Expert: Christopher Littrell - 12/13/2007

Question
My rosetted sundew plant is kind of in an awkward situation. I bought it back
in August, bare root from California Carnivores. The bulb came in the mail,
bundled up in a stringy, clean type of peat moss. Not really thinking it over
and not having any directions included from California Carnivore, I removed
all of the moss from the root, then planted it in a mixture of regular peat and
perlite. I regretted it after the fact, because about 1/3 of an inch of the root is
above ground but shielded by the leaves. It was impossible to cover that
exposed portion with the soil mixture I used because of the arched shape of
the plant and the fact that the gritty type of moss I used got stuck in the
traps. As a result, its difficult to remove dead leaves because of the possibility
of tearing the vulnerable portion of that root. How should I deal with this?
Should I just get some of that stringy peat moss and attempt to cover the
exposed root by building up a mound under the leaves or do you have a
better suggestion? As for the health of my sundew, I've been giving it plenty
of daylight sun exposure from a south facing window, and the traps are red
with quite a bit of dew on them. In the first month of having the plant, only
one trap produced glue, and its been the only one to accept an insect out of
the whole time i've owned it. In my last attempt to feed them, the leaves
started to curl around the dead, frozen flies that I gave them, but they blew
away in the wind. Those leaves still maintain that partially curled over look
with little to no dew left on them. I've also been foliar feeding them on a
monthly basis by applying a dilute solution of epiphytes delight to the bases
of the sundew leaves.

Answer
Hello Jonathan,

An exposed root is generally not going to be a big problem. Just do the best you can with covering it with a bit of moss. Yes, you are going to get dirt stuck to the leaves, that is unavoidable with sundews. Just get the plant set up and then wait for new leaves to grow out. It sounds like it is getting enough light since the tentacles are red and producing dew. If you can, just gently raise some leaves with a toothpick and push a little moss under the leaves to add coverage for those roots.

In any event, feeding the plant really is not necessary, particularly with carnivorous plants. Often, it is too easy to overdo it. Just give the plant light and water and stop fertilizing it so much and it will do much better. I never fertilize my carnivorous plants and they thrive. They just catch the occasional insect on their own usually. The only time I actually give insects to mine is when I have not seen them catch anything for over a month or two.

Insects are like vitamins for carnivorous plants, not necessary for life. Carnivorous plants will not starve if not given insects or fertilizer for months or even years. Like vitamins, those insects just give the plant a little nutrients for extra leaf growth, but the plant can only use those nutrients if it is healthy to begin with.

Keep up the good care of your sundew,

Christopher