EEEEKKKK!

[shamrox]

Thought that might get some attention heh heh.:p Anyway, I recieved a plant as an extra with an order that I don't know much about. I think it's spelled drocera, or drosera, I'm not sure. I think it's a common type of carnivore. Anyway, I have no experience with these plants and don't want to kill it. HELP!

[ravenhawk]

that is a sundew I believe. Ive never grown them myself but like other carnivorous plants they need constantly moist conditions and do best with distilled water (from what ive read :grin:). Use sphagnum moss mixed with sand or perlite (according to wikipedia).

Im sure someone with more experience will come along but I hope that helps in the mean time

[xvart]

Yes, it is Drosera. What does it look like? Use a mixture of peat, horticultural sand, and perlite. Make sure none of that has any sort of fertilizers and as shamrox mentioned, use distilled water. They like it moist and I grow all my Drosera (or sundews) in a tray of water so it is always moist. Give it lots of light!

If after it has adjusted to your conditions it is still not making the stick dew on the leaves you may need to increase the light it is receiving.

Of course, this is all contingent on the type of sundew you got; so let us know what it looks like so we might be able to identify it or better yet, a picture!

xvart.

[shamrox]

Well, I took a good look at it and it's not looking too well :weep:today. When I got it, it was green [now it's turning brown]. I've given it plently of moisture, but not distilled water, just the tap. anyway it has long leaves, with small spoon shape on the ends and other things that look like the feelers on a bug. I planted it in a wine glass to try to increase the moisture around the plant. Maybe I should cover the top with plastic wrap? I'll try the distilled water too if it isn't already too late.:unsure:

[xvart]

Although this will be hard in a wineglass, I would flush the media with distilled water and let it run out to try and flush out the additives that may be in your water. The buildup will just sit in your soil and hurt the plant. When I first got my CPs I used normal water for a month or so; but, I ran tons of distilled water through afterwards to clear out that undistilled water junk. All of my plants are still alive.

You shouldn't need to cover the plants; hopefully it is just recovering from shipping. How long have you had it? I'll try and post a couple pics later on to see if we can get a better ID on it.

xvart.

[shamrox]

I got it on Saturday. I don't have a camera at this time or I'd have sent a pic. Very small about an inch in diameter. We're out of distilled water. I'm going to get some tomorrow. Came with an order of episcia. Totally surprised. I usually like to read up on things before I buy them. Looks pretty in the wine glass. Something other than wine for a change:lol:!

[xvart]

Here are some pictures that may help ID it. I would bet it's a Drosera spatulata based on your description. This next picture is not a spatulata; it is a pygmy sundew but the general shape is similar.

D. nitidula ssp. allantiostigma
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q265/xvart/pygmy1.jpg

Here is a cape sundew.
D. capensis
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q265/xvart/capensis1.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q265/xvart/capensis2.jpg

And the grand daddy bug eater in my apartment. This is an old picture, but nowadays, this plant has so many little aphid things on it now it's ridiculous!
D. adelae
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q265/xvart/adelae2.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q265/xvart/adelae1.jpg

Any of those look similar?

Looks pretty in the wine glass. Something other than wine for a change:lol:!

LOL!

xvart.

[shamrox]

I think it might be the cape sundew. I'ts hard to tell because of the size of them. That and the fact that they're looking kinda dead. :unsure:Beautiful pics. They are gorgeous, though. I think you may have sparked a new interest for me. Lowes seems to carry them now and again and i'll have to put them on my shopping list. I'm not giving up on these tho. Do you think they might have a chance even though most of the growth is brown? Are they really as delicate as they look? Wish I had a camera. Frustrating.

[shamrox]

Actually, I don't think it's a cape either. It has long things on it too that look like antennae. I forgot about that . But it does lay kind of flat like the pygmy one and the leaves look like smaller spoons than the pygmy but sort of similar. I think we threw out the tag on it, but I don't think it named the specie anyway.

[xvart]

There is always a chance! lol. The D. adelae in the pictures above was actually one dying plant that I bought from Lowes. I ended up cutting the entire plant off at the soil and shortly thereafter it exploded from the roots. I'm pretty sure most of the typical Drosera easily come back from roots so I would either let it be and see how it goes or chop it off. You may also want to give it some fresh soil prior to cutting it (if that's what you choose) just so it is fresh and pure with no impurities in the soil.

My D. adelae now occupies two pots and is growing all over the place and when I repotted it I sent out a fair number of baby plantlets to others.

If for some reason your sundew doesn't make it at all then let me know and I would be happy to send you a couple of mine. I bought that D. adelae about eight months ago as one plant, so you can see how quickly and easily they take over! I also wouldn't want this experience to turn you off of CPs for good, too!

xvart.

edit: I just took another look above and that is an old picture of the D. adelae. You can see it's still in the Lowe's cube bottom which I just drilled a few holes in the bottom when I got it and put it in that tupperware of distilled water. If I remember correctly that picture was taken about five months after I bought it as a single plant in the middle of the square pot!

[shamrox]

Your pictures are amazing. :drool: I'll keep you posted on how well mine is doing. Hopefully it'll spring back.

[xvart]

Thank you. Yes, keep us posted. If anything, the CP section needs some more action here!

xvart.

[xvart]

Any update?

xvart.

[shamrox]

:weep::weep::weep: No luck!

[z5guy]

lol, looks like theres someone to step in while im gone.

[xvart]

lol, looks like theres someone to step in while im gone.

I was wondering where you had been. Hadn't seen you around here or TF recently. Welcome back. We definately need to get more action going in the CP section at BS.

xvart.

[z5guy]

i agree whole hardly, now wheres my camera.... lol

[z5guy]

oops *heartedly

[Larry the Lamb]

Wow I've seen pics of Drosera but I never realised they were kept as houseplants(pets?)

[xvart]

Wow I've seen pics of Drosera but I never realised they were kept as houseplants(pets?)

Yes! So many are so easy to grow inside as well. Drosera capensis will grow in concrete on the surface of the moon and spread like wildfire. It's pretty much bombproof!

xvart.

[Larry the Lamb]

Hmmm sounds like Willow! ;)