark.

[@California_Carnivores]

I’ll see if I can find some examples of this and if I do, I’ll make a video 😄

[@RavynWhyt]

Ohhh, if love to know how to bring it into dormancy safely! I'm in a very cold climate and so my plant lives indoors most of the year. Mine is currently blooming. It's hitting winter here.

[@California_Carnivores]

Check out my winter dormancy playlist for lots of info! kzbin.info? list=PLcXRLVqRw9LUkBmsE5nFBIgvu_wBpOEuh

[@eliasdwaboutit6428]

I would love to know which moss you guys use or whatever is growing in that pot thx.

[@California_Carnivores]

We use a mix of peat moss and perlite for our Venus flytraps and then this little moss naturally grows!

[@HelgrafFireHammer]

My flytrap seems to be going dormant rn, the rhizome is healthy, but every time a leaf turns fully black and I clip it off, another one or two leafs start dying aswell. I swear I can't tell if I'm killing it or not 😭😭

[@California_Carnivores]

It’s okay to cut off the dead leaves, I usually let them all die back and then come through and clean them all up in early January.

[@matthewpasqua4804]

Hi, on an older video I believe I heard that the lack of light is enough. I’m in my first year (well since March) I’ve just had to repot (September) because my trap wasn’t doing well in the moss and perhaps too wet. I also had one trap that apparently didn’t make it to the surface and was rotting below that I cut away. All in all the rhizome looks healthy. To the point of dormancy, I’m going to let it stay under my grow light for another 2 months so that this recent repotting gives it a chance to see if he can heal but in a room that usually goes to about 67 in the winter and probably a little colder near the windowsill can I just cut off the grow light and let the natural light force the dormancy? I just feel like there is a lot of conflicting information and I am trying to get this little guy towards a great next year and life in general. I’m in zone 6b and have had this inside under a grow light and only recently think he being doing poorly (last month and a half from being too moist) Thanks!!!

[@hennesseyme9112]

I think mine is dead. Instead of putting it in the fridge, I left it outside in moss and that moss is so dry I see no signs of a plant but I watered it today and we also had freezing weather. I hope Seymour comes back.

[@California_Carnivores]

It could be that it will start to grow in the coming weeks but they do sometimes die in winter. One cultivar that generally doesn’t die back as hard in winter is ‘King Henry’, if you decide to try a new plant, that one over winters with a nice low growing rosette!

[@hennesseyme9112]

@@California_Carnivores Thanks, I think this one is a common fly trap. I had a red dragon and that thing did not do well. I did everything I could think of and the vendor told me later that they are harder to care for but never mentioned it before I purchased it.

[@bimalkumbhar12]

Hi ma'am, what should be the maximum temperatures and photo periods during Dormancy ?

[@California_Carnivores]

The photo periods should match the normal photo periods of the winter sun, unless you live somewhere tropical in which case you’ll likely need to do a fridge dormancy. Often temps in the 70’sF and above will start growth. You’ll want night time temps to be below 60F to really start dormancy ideally.

[@zimmy1958]

Thanks love your content

[@California_Carnivores]

I’m glad you like it! 😆

[@strangegreenthing]

My plants all froze solid. :(

[@California_Carnivores]

Oh no! They can take a lot of freezing as long as they have some insulation from mulch or even packed snow! I hope they can bounce back on spring 🤞

[@randomthings92497]

Hiiii!!! I'm in a tropical country. I keep seeing how to ref dormancy but i can't find much on the process of it. Like do I put it in the ref when the traps stop working? Do I put it in the ref when the traps are all black and just rhizome? I'm really really confused 😅 and do i just put in ref or do I have to decrease light first? Or do I have to decrease light then wait for traps not to work (trigger dormancy) or just wait to go dormant. I'm honestly at a lost hahaaha

[@California_Carnivores]

In your area, they aren’t likely to go dormant on their own. So you get to pick when they do! Bare-root them, you can leave all the green healthy traps on. Wrap the roots in a little cameo sphagnum moss, place them in a resealable plastic bag and put them in the fridge for at least 8 weeks. You can leave it in up to 12 weeks. And then repot! Check weekly for mold or fungal growth and be sure to make sure the sphagnum is still moist too.

[@randomthings92497]

@@California_Carnivores thank you so so so much again 😍 i have a couple that are starting to produce smaller compact growth so will do it to these this time

[@talkingweevil3172]

Hi so my venus fly trap was unhealthy when i got it just started to grow. I’m worried to put it in a dormancy cause it’s weak should I just let it go dormant with light and not make it colder

[@California_Carnivores]

You can skip a dormancy as long as you allow the plant a dormancy next year. If you want to skip it, just keep temps warm and have a grow light on a 12 hour day length for it. Otherwise you’ll want to either put it outside for winter if you don’t experience too much freezing or do the bare root fridge method! Checkout my dormancy playlist for more info 😊

[@talkingweevil3172]

@@California_Carnivores thank you