Carnivorous Plants/Cape Sundew

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Expert: - 3/8/2008


Question
I am growing a cape sundew that is having problems.  It's newly grown leaves are disfigured and do not have tentacles.  I have it under a growlight along with other carnivorous plants that are doing well.  What should I do about the cape sundew?

Answer
Hello Dave,

The first thing that comes to mind would be pests like aphids, mealy bugs, and such. If you detect such pests you can kill them off with pyrethrines or neem oil pesticides or by submerging the entire plant in a bucket of distilled water for 24-48 hours, taking it out and repeating the process after a day. Such dunking will drown out insects and the sundew will be fine after a few days after such submersion.

Another thought would be pot size. I have a Cape sundew that began growing disfigured leaves, but no pests were present. Mine did produce tentacles and dew, so that much differs from your problem. I had mine in a 5 inch pot in which its roots had become cramped, showing as twisted leaves above ground. After repotting, it now grows normally and has plenty of root space.

In your case I am suspecting pests due to the tentacle barren leaves your describing.

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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