Carnivorous Plants/cape sundew

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Expert: - 11/16/2008


Question
frist i know every thing to do but i still not getting it u can but them in styrofoam bowl, 2 and how do u get tissue cultres from them and whant do i need to do for this way of making more plant, 3 what can of bugs can i give them, 4 can i freze them to keep them good9 the bugs not he plant0
that you,
        draco

Answer
Hello Draco,

1. I suppose you could use styrofoam bowls but the best and most lasting containers would be pots made of ceramic or plastic.

2. Tissue culture would be used by someone with a lab. Generally speaking, it is much easier to simply collect seeds when the plant flowers or clip some root cuttings from the adult plant when repotting and let the root cuttings grow new plants.

3. Cape sundews will catch their own insects. They are adept at capturing almost anything small and or weak enough to get stuck in the glue. I have seen giant 1 1/2 inch crane flies captured and digested by Cape sundews.

4. You could refrigerate insects to calm or kill them before giving them to the plant, however; like I indicated before, Cape sundews can easily attract and catch a great many insects on their own. Best bet is to simply let nature take its course.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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