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You are here: Experts > Style > Gardening > Carnivorous Plants > Help of my Drosera Capensis
Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 11/6/2009
Question
I bought a drosera capensis about a month ago but now i have a problem. My drosera is having the leaves with no dew and it is having the leaves turning white. Recently i have noticed that the plant is developing some dark spots. I have my plant in peat moss and perlite, receiving distilled water constantly and also with south sun light. Hosw can i recover my plant.
Answer
Hi Juan,
Thank you for the photograph. It helps out a lot. Based on your description and the photograph, your plant isn't getting enough sunlight. All of the symptoms you've described - no dew, leaves turning white, the leaves curling under - are characteristics of a sundew growing in poor lighting. Ideally, it should bet between 4-6 hours of direct sunlight with very bright indirect light during the rest of the day.
Despite growing your plant in a south window, the lighting isn't adequate. This can sometimes be a problem during the summer months when the sun is higher in the sky. During fall and winter, south windows actually receive more direct sunlight because the sun is lower in the horizon.
Monitor your plant. Make sure it is indeed receiving direct sunlight. If not, you'll need to move it to a new location or resort to artificial lights. Keep in mind that it doesn't matter what you think is bright enough for your plant. In the end, your sundew is the final judge of what is bright enough.
Within a couple weeks of being in bright light, the younger leaves will start producing dew again. The older leaves will likely remain dry and curled. You'll just need to be patient to see new growth, at which time you'll see more dew production.
For more information about growing tropical sundews, read our general care sheet:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets
On December 1, we're releasing volume 2 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series. In this volume, we'll cover tropical sundews. This DVD will be a great resource for you because it'll show you what we mean about selecting the right window for your plant and how to use artificial lights.
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
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