If you’ve fed your Venus flytrap a tasty meal, only to have the trap turn black and die over the following days, don’t panic!
Traps can turn black for many different reasons, and most are not fatal to the plant. I’ve listed 5 of the most common causes below.
Don’t feed your plant bits of sausage, chocolate, or anything else it wouldn’t catch in the wild. This is a guaranteed way to cause the trap to rot. Snip off the dead leaf, and start feeding your plant properly!
If you’re feeding your plant bugs, don’t give it anything larger than about 1/3 the size of the trap. If the insect is too big, or if a stray leg or antennae is left poking out, it’s likely the trap will be unable to fully seal, which will again cause the leaf to die. Simply snip it out and wait for new growth to replace the old trap.
As a proud Venus fly trap owner, nothing is more distressing than seeing your beloved carnivorous plant appearing sickly or dead. The vibrant green traps have shriveled and blackened, the leaves are mushy and collapsing. It’s tempting to throw in the trowel and resign yourself to another failed attempt at growing these fascinating but finicky plants. But don’t give up hope just yet! Your Venus fly trap may simply be going dormant, a natural phase of its growth cycle. Or with some TLC you could nurse a struggling plant back to health. This guide will help you determine if your Venus fly trap is dead or just dormant, and provide tips on reviving it if it’s still hanging on.
Signs Your Venus Fly Trap is Dormant
Venus fly traps evolved in nutrient-poor soils of subtropical wetlands, where winters can occasionally dip below freezing. To survive, they go into dormancy every winter, which looks much like death to the untrained eye. Here are signs your plant is dormant, not dead:
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Slowed or stopped growth: In autumn, traps stop snapping, leaves cease unfurling and the plant shrinks down. This semi-hibernation conserves energy.
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Withered, black traps and leaves: As old leaves die off, they turn black. Some green foliage usually remains. This is normal leaf turnover.
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Appears after cold exposure: Temps below 40°F (4°C) for a few weeks often trigger dormancy.
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Lasts about 3 months: Venus fly traps break dormancy in spring, resuming growth.
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Crisp, firm plant parts: Dig it up carefully. Mushy, rotten bulbs indicate death. Firm, healthy white bulbs mean it’s dormant.
Refrain from overwatering feeding, repotting or otherwise disturbing a dormant plant. Just give it plenty of sunlight and ventilation until spring.
Signs Your Venus Fly Trap is Dying or Dead
If your plant took a rapid turn for the worse or colder weather can’t explain its condition, it could be in trouble. Look for these signs of a dying or dead Venus fly trap:
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All leaves blackened or gone Few if any green leaves remain, just black shriveled ones.
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Mushy, rotten plant parts: Bulb and roots are dark, mushy and foul-smelling, unlike a healthy dormant plant.
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Rapid deterioration: Death happens quickly in Venus fly traps if conditions are poor, unlike the gradual dormancy process.
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Unrelated to seasonal changes: Deterioration and death can happen any time of year if cultivation is incorrect.
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No recovery after months: If it’s spring but your plant shows no signs of new growth, it’s likely dead.
A dead Venus fly trap is pretty obvious. The trap is open, leaves are black mush and the whole plant is just wilted black goo. Don’t get your hopes up if your plant displays these morbid symptoms. Time to start over with a new plant.
Reviving a Sick Venus Fly Trap – 7 Key Tips
If you catch problems early, there may be time to get your ailing Venus fly trap back to robust health. Vigilance and prompt adjustments to its care regimen can nurse this fussy carnivore back from the brink. Here are 7 tips to revive a struggling Venus fly trap:
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Repot in appropriate soil: Standard potting soil can kill Venus fly traps. They need nutrient-free mixes, like sphagnum peat or long-fiber moss, with perlite or sand for drainage.
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Water only with rainwater, distilled or reverse osmosis water: Tap water contains minerals that accumulate in the soil and hurt the roots.
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Give it more sunlight: These sun-loving plants need at least 4-6 hours of direct sun daily. Supplement with grow lights if needed.
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Check moisture levels: Soil should be damp but not soggy. Create a watering routine to maintain moisture without oversaturating it.
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Feed traps bug prey only: Venus fly traps can digest insects and spiders. Never give them meat or other human foods.
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Inspect for pests and diseases: Catch problems like fungus, mold or mites early and treat accordingly.
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Have patience: It can take weeks or months to rehabilitate a struggling plant. Just provide the right care consistently.
With attentive, proper care tailored to their preferences, you can nurse most distressed Venus fly traps back to full carnivorous glory. Just don’t dig them up or make drastic changes once dormancy begins.
Waiting Out Dormancy Patently
The need to do something, anything, to an ailing plant is understandable. But intervening with a dormant Venus fly trap usually backfires. Traumas like repotting, overwatering and inspecting roots during dormancy frequently kill or weaken the plant.
Instead, provide good care prior to dormancy to ensure the plant stores up plentiful energy reserves in its bulb. Then leave it be and wait out dormancy patiently. Your forbearance will be rewarded when that first little green shoot emerges in spring!
Here are some dos and don’ts for caring for dormant Venus fly traps:
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DO: Give it bright, indirect light and temperatures above 55°F (13°C).
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DO: Water lightly just once or twice a month.
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DON’T: Fuss over it, flip it upside down or check for root growth.
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DON’T: Repot, fertilize, feed it bugs or make any changes in soil/conditions.
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DO: Resume normal care when you see new leaves in late winter/early spring.
With proper care, most Venus fly traps live 5 years or longer. Don’t sentence yours to an untimely death by giving up too soon. Be patient through dormancy and you’ll likely be rewarded when vigorously snapping traps reemerge in spring.
In Closing
Growing Venus fly traps brings great rewards, but also challenges. Their unfamiliar appearance during dormancy and susceptibility to cultural mistakes strike fear into the hearts of many aspiring growers. Take heart when your plant starts looking rough. Slow down and carefully evaluate the symptoms before you consign your plant to the compost heap. Chances are good that with attentive care and patient optimism, you’ll soon see your Venus fly trap thriving once again.
Stress from poor growing conditions
If your growing conditions aren’t ideal, your plant’s traps may turn black every time they’re fed, or even if they haven’t been fed at all. Traps turning yellow before turning black – especially ones which haven’t been fed – is a common symptom of poor growing conditions.
Notice how my plant pictured below is growing very happily despite not a single trap having yet caught a fly!
Venus flytraps dont need to catch loads of flies to keep growing healthily!
You should focus on providing a good growing environment – suitable sun, water, and soil – before worrying about food.
- Are you giving your plants suitable water? Tap water and bottled water often contain high levels of dissolved minerals which can burn your plant’s roots. Rainwater and distilled water are best.
- Is your plant getting enough light? Venus flytraps like full sun; growing them in a gloomy position will cause traps to turn black more frequently.
- Are you using appropriate soil? Like most carnivorous plants, Venus flytraps need a nutrient-poor soil. Normal potting compost or anything with fertilizer will hurt your plant! Use peat moss mixed with lime-free horticultural sand and/or perlite. UK readers can buy ready-made carnivorous plant compost from Hampshire Carnivorous Plants. In the US, California Carnivores offers an excellent ready-made soil mix. Alternatively, you can buy this carnivorous plant compost on Amazon worldwide.
You can read my complete Venus flytrap growing guide here, or grab a copy of Peter D’Amato’s carnivorous plant “bible”, The Savage Garden.
Like many other temperate plants, Venus flytraps require a cold winter dormancy in order to survive long-term. As the daylight hours shorten and temperatures drop, it’s normal for some traps to go black and die as your plant enters its winter resting phase. In the northern hemisphere, this period typically lasts between November and February.
Venus flytraps entering winter dormancy – their rest period!
If your flytrap’s leaves have started to die in late Autumn (and if you’ve taken care of all their other growing requirements!), it’s likely that your plant is simply starting its dormancy. This is completely normal, and you can safely trim off any dead leaves and slightly reduce watering until Spring. Your plant will then begin producing new traps when the days get longer and temperatures rise. You can read more about Venus flytrap dormancy here.
Closing a trap and digesting an insect requires energy. If you feed every single trap on your plant – or worse, trigger the traps for fun without giving them a meal – it’s likely that some of the leaves will turn black and die.
This probably isn’t fatal, so don’t panic. Your plant is simply focusing its energy on producing new leaves. Hold off from feeding for a month or two, and in future, try to avoid feeding more than 1 trap per week (especially on small plants). You might also try putting your plant outside on a sunny day to let it try catching some food naturally.
Some cultivation advice I always give to new growers: feeding your plants should be the very last thing on your list! There are more important things which you should tackle first if you wish to grow carnivorous plants successfully.
If it’s the oldest traps in the rosette which are turning black, or if the blackening trap has already caught and digested several insects, then this is likely a normal part of the trap’s lifecycle. If your plant is continuing to put out new growth to replace the old traps, then you have nothing to worry about.
My healthy Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) produces traps which turn nice and red in the sun!
Signs Venus Flytrap Is Beginning Dormancy – Dormant Or Dead?
FAQ
Why is my Venus flytrap not moving?
Make sure they are receiving adequate light (at least 12 hours of bright, indirect sunlight), humidity, and warmth. Low light or cold temperatures can cause the traps to stay closed. Health of the Plant: If the plant is stressed due to overwatering, underwatering, or poor soil conditions, it may not function properly.