Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 8/20/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a drosera adelae that I got from Lowe's. I have it in a window that gets some direct morning sun, but is usually in shade pretty much the rest of the day. There's too much light for my orchids, which I had to move back. I water all my carnivorous plants with distilled water, and they're all planted in peat moss. I live in Brunswick, Georgia. When I got it, it seemed very happy, with small dots of red dew on its leaves. I opened the top very gradually over a week or two, yet it still semed to lose most of its dew after I replanted it. I heard that this is normal and waited for it to return. However, now I've had it for over a month, maybe two, and it still doesn't have much dew on it. It's growing new leaves, but the rosette on the bottom that it had when I got it has turned brown (it has another ring before the current rosette). Any new laves seem perky for a while, but start to droop downwards like the others, some longer ones touching the soil and turning brown at the tips. Is this normal for it to droop? All the pics I've seen are perky. I thought it was humidity, so I moved it to a smaller pot (it was in a really large hanging basket) and placed a clear orage carton top half over it to help with humidity. Because of the top, the new leaves are growing perky, but I'm afraid they'll start to droop as well. No dew.

ANSWER: Hi J,

When it comes to plants purchased in those little mass marketed cubes, the best thing you can do for the plant is cut all of the leaves off.  The leaves the plant grew while in the cube are unhealthy, and almost never recover.  Once you cut the old leaves off, give the plant about 3 weeks to a month to start growing new leaves.  New leaves will be normal.  Also, choose a spot with moderate sun and leave it there.  Don't be moving your plant from place to place.  This is always bad for plants since they never get a chance to adapt to the particular microclimate in that spot.

Don't be too concerned about humidity.  You live in Georgia.  Your humidity is fine.  New leaves will adapt to your humidity conditions.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, but will leaving the green leaves on it hider it? I know they're drooping, but I'm afraid to risk harming its photosynthesis area . . .

Answer
Hi J,

This is one of those things that sounds very counter-intuitive, but it works.  Unhealthy leaves aren't helping the plant much anyway.  I've done it many, many times.  It's a technique with Drosera adelae that can also be used to propagate it.  I will often cut an older plant all the way to the ground when they start getting choked with dead leaves and look bad.  They come back with fury.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com