---
title: "First is a Venus fly trap, it looks so pitiful, is this normal?? Not…"
description: "First is a Venus fly trap, it looks so pitiful, is this normal?? Not a single new trap since I got it. Second is a purple pitcher, no new pitchers either :("
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/nCqjNmswTlS-vtdufEldHw/657d0a2140c1e54cdceb7d6a"
community: "Carnivorous Corner"
author: "LaurenJ"
published: "2023-12-16T02:23:29.53Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/kLO_zRQAaJ2XuquOMSpT8BV-g2VWWGC4q1ANw4PxihA/190aa4c4426d4fe69a8243ac50e1e57e.webp?size=large"
---

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# First is a Venus fly trap, it looks so pitiful, is this normal?? Not…

_Posted by LaurenJ on 2023-12-16_

First is a Venus fly trap, it looks so pitiful, is this normal?? Not a single new trap since I got it. Second is a purple pitcher, no new pitchers either :(

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/kLO_zRQAaJ2XuquOMSpT8BV-g2VWWGC4q1ANw4PxihA/190aa4c4426d4fe69a8243ac50e1e57e.webp?size=large)

## 6 comments

### Molly 🪴 commented on 2023-12-16

What does your care for them look like? Do you water them with distilled water? Are they getting plenty of direct sun? Do you keep their soil wet?

#### Molly 🪴 replied on 2023-12-16

VFT can be pretty dramatic if these conditions aren’t met, but can pull through pretty easily once you start giving them the care they need

#### LaurenJ replied on 2023-12-16

Yes I water with planta, and then the are right in front of an exterior door but also a grow lamp since that side only gets a few hours of sun a day. It has a base with charcoal for filtering, and they get misted too. Maybe planta doesn’t water often enough? That’s my only guess…

#### Molly 🪴 replied on 2023-12-16

Planta is on the dry side for VFT. They do just fine sitting in a 1/4 inch of water all the time

#### nepenthomancer replied on 2023-12-16

Yes both sarracenia, VFT, and drosera all do well sitting in 1/4-1/2 inch of water. I wouldn’t let them dry out at all that could explain the brown edges.

### nepenthomancer commented on 2023-12-16

Venus fly traps need dormancy. The tube pitcher plant is a sarracenia. Sarrancenia are not an indoor plant despite being sold that way. They also need dormancy. I would suggest putting them both in a cool dark place, while maintaining continuous moisture with distilled or reverse osmosis water-as top water will also cause them to deteriorate sooner. Keep them there until spring, and then put under bright direct light and they should come back up.

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