Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 5/4/2011

Question
Hi, i live in south Florida where currently it is HOT HOT HOT.  Just recently about three weeks ago bought a dosera capensis red leaf in a three inch pot.  On the first day the dew was practically in puddles and now... well... not so much.  The current leaves are drying up and SOME of the new growth is browning at the tip.  I am growing this plant in full sun, with the soil that was in the pot at time of shipping, which i believe contains equal parts of Peat Moss and Perlite  This also happened at first with a sarracenia and a nepenthes that I own but it was just a scorching and later the pitchers created were amazing and sun tolerable.  I water the plants every other day with distilled water and leave it and its pot in a cup of water that evaporates by the time the next watering comes along.  Although dewless, the sundew does have its natural red coloration which is good.  What would you suggest???

Answer
Dew production s affected by sunlight and temperature.  While the red leaf variety is more tolerant of warmer conditions than the typical variety, there is a limit.  It seems like the microclimate for your plant is much too warm for it, especially if the new growth is browning at the tips.  What's likely happening is that the roots are overheating and can't absorb enough water quickly enough to offset the moisture loss through the leaves.  

I recommend shading your plant slightly.  If you have the pots on concrete, move it to a different location where the microclimate doesn't overheat.  Try giving your plant sunlight during the morning hours only and bright indirect light the rest of the day.  Another option is to give your plant dappled sunlight throughout the day.  The main issue here is to not allow the roots to overheat, while at the same time giving your plant sufficient sunlight.

At our nursery, we grow this plant outdoors in full sun during the summer months.  However, we also make sure that the roots are sufficiently protected from overheating.  So give this a try.  

You may need to wait until you see new growth and more dew production.  The current leaves might be too damaged to produce dew again.  However, if you are able to moderate the soil temperature, the new growth will produce lots of dew.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin