> Hey!? what can cause a VFT 's leaves to turn yellow on the edges and then
> brown???
> Next the spikes on the trap start to brown. It's not the eldest leaves that
> are affected first, the ones at the highest point went first. The poor plant
> is looking pretty bad right now.
> 1. I can't tell if it's due to a drop in the outdoor humidity.
> 2. or if I've fed it some De-ionized water with sodium.
> 3. or maybe calcium buildup from the occasional tapwater (that I slipped it
> when nobody was looking) (I let the tapwater stand for a few days to let
> the chlorine escape, so that can be ruled out)
> 4. Is this a symptom of root rot?
> 5. Or is it getting ready for fall dormancy?
Maybe someone else will write and say this is natural, but it doesn't
sound good to me. I feel that if a plant is looking bad, you should
dig it up, check the roots (if any), and repot in fresh soil.
My VFTs don't really have a Winter dormancy (greenhouse with
temperatures down to 45F/7C). They don't grow at that temperature,
but don't lose all their leaves either.
Glad to say that the UK is now being deluged with rain again after
extended Summer drought. My rain water supply ran out - I brought the
plants into the house instead of outside to try to minimise water
loss, and had to give boiled tap water for a couple of weeks.
-- Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)