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Carnivorous Plants/drosera adelae lack of dew
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Question
Hi. I have a drosera adelae and I had it growing under one 10 watt fluorescent light bulb for 13 hours a day and it was under a little dome. It had been looking great but it was getting too big for it and I found out domes were bad so I acclimated it to the lower humidity of my house and now it looks a lot less dewy and has produced a bit smaller leaf than before.It is in 1 part peat to 1 part perlite and I water it with distilled water. What can I do to make it grow better?
Hi Jonathan,
The main issue is acclimation, or lack there of. While it is true that sundews don't need constant humidity to grow well, they still need to acclimate to lower humidity if you choose to change their environment. The process takes 1-2 weeks. If you rush the process or remove the dome suddenly, the plant experience a rapid loss of moisture through the leaves, and the leaf is at risk of drying out.
Right now the damage is already done. The older leaves won't produce any dew and may die off. This is normal in this situation. Just clip them off as they start turning brown.
It's also normal for the new growth to be smaller in lower humidity. This is a natural adaptation to prevent excessive moisture loss. Over time, the plant will readjust and produce larger leaves. You just need to be patient as it will take several months.
Your lighting is also insufficient for long term growing. We recommend a minimum of 40 watts of actual output (fluorescent bulb).
For more information about growing tropical sundews, how to grow them under artificial lights and how to acclimate them to lower humidity, watch Volume 2 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series:
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
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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.
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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 |
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