2 plants, 2 questions (VFT "Dente", S. Minor)

[zath]

These should be fairly simple questions for anyone more experienced than I in the hobby. I'll start in the order I listed them, I suppose.

My so-called "Dente" flytrap, whose sawtooth-like spines I am so fond of, seems to be producing normal looking spines, of the sort you'd expect to see on a Lowes or Wal-Mart VFT. The plant was only recently purchased from Carnivorous Plant Nurseries (.com), but has already produced three....eh...1/2"-3/4" traps in the time I've had it. I'm wondering if the sawtooth look only comes after the plant has matured a bit more, or if someone had a mix-up at the nursery.

The S. Minor came in with two Gorgeous (albeit slightly damaged) pitchers.....and......nothing. I check my plants every day for signs of growth (and by check I mean get my eyeballs within a couple inches of the soil), and not even a little stub of new growth has appeared. I may be worrying a bit prematurely, as I've only had it about 3-4 weeks now, but I'm used to my CP's growing a wee bit faster (even the ones I've mistreated by accident). Despite the damaged leaves, they are still green and vibrant looking, so I"m assuming the plant is fine.

I'd really like to know if S. Minor is just a slow grower, approx. how many pitchers I can expect in a year, and how long I should wait with no growth before worrying.

....okay, I guess that was actually 4 questions, sorry.

As usual, thanks for your time guys. Please know that I don't rely solely on you for my answers, just the more specific ones. I am constantly reading about CP cultivation, and learning new things every day.

[Not a Number]

As I recall the "Dente" flytraps usually grow normal cilia (teeth) in the spring so you may not see the "teeth" until later in the year. This seems to be the case with many of the "tooth" cultivars.

Some of my S. minor still have pitchers from last years growth that look "fresh" and are just starting showing new pitcher growth. A lot of my Sarracenia have had a late start this spring. The same could be going on with your plant. A lot of it has to do with the climate and weather where it has been growing.

[zath]

Thank you. You took a load off my mind as far as the flytrap is concerned. I really despise contacting companies over errors / damaged goods. It's never fun.

I'll sit on the S. minor and hope for the best, but I know that as soon as I see the first little sprout of a new pitcher, I'm going to breathe a huge sigh of relief. My collection of CP's is quite tiny, and every plant is precious to me. I want to get the most out of what I have and try not to kill anything else, lol.

[taz6122]

You may want to back off on the watering if you have your S. minor in a tray. Personally I don't use a tray and water sparingly until they are actively growing.

[zath]

The S.minor was planted too deeply, and was struggling to get a leaf to the surface, while also dealing with deposits such as pollen and dust building up (rather quickly) in the soil.

They're re-potted now with drained pots and trays, and when it's time to water I don't just fill them up, I flush them with about half a gallon first, lol. I'll continue to do this until the water runoff is clearer, then resume normal watering.