karen
Full Member
Posts: 4
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Post by karen on Apr 5, 2010 22:43:08 GMT
Hi. My sundew "mom" died last year and left me with 2 small (each plant is about an inch across) offspring. I have tried to catch gnats and while still alive. place them on the leaves and stroke the leaves (my attempt to simulate walking on them). Nothing except the gnat dies and the plants just hang out. any suggestions on how I can try to help them to grow larger and more robust? Also, a friend's son is interested in carniverous plants, can you recommend a good "starter" one and where his mom can get it (we are Fairfield Cty, CT). thanks!
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williamg
Full Member
D. roseana
Posts: 129
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Post by williamg on Apr 5, 2010 23:00:52 GMT
First of all, it would be helpful to know what species of sundew it is, because different species have different requirements. Feeding your plants is not need, and is a secondary requirement for robust plants. Make sure your plants have plenty of light and water to allow growth. Depending on the species, repoting the sundew could aslo stimulate growth, epescially if the younger ones are in the same soil as the mother. What did the mother plant die of? Know what could help figure out what not to do with the ypunger plants. When feeding, I never have to simulate my plants, just placing the insects on the leaves have always done the trick. Some species also have very little to no movement at all and it is kind of hard to tell what going on. Hope this advice helps, its kept my sundews alive for two and half years . I have found that Nepenthes Ventrata hybrids are very robust when given enough light. Also, cape sundews tend to do well. THe type of plant all depends on their conditions. Lowes or Home Depot may have plants coming in now that its spring. I have also had great quality plants from cobraplant.com/. Hope this helps, Williamg
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karen
Full Member
Posts: 4
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Post by karen on Apr 6, 2010 21:55:49 GMT
Thanks for the insight. The sundew is a cape sundew (d. capensis). I keep it in the original pot that is placed in another container that contains bottled spring water that I take out of a tadpole tank- the water is put in the other container about 1/4 way up the pot. The containers were then placed by a west window. I had taken it out of the plastic ziploc bag-clear- around Christmas. The mother plant's leaves got mushy looking and then just disintergrated- when out of the bag. I had gotten the plant along with a few others that had not made it over the winter at one of the conventions in RI (pitcher plant got a white mildew, the bigmouths also got soggy and died about a year and a half ago. If I repot it, should the pot be the same size? Also, should the soil be sterile or can I take some dirt from our stream bed? (The current pot is only about 4 inches across) I still have to read up on the best soil composition. I have not seen any carniverous plants at our Home Depot but I will pass the info along as well as the site Thanks Karen
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williamg
Full Member
D. roseana
Posts: 129
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Post by williamg on Apr 6, 2010 23:11:46 GMT
Carnivorous plants thrive on nutrient poor soil and are very sensitive to nutrients and chemicals in the soil, so I would not recommend using soil from the local stream. There are all sorts of soil mixes you could use, but I use 50-50 sand peat mixture for my D. Capensis. Just be sure there is no fertilizer in the soil, as that stuff is toxic to carnivorous plants. Depending on what they're planted in and how old it is, will determine if you want to replant. Size wise, I have three in a 4 inch pot so reuseing the pot would be fine. Sounds like many of your problems are from high humidity. Leaving them in the bag is just asking for mold and fungus, especially during the winter when light levels are low. Try just leaving them in a window. They normally will adapt, and having them in a water tray also helps raise the humidity. How much light does the D. Capensis get? This plant likes lots of light; I would try using a cheap lamp and put a daylight or warm white CFB in it to boast the light level if they are low. Also, I would not be watering with water from a tadpole tank. They’re droppings could be adding nutrients to the soil and damaging the plant. Try collecting rainwater or buy a gallon of distilled water. There are care sheets www.californiacarnivores.com/californiacarnivoresgrowingtips.aspxcobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=26and good info www.sarracenia.com/faq.htmlHope this is helpful, William
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