Carnivorous Plants/Sundew Growth

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Expert: - 3/12/2009


Question
Okay, well my latest sundew has lasted now 3 weeks,
I tried to poke 1/4 inch holes and found it to be a bit big, I had about 4 of them and a pretty big cracked space that was open.... It caused my plant to go into humidity shock...So i taped up the gap a bit and its been getting better slowly but surely. i am using natural water, I collect it from plastic bags on my trees which provide beautiful clean water. right now the sundew has been growing many leaves, and the dew isnt as good as i was expecting, it has small droplets still,  i have yet to let it catch anything outside in fear humidity shock will happen again, So my question is, what can i do to help get my sundew strong enough to get it outside before march 20th and which side of the window should i place it? Like north east south west... Right now its sitting in the east window and isnt complaining... um the real question is how much water should be in the sundew water dish?

-Regards
Kain

Answer
Hello Kain,

Keep the plant in an east facing window for now and keep an eye on how hot and intense the light is. Domes tend to trap heat and intensify the effects of sunlight so far as cooking plants. Once you get the dome off completely it should be fine as a houseplant.

Provide the plant with up to 1/4 of its pot depth in water in an overlarge tray.

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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