Sundew (Drosera) Care Guide

Light Requirements

Know the correct lighting requirements for your plant. This will be the difference between growing and THRIVING!

Sundews need Full to part sun. Most species of sundew require at least six hours of direct light to thrive.

You can grow them on a very bright windowsill indoors as long as they get lots of morning sunlight. In my experience, this is where the plant seems to thrive!

If your sundew is not producing dew it is almost always due to too little light or humidity.

For more info on types of light, refer to the HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page

Acclimatization

When you bring your new babies home, help them to acclimatize by following this simple step.

In my experience, apart from a lack of dew production initially, this plant doesn’t show any distress in new environments. Dew production will resume when the plant settles, just be sure it has enough light and water.

However, considering the “stress” the plant has gone through during shipping, placing them in an area that gets bright dappled light or morning sun only for a week before moving them to their new spot is always advised.

Death of the lower leaves is common as the plant ages and/or acclimatizes, and new ones will quickly grow.

I always spray new plants with Novion, to give them that extra boost. (A free sample vial is sent with every order to assist with acclimatization and ease Abiotic stress.)

Watering Requirements

ALWAYS USE PURE WATER such as Rain, Distilled or R.O Water.

Sundews need LOTS of water. Keeping them in a tray of water is best. Most seem to prefer being on the wetter side, so place the pot in a tray where about 25% or 1/4 of the pot is submerged.

Allowing the tray to dry out for a day before filling up again is a good idea as this helps the soil get aerated.

Keep the sundews in trays much larger than needed to raise humidity levels. This increased surface area around the pot increases evaporation and thereby humidity levels as well.

For more information on Watering refer to our HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page.

Potting Media Requirements

A nutrient-deficient soil is a must for all carnivorous plants.NEVER use soil with fertilizers.

Sundews grow well in your standard Carnivorous Plant Mix. (1 part peat moss to 1 part Perlite)

They have long roots so will only need to be transplanted if you see the roots growing out the bottom of the pot through the drainage holes. A deeper pot is better than a wider pot.

Standard Carnivorous soil mix for Sundews can be purchased from the Accessories page.

For more info on Soil & Potting refer to the HOLY COMMANDMENTS Page and my BLOG ON REPOTTING.

Feeding Requirements

Carnivorous Plants are formidable hunters and do not need to be fed, but if you REALLY cannot resist...

When grown outdoors they will catch all the food they need. (Sunlight is more important than food as they get most of their energy from Photosynthesis.)

They will also benefit from a mild foliar fertilizer spray like Novion, which can be sprayed directly onto the leaves. If you get too much liquid on the soil, flush with pure water from overhead a day after application

Novion can be purchased from the Accessories page.

If you really cannot resist the urge to feed, feed fresh dead or live bugs. Avoid freeze-dried bugs like mealworms, as the plant is unable to digest the hard exterior of the mealworm.

Goldfish flakes, finely crushed and sprinkled onto the sticky dew also works well.

Pest Control

Just like any other plant, Carnies are sometimes prone to Pests and Diseases. However there are very effective ways to help them.

Aphids are the primary pest of Sundews, particularly on the young shoots and flower stalks. Use a diluted Pyrethrin-based insecticide such as Cypermethrin. Check plants weekly for new attacks and repeat if spotted.

Some leaves may die depending on the extent of the attack, but new growth will be quick.

Temperature Tolerance

Some like Warm Sunny Days, others prefer cool night time temps.

Tropical Sundews generally do well in a moderate temperature range of between 10 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius.

However, like Nepenthes, there are Sundews from all over the globe, requiring very different temperatures, so be sure to know which ones you have.

The ones we sell can be grown all year around in moderate temperatures.

Winter Dormancy

While some plants grow all year round, for others that Winter Snooze is an absolute necessity.

Cape Sundews and other sub-tropical sundews can be grown year-round in warmer climates and do not require winter dormancy.

However, if you live in a cooler climate, the plant will go dormant but will bounce back when the weather gets hotter. This will not be detrimental to the plant, and this winter break will assist in better growth in the next season. However if your plant is still very young, or you live in a freezing area, bring your plant indoors, and place it on a warm windowsill that gets a few hours of direct morning sun.

If your plant enters dormancy, reduce watering so that the soil gets just damp, before filling the tray again.

Refer to my blog for more info on Winter Snoozes.