Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 9/26/2011

Question
Hello,

I have a question about my Drosera Adalae. I had asked about this one before and you did tell me that recovery for this sometimes takes a while so maybe I am just impatient. Well, it is in the standard soil in a East facing window getting about 5-6 hours of sunlight every day. I have been keeping it very moist and in this picture I have the older adalae and a very young tiny one that came off of it. The tiny one is putting out many new leaves but the old one is struggling I am wondering what I should do for the older one. I am in Oregon near Days Creek.I've had the plant for about 1 year now, a little less. Thanks for your help!

Answer
This one is a bit of a challenge to diagnose without actually examining the plant myself.  I also don't have much information to go on.  For instance, I'm not sure what type of water you're using (tap versus distilled) or if you had repotted the plant recently.  

Lets start with lighting.  An east window is OK, but not ideal for growers in the Pacific Northwest.  Many times there is morning fog that won't burn off until midday.  So plants in east windows don't benefit from morning sun as much.  Five to six hours of sunlight is also a bit low.  This sundew is regarded as a "low light" plant in the context of carnivorous plants, but they still need a fair amount of light.  Bright filtered or dappled sun throughout the day is ideal.  Another option is several hours of direct morning sun with bright indirect light through the rest of the day.  (The key word in both situations is bright.)  If a south window isn't possible in your situation, supplement with an artificial light.  Watch Volume 2 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series for a demonstration on how to use artificial lights.  
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

So the first recommendation is to make sure the lighting is optimal for a speedy recovery.  As we enter the fall and winter months, an east window alone will be less and less optimal.  You will need to move the plant to a south window and/or supplement with artificial lights.

Based on the photo, there could be potentially be a bug problem.  It could either be beneath the soil or above.  Or both.  By now, you should have had a plethora of new shoots popping up.  Since you don't, I'm suspicious that the roots are not in good health, either from using high mineral water (such as well water) or from pests.  The leaf growth are also abnormal, which indicates some kind of pest affecting the leaves.  The most common pests among sundews are aphids and thrips.  These pests can cause the type of malformed leaves you see on your plant.

In either case, you should spray your plants with a systemic insecticide.  A systemic will take care of both soil and leaf pests.  Watch our video podcast about using insecticides.  As always, follow the directions provided by the manufacturer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbRCdJ8ZNF0

After making these changes, you should see better leaf growth in a month.  If not, please write back as a follow-up and include as much information as you can about your growing conditions.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin