My first CP!

10 years ago

I have been thinking about getting one for a long time, and I took the plunge and picked up a Cape sundew here in town.

I have a pan outside to collect rain (will be getting some distilled water soon too) and plan on doing the tray method. Just hope my little grow light is enough until it is warm enough for summer vacation outdoors. My jade, Hoyas, and AV's like it well enough, hopefully my drosera will too.

Featured Answer

purslanegarden

10 years ago

I like the sundews too. Over the winter, I brought them indoors to my window sill, where I was able to look at them straight on with the window as a back light. Seeing the dew on all those tiny hairs was a wonderful sight.

They actually seemed to do better indoors than they had outdoors, so I'm not sure if that was because of the outdoor heat in the earlier months or if they had finally become "established" and were outputting leaves to their best ability.
However, sundews need decent light (sunlight or artificial) to make dew, so after a while, if you find your sundew doesn't have that much dew, try to find another spot for it.

I have seen that on my cape sundews, some leaves are longer and skinnier, some are shorter and thicker. I believe that relates to the amount of light it gets. Having just bought it from a store, it's possible the store conditions there were not as bright as it could have been.

You can keep your moss in several ways. Either lift the entire root ball out of the pot, keeping things intact, and plant it into your new pot, or else break it up, but when you transplant, just put them back in place to be near/around your sundew.

You can repot it now if you keep the root ball more or less intact, or give it a week or two to adjust to your new conditions and see how it is fairing.

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Comments (12)

tommyr_gw Zone 6
10 years ago
Congrats! Nice plant!
Kim
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you! Have it in a tray of rain water now. It isnt very dewy, hopefully that improves as the weather warms.

A few questions you may be able to help with? Is this the "narrow leaf" form?

And also, repotting. I plan to get pool filter sand and peat or long fiber sphagnum for its substrate. I do like the green moss on top and would like to continue that if possible, just have not yet figured out how, nor at what point I should repot this. Any pointers?
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tommyr_gw Zone 6
10 years ago
More light will increase dew. Peat and sand is fine. The standard CP mix is peat moss and perlite but sand works too. Not sure about the moss.
Kim thanked tommyr_gw Zone 6
Kim
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you!!! I have it under fluorescent lighting now, and moved it a bit closer to the actual light source. It does seem to be a little more dewy but that could be my imagination. In the store it was under a plastic terrarium lid snuggled under a good deal of other plants, with a couple not so hot looking CPs, so likely the store conditions were not the best. Think I will give it some time to adjust before I mess with it any.

It sure is cool looking. I hope I am successful with it, there are many types of sundew, Butterworths, nepenthe's, and Utricularia I would like to grow too. This seemed as good a starting point as any.
tommyr_gw Zone 6
10 years ago
With more light it'll be fine. We call those plastic lids "death cubes". Make sure it sits in about an inch of rain or distilled water.
Kim
Original Author
10 years ago
You guys were right on the money. My little Drosera is already getting dewy. The store didn't have it in a tray either, seems much happier.

And of course another question... The bottom leaves are pretty droopy. Will these bounce back, be shed naturally as part of the life cycle, and are they decent enough candidates should I be tempted to try and propogate one or two?
tommyr_gw Zone 6
10 years ago
Just leave the bottom leaves alone. They die naturally. Propagate healthy leaves.
Kim thanked tommyr_gw Zone 6
Kim
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I think it is happy. Is this the beginnings of a flower scape I see?

And just look at that dew!
I might post a photo progression of the flower stalk, if anyone is interested.
Kim
Original Author
10 years ago
Lets try this again. Houzz doesnt like me when I try to upload 2 photos at once.
purslanegarden
10 years ago
Yep, beautiful!! Please post any sundew pictures you want to, they are great to see.
rredbbeard
10 years ago
Purslane--could I interest you (or anyone else) in a swap for a couple of small sundews? I have some interesting plants and/or seeds, or could send postage.

Thanks,

Rick