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Carnivorous Plants/tap water + sundew adalea

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Expert: - 12/8/2007


Question
I have a lot of sundews growing and multiplying nicely in a large flat pot.  I usually water it with spring water but I wasn't paying attention and I MIGHT have watered it with tap water because the bottles very similar.  I slanted the pot and poured spring water at the higher end of the pot to let it drain out. If it was tap water and even though I drained it, how much would this affect my sundews?  Should I repot?

Answer
Hello Matt,

One watering of tap water will not unduly harm your plants if you continue watering them with distilled, fresh rain, or reverse osmosis water. Be careful of the spring water you use. Some natural spring water contains minerals of the sort dangerous to carnivorous plants. The main thing to avoid would be mineral salts like calcium, magnesium, and sodium. If the spring water contains those minerals, stop using it and switch to something purer.

From the sound of it your sundews have been doing fine, keep up the good work,

Christopher

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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