Carnivorous Plants/dying plant

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Expert: - 4/10/2008


Question
I totally new at this I just purchased 2 little plants(sundews) one of them is a plant with long thin antler looking leaves, many of these were bent and broken from shipping (I dont think it was such a good choice for mailing) I pinched off the really broken ones and set it out in the sun with lots of water, most of the other staghorns are turn black and dying / should I do something?  the other plant is fine

Answer
Hello Will,

The only thing you can do for the damaged plant is to wait and see if it recovers. As long as it keeps growing new leaves from its central crown it is fine. If all the leaves die off and the temperature is warm, the plant is probably dying completely. Fork leaf sundews tend to be capable of recovering quite well in most cases and are easy growers. Keep giving them plenty of light and mineral free water in a large tray with up to 1/4 their pots in water. They just need time, sunlight, acidic mossy soil, and clean water.

I hope your sundew recovers.

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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