AboutSarracenia Northwest Expertise Got a carnivorous plant problem? The growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin have helped thousands of growers around the world, and they can help you too. When you submit your question, they will diagnose your situation and offer a solution to help you get your carnivorous plant back on track.
Experience With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. Get the straight facts from the guys who grow and propagate thousands of these plants every year.
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?).
Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?)
I have been having trouble with a cape sundew. It was growing well, but then
the new leaves started to form in a stunted manner, never fully developing
and with the tips turning brown. I did not see any signs of insects but at your
prior suggestion I started treating the plant with neem-based insecticide.
This did not help, so I then tried your other suggestion of clipping off the
plant at the roots. It grew back well at first, but then the stunted growth
reappeared. I tried repotting (soil mixture is 2 peat, 1 perlite, and 1 washed
sand); this also helped for a while, but eventually the problem returned. I use
only distilled water, and have the plant indoors under artificial lights (Would it
be helpful to move this plant outside for the summer? I am in the Portland
area). I should mention that the plant came potted together with a tropical
bladderwort. When I repot, I notice that the bladderwort roots fill a significant
portion of the pot. Could this be causing a problem? Any advice you can
provide will be appreciated. Thank you.
Answer Hi Robert,
I remember talking to you about this problem. I've looked at your photo for quite some time and I'm a little baffled. You plants look chlorotic like when their is a nutrient problem, or if plants are kept in a very hot greenhouse in very bright exposure. However, I noticed that all of your plants are very pale; almost no red at all. This is usually a sign of low light. Yet, in low light Cape sundews usually curl their leaves under. I feel like clues in this mystery are missing.
What was the brand of soil ingredients? Fertilizer present could produce some of these symptoms.
Tell me more about the lighting. What types of lights? How close are they to the plants? How warm is it in the growing area?
How are you watering the plants? How deep do the pots sit in water? Is the pot the Cape Sundew is in undrained, or does it have holes in the bottom? Do you top water, or just from the trays? Also, do you live right in Portland? Do you know if you are on the Bull Run water system? If you're not, your water may have more minerals than is desirable. Low light combined with hard water could make plants look like this. You mentioned they looked better for a little while after transplanting. This would be consistent with hard water, or minerals in the soil.
If we can unravel this one, it will be helpful for you and lots of other people also.
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