QUESTIONS
 

Do I need to remove those dead bodies from my VFT?
it looks like insect graveyard...

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Depends on where you keep them. I keep them outside so the bodies are swept by the rain and wind. If you keep them indoors in a terrarium, you may have to remove them manually.

Re: QUESTIONS
 

I sometimes try to blow them off. But I found manually removing them often will trigger the trap to close again. If you will be removing, use tweezers I guess. Have fun giving your VFT a dental cleaning :)

TTFN
Arvin

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Can anyone help me??

I think i got algae in my spaghum soil........maybe
they are green coloured....

Re: QUESTIONS
 

This I don't know. Mine also have algae but it don't seems to bother my CP so I leave them alone. Got one time my sphagnum turn into blue and another into red.(So colourful)

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Hi

Wah Aaron moss turn blue and red ah..looks good and scary since it didn't affect the plant it should be fine.I just leave the dead carcasses of the insects my VFT killed/eaten..Of topic my chili seeds in a normal potting soil mix one part is blue dunno wat happen....And also my VFT has came back to live and growing in full direct sunlight,hope the reddish colour will appear soon.Mine has no red colour in its trap how long it takes if my VFT gets minimum 3 hours of direct sunlight everyday to get the reddish colouration on its trap???And does the reddish colour only appear on new traps or all the traps????????

Ken

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Marvin, and the rest,

I have posted before about Blue Green Algae, unfortunately nothing really definite about how to really kill them off:

https://forum.petpitcher.net/showthre...ght=blue+green

The last experiement I did was to cover the affected pot with dried sphagnum moss, it worked. However I have found that these algae will usually kill off small plants and specially plantlets and seedlings. Seeds will not germinate also in algae covered medium. With small plants I cannot use the dried sphagnum countermeasure because it means the sphagnum will also cover the small plants and they will die too. Let us pickup the topic about algae in that topic again if you guys want :)

TTFN
Arvin

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Yup some of my neps i use LFS also grow algae and 1 of them just suddenly came out with ferns those u see dangling from walls in the wild.They're really cute gives a nice look but i take it out from the pot once awhile so now hardly any for the moment but can see some growing again.My pots with LFS has the green slimy algae quite common i guess.My chilli seeds are the odd ones in normal potting soil mix the soil suddenly turn blue-green at one part and suddenly a lot of drainage.Oh yah is it reaally a must for trays under Sarrs and VFT's and other cp's except neps.Cos after awhile the tray or bottom of the pot algae start growing or got mosquito larvae.....2 days back my sarr came out with one big worm those they use for feeding ducks.Scary i don't really like bugs scared of them hahaha.So how long does it take for traps to turn from green to red in direct sunlight for minimum 3 hours???Apporx 4 hours a day of direct sun.My sarrs also starting get nice colour.

Arvin i have no probs with the algae topic but im nt sure with others

Ken

Re: QUESTIONS
 

ive had that experience too..

well, if i see dead flies on traps i just leave them there. they somehow dissapear or slowly slip off the plant?

perhaps some birds come and eat it.. lol

Re: QUESTIONS
 

I have no idea how long it takes for VFT to have reddish color when exposed to sunlight, but my almost 1 month old regular VFTs still doesn't show red, but some others like big vigorous variety is showing red color already. Just be patient, I even have 3 month old VFT that still doesn't show red on traps.

As for water tray, occassionally either let it dry for 1 day then fill up or what I do is dump old water on tray then after that water the plant so extra water is collected on the tray. Now though rainy season so I just dump the water, next day already full again.

If you visit your plants everyday, you can dump water every 3 days, and mosquitos will not breed in them. The problem is if you have many many water trays to do this.

TTFN
Arvin

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Ok i have no problem with every 3 days.

3 months is a long long time oh well i'll just be patient and time will pass by and results will come out..at least i hope it will show some results.

Ken

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Can you water VFT with water that you wash rice?

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Marvin, Why would you want to do that? :) Water used to wash rice is not that clean, plus usually that is tap water that you use. My suggestion don't scrimp on the type of water you use for your VFT, best is rainwater or Reverse Osmosis water.

Ken, I saw your OT post in the D. Prolifera post of David about your VFT leaf cutting. I'd like to say congratulations yes that is the start of your new VFTs, those stubs or nodules. But do be careful though, they are very delicate, I had 3 of those before and only 1 eventually became a grown VFT. Anyways keep up whatever you are doing (or not doing) :)

TTFN
Arvin

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Marvin.......i think you are thinking about the traditional method of fertilising `auntie` plants by pouring rice water over the plants ? Naw, i would keep rice water away from CPs.

Re: QUESTIONS
 

my mom says that there are nutrients in the rice water and she uses filtered water

Re: QUESTIONS
 

VFT roots will be burned by nutrients. CPs capture insects for a reason. Their roots can't handle nutrients.

Re: QUESTIONS
 

If you have several VFTs, then I say do try and experiment, but if I were you I'd rather not use rice water. Use it on other plants instead. Maybe even nepenthes if you like, but you don't want to add another "variable" on your VFTs. :)

I haven't really encoutered this theory/technique here in the Philippines, not from Chinese nor Filipino. Interesting, but not for me to try out on my CPs.

TTFN
Arvin

Re: QUESTIONS
 

i think the exoskeleton of the dead insect are growing white things?
are they harmful?

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Whoa, white things? Could be some insect of somekind, you should try to clean your graveyard of insects. Take a spray bottle and wet the dead insects to loosen them, then carefully remove the dead body. You WILL trigger some traps by accident, don't worry, it won't kill the plant. Do grow them outside, the natural wind and rain cleans the dead insects of really well without triggering the trap. Where do you grow yur CPs? And don't water the plant with rice water, you will kill it, rice has its own minerals and sometimes dirt, not good for CPs. Good luck!:1thumbup:

Cheers

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Maybe its fungus

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Ok i'll try.And maybe it IS fungus??

Re: QUESTIONS
 

Depends where U keep them just like whay plantlover said.

Re: QUESTIONS
 

I think it is damp off fungus or botrytis. I always see the white stuff on things that are dead, like my VFT traps becoming dead and nepenthes pitchers dying. They won't do much harm, unless in great number.

Cheers