Expert: Christopher Littrell - 9/8/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi like my subject you tell me how to grow sundews from seeds?

ANSWER: Hello Ian,

There are many different species of Sundews. You would have to know which of the hundred and more of the genera you are growing so that you can determine what method to use to sprout them. If you can find out the specific species you want to sprout from seeds, I can probably help you out.

Christopher

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QUESTION: These are the seeds i would like to grow cape sundew typical, Drosera capillaris, Drosera filiformis-tracyi, Drosera intermedia. and can you show me a picture of what those plants look like after about a week from sprouting or at least some thanks.

Answer
Hello Ian,

There are two methods you can use for thse different Sundews.

1. The Drosera capensis and Drosera capillaris both can grow just fine by placing the seeds directly from the seed pod, or seed packets if you buy seeds, onto the moist sphagnum peat moss and perlite 1:1 ratio potting mix. Just drop the seeds on the soil surface and barely sprinkle a granulated bit of moss over them just to cover them slightly. Keep the moist, at room temperature, and under good florescent lights of about 12000 lumens and you should see sprouts in a few weeks. They will be tiny and will grow over the course of a year or two to adult size. D. capillaris tends to be an annual, so make sure to keep collecting seeds to keep your collection alive. D. capensis is a perennial that usually produces a large number of seeds.

2. Drosera intermedia and Drosera filiformis need cold stratification. You can do this by adding a step in the regular potting method used above for the other Sundews. Just put the seeds in the pot of moist soil, then place them in a plastic bag after spraying them with a good fungicide derived from Neem oil or sulfur based products, never use copper based or soap based products for carnivorous plants. Once in the plastic bag, place them in the refrigerator door so that they receive about 6-8 weeks of 40 degree cold weather. You might want to take them out and check them every few days to ensure mold is not growing on them and respray them with fungicide as directed on the bottle. Refrigerators are notorious mold incubators due to the dark conditions. You could also use an ice chest with frozen water bottles and replace the frozen water bottles every 12 hours enough to keep the temperatures down to 40 degrees at night and open the ice chest by day in a window or under lights to inhibit mold. That is how I winter and stratify mine as needed indoors. After 6-8 weeks of stratification, take them out of the cold and place them in a well lit place with your other plants so they can sprout in room temperatures. It generally takes about 3-6 20 ounce frozen bottles of water, a little over half full, to keep an ice chest of the regular size relatively cold for 12 hours or so even open.

Christopher