Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Plant Species >> Carnivorous Plants

Mold on Venus Flytrap Seeds: Sun and Sterile Media Over Home Remedies

John has green mold on VFT seed pots and prefers homemade remedies (Dr. Bronner's soap, ladybugs, lacewings) over commercial fungicides.

Effective Non-Chemical Approaches

Sun exposure: UV light kills fungal spores.
Pre-sterilize media: Pour boiling water over peat before sowing.

Why Home Remedies Are Risky

Jeff Dallas warned that even "natural" products can harm carnivorous plants. Example: milk spray (proven for powdery mildew on cucurbits) releases nitrogen as it breaks down—disastrous for VFTs. Commercial "natural" insecticides sometimes contain wetting agents more damaging than synthetics.

Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
www.growcarnivorousplants.com

Carnivorous Plants: Mystery Black Globes in Alaska: Slime Mold ID Requires Microscopy; White Fuzzy Mold on Orchid Roots in Terrarium: Mealybugs or Fungus?; Controlling Mold After Scale Insect Treatment on Nepenthes: Flushing, Fungicides, and Prevention; Why Mold Is Worse Indoors Than in Natural Bogs for VFT Seeds; Controlling Mold in Drosera spatulata: Watering, Light, and Fungicide; Identifying and Treating Stubborn Orange Mold on Sundews; Dealing with Mold on Houseplant Soil: Causes and Simple Solutions; Deep Soil Mold in 43 Plants: Drainage, Lysol, Skewer Method; Ponytail Palm White Mold: Mildew or Scale?; Black Mold on New Lawn: Identification and Treatment

Garden Articles

Black Slime Mold Identification: A Call for Photo Submission

Mealybugs on Philodendron: Why Your Plant Drips and How to Stop It

White Mold on Apricot Trunk and Black Spots on Fruit: Need Photos

Grey Mold on Butterwort: Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment

Preventing Aphids and Sooty Mold on Sarracenia with Systemic Insecticides

Mold on Dormant Sarracenia purpurea: Safe Fungicide Use and Prevention

Dealing with Mold on Cephalotus: Effective Treatment Options

Plants

Fungus Gnats on Indoor Impatiens: Cultural Control

Mold on Multiple Garden Plants: Cultural Fixes First

Jade Plant Stem Rot: Southern Blight or Crown Rot?

Houseplant Soil Mold: Improve Drainage, Air, and Consider Repotting

Mold Mites and Springtails in Home and Workplace: Moisture Issues

Controlling Sooty Mold on Tulip Trees by Managing Aphids

Treating Mold in Newly Laid Sod