Saving that VFT

JRoegner@aol.com
Thu, 21 Mar 1996 20:56:17 -0500

Fellow Carnivores !
I noticed that some of us are having problems with our mascot plant....
As some of you will remember I asked for your help last fall with my once 8
in across VFT that was in big big trouble. Thanks to your tips the plant has
recovered and is now starting to bloom. The following suggestions helped in
it's recovery:

A soil of coarse silica sand with about 10-25% sphagnum peat
A 4-5 inch plastic pot
A water level in the tray of 1/2 inch or less.
rain or distilled water only
All the light I could give it

I had killed the roots when I had over-collected rainwater from the roof
during a hurricane and stored it in the tray. The level was an inch from the
top of the pots. Some contamination from the house's wooden siding or the
roof's shingles might have been in the off-color water. The leaves were
browning on the edges first and only three to four could be supported by the
plant's roots. I dumped the soil and repotted it in a larger pot.

Again thanks for all of the advice and I hope this helps out those that are
having their own problems with the VFT...........
Joe Roegner