Expert: Christopher Littrell - 8/23/2010

Question
Hi i was wondering if i have my cape sundews in the right growing conditions i bought three cape sundews about four days ago i have bought a fish aquarium and a lid for for the sundews and the are standing in water distilled water and every day a give them a little amount of direct morning sun and  i will give them a little more every day until i give them about 5-6 hours of direct morning sunlight. So are these growing conditions good or bad can you please correct me on everything i have done wrong and some tips and warning. Thanks i hope you respond fast.

Answer
Hello Ian,

Contrary to popular belief, most carnivorous plants do not require terrariums and high humidity. Many do live in humid conditions to be sure, however; they can adapt slowly over a couple weeks to pretty much whatever humidity your home provides. High humidity and terrariums cause more problems with mold and inability to provide good light than they solve. Cape Sundews do great as open pot houseplants in a sunny South or East facing window in regular room temperatures of about 75 degrees.

First off, open the lid of the terrarium a half an inch every three days until it is open several inches by the end of the second week. The humidity should be normalized by that time and the plants can be taken out and placed on a table, window sill, or other spot where they can get bright light and moderate temperatures. Place the pots in a tray where they can get about 1/4 the pot bottom in standing distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water. Tap water contains too many minerals and can harm carnivorous plants.

If the sundews do not develop drops of dew on their tentacles and do not develop proper coloration, most species develop red tentacles, then they are not getting enough light. You may need to find a brighter window with longer hours of light or you may need to invest in some florescent lighting. 100 to 150 watt florescent spiral bulbs can be used in desk lamps for a few plants to enhance window light. I use 40 watt shop lights of the cool white four foot long tube variety as I have a large assortment of plants. The spiral bulbs produce a lot of heat so make sure to monitor them so they do not burn your sundews if they are too close. Artificial lights should be about 8-12 inches from plants and adjusted over time to get the right distance for the proper color and development in your plants. Leave the lights on for 12-16 hours a day and add a light if the plants do not develop dew and coloration properly until you have enough intensity added to the window light. In all likelihood, you will only need one or two such desk lights or one twin mount shop light over the plants if they get some good window light.

Next, the tank. Go get a few guppies if you decide to keep it. Just a joke, but you really do not need the aquarium unless you acquire some of the more difficult to grow carnivorous plants that really need a controlled environment.

Christopher