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Carnivorous Plants/No flower stalk?

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Expert: - 10/2/2010


Question
Hi do you know why my Drosera Capensis typical is not growing a flower stalk i grow it in a southern windowsill it gets about 5-8 hours of direct sunlight a day and bright indirect for rest of the day it is in 1 parts peat moss one parts perlite it is always in sitting distilled water and the temp. in the house during summer is at 69-70. degrees F. and during winter 77-78. degrees Fahrenheit. do you know why it is not growing a flower stalk and am i growing this plant correctly it is also about 1-1/2 -2 years old thanks.and if you need a pic. i can post one thanks.!

Answer
Hello Ean,

Try adding some florescent lights from 100 to 150 watt compact bulbs or 40 watt shop lights over the plant for about 16 hours a day. Plants often respond to daylength of light, called photoperiod, to tell them when it is time to flower. If the window does not provide enough photoperiod for the plant at certain times, it may not flower. Best bet is to wait until spring to add more light to be in tune with the seasons.

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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