Question
I have been growing flytraps for about 5 years outside with no trouble. This year my traps are coming up all twisted and knarled. My growing conditions have not changed and I am do everything I have been told to do including repotting every year, full sun, peat and perlite mix, and  no fertilizer. What could be the problem?

Answer
Dear Andrew,

Firstly I have a confession to make!  I have never attempted to grow a Venus Fly Trap - I used to sell them in my shop but as they were quite expensive I never kept any for myself.  They are certainly intriguing plants and it would seem that you have been doing everything right for five years so how strange that this year is different.

I wonder how you water the plants as they do not like to sit in water. You should place them on pebbles which are covered in water so that the base of the pot is barely in contact with the water, definitely not submerged.

Are all your plants affected in the same way?  What do you do with them during the dormant period?  I imagine you have checked to see if they have been affected by a fungus?  It sounds to me as if something has affected the bulbs themselves and I would be inclined to dig one or two out of their pots and examine them closely.

I am sorry I cannot give you a definite cause - I wonder if you can find anyone in your area who specialises in Venus Fly Traps and to whom you can show the problem.

I would love to know how you get on.  Diana