You are here:
Carnivorous Plants/Hitchhiker
Advertisement
Question
Hi, I purchased a Giant Staghorn Sundew from your nursery back in March, and as I was trimming off dead leaves recently, I realized that there is a hitchhiker in the pot, which I'm hoping you will be able to help me identify. I've been growing the plant outdoors, and was planning on letting it go dormant and stay outside over the winter since I live in Seattle, but I assume that will no longer be possible with the addition of the second type of sundew in the pot.
)
Thanks so much for your help.
That plant is a spoon leaf sundew, Drosera spatulata. It's a tropical species, so it won't tolerate a frost. It's a judgment call about what to do, depending on your goals.
The dichotoma will go dormant, even if you brought it indoors. It's dormancy is triggered mostly by a decrease in daylight hours rather than temperature. Another option is to remove the spatulata and put it in its own pot. Of course, you can also place the dichotoma outdoors for the winter (provided that you follow the recommended winter precautions) and let the spatulata die off. At our nursery, wen we find volunteer plants in other pots, we grow the plants for the main plant in the pot, not the volunteers.
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
Just the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate
thousands of carnivorous plants each 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?) For general plant care, please read our care sheets on our main website: http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets For business questions: http://www.cobraplant.com/contact |
Follow us on Youtube and Facebook!
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.