Darkmuse's Inbox

Just thought I'd warn you: don't panic if the fruit start going a dark purple (almost black) colour. It means they're about to turn red!

very hard to keep i have never been successful with these at all, and i am pretty good with plants, i think they need heated greenhouse - very humid damp air to work otherwise they turn yellow and then just die back in my experience. but there are lots of other types of fly traps that are just as interesting and a lot easier to grow if you loose it why not try a pitcher plant - think they are much easier to grow and very good at munching on flys! quite wierd looking too.

They live in peat bog areas - so need lots of light and also only water with rain water.

Hi Darkmuse, I am not an expert but I had the opportunity to talk to one today and he tells me that it is a lack of sun that stops the insides going red. I am not sure why the traps arent closing but he tells me it takes a huge effort to make the movement and can take days for the plant to open/reset the 'traps'. I do know that there are three points or hairs inside most traps and those have to be triggered for the trap to close so if they are really tiny flies... does any of that make sense... more sunlight.

Plant food once a week, water 2 or 3 times a week to keep damp not too wet, in a heatwave more often. If you have no sunny spot then plenty of light.

It sounds like you have done all you can apart from starting again. When we hired a scarifier and did ours it looked horrendous but it did recover and now looks ok, apart from the odd daisy and dandelion which we can live with.

I would hire a turf cutter to remove it all, then a rotovater to clear the ground, rake off stones, add some home made compost or bought stuff or a few tons of decent top soil, then chuck grass seed down. Do it in September if you have time between now and then, otherwise May is good.

I normally try to re-seed about September time - because the soil is warm so it starts off the seeds and then gives plenty of time for it to grow before the cold of the winter. I too prefer grass, although it depends on how much you have, by the sounds of it you have the inclination to look after it - go for it!

Grass is very nice but by the description of your I would get rid of grass and have pretty gravel see the 'photo of my small garden,less work and no maintenance!!!