How to Grow Sundews (Drosera)? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions

Although the name "sundew" sounds like the name of a vegetable, in essence, the sundew should be an ornamental plant. As for why it is called "sundew", even the clever editor does not know, but perhaps the even cleverer you might know? The methods for growing sundews and their care are described in detail in this article.

How to Grow Sundews

Sundews are plants that like relatively moist places; watersides or moist meadows are the places where they often grow. Sundews come in rich colors, and the surface of their leaves bears glandular hairs that can secrete mucus. They produce white or red flowers.

Because of these glandular hairs on the sundew's leaves, they can secrete mucus that looks just like being covered with dewdrops, crystal clear. This mucus can stick to insects like sticky paper, and then digest and absorb them.

Sundew Cultivation Methods and Precautions

1. Soil

Sundews do not have high requirements for soil. You can use a soil mixed with peat moss, perlite and river sand, or you can use sphagnum moss or pure peat moss.

2. Light and Temperature

Sundews like sunlight, and sufficient light helps the sundew's colors stay vivid. When caring for sundews, you need to maintain a relatively long period of light every day; placing them on a balcony or windowsill is fine. If there is no way to give them direct light, you can also provide bright indirect light. Note that in summer, when the light is strong, shade is needed to avoid scorching. Sundews do not like environments that are too cold or too hot; the suitable temperature for growth is between 15°C-25°C. In winter, warmth must be maintained, and the lowest temperature needs to stay above 0°C; if necessary, keep them indoors. In summer, if the temperature is too high, they will enter dormancy.

3. Watering and Fertilizing

Sundews can tolerate moisture, but they do not have high requirements for air humidity. However, in summer the humidity must not be too high, to avoid rotting of stems and leaves. For watering, the soil needs to be kept moist. Generally, the "tray watering" method can be used to supply water, and the water used is best soft water. For fertilizing, apply thin fertilizer frequently. During the growing season, apply a diluted liquid fertilizer once or twice a month, and pay attention to the concentration to avoid fertilizer burn.

4. Propagation Methods

To propagate sundews, you can use cuttings, generally leaf cuttings, or remove the small bulbils from the plant and plant them promptly. You can also propagate by sowing seeds, which is also relatively simple.

5. Pests and Diseases

During the growth of sundews, they may encounter damage from some pests in spring and summer, such as aphids, green caterpillars and cutworms. These pests may all gnaw on the sundew's leaves. Once discovered, they need to be caught and eliminated promptly, and insecticides can be used if necessary.

Care After Sowing Sundews

1. Spraying Water

Use a spray bottle to spray water on the sundews. Be careful to spray gently, otherwise the seeds may be washed away. After that, place the flowerpot on the inner side of a windowsill that can receive sunlight. If you are growing them in a water basin, you need to cover the top opening with plastic to maintain humidity. Pay attention to replenishing water at all times.

2. Germination and Seedling Emergence

Under extremely good conditions, sundews can germinate in about 30 days, and seedlings can emerge in about 15 days.

3. Transplanting

If the sundews grow too densely after growing larger, they can be transplanted with soil. When transplanting, be sure not to damage the roots.

4. Light

Most sundews like sun and resist strong sunlight. They can be placed on a windowsill with sufficient light, and the sundews should receive direct sunlight for more than four hours every day as much as possible. If Northern Territory sundews receive direct sunlight all day, the sundew's colors will be very vivid. Direct sunlight of less than four hours may cause poor growth of the sundew. Note that you should not let the sundew go without direct sunlight for a long time, otherwise the sundew will die. But if what you are growing are Drosera lovellae and Drosera binata, then you should be careful to avoid direct sunlight and place them in a cool, low-light place. Because they grow in woodland, where the light is weak. Therefore, this is different from the care method for Northern Territory sundews, which need direct sunlight.

5. Humidity

Sundews do not have excessive requirements for humidity; keeping it at 40%-90% is fine. But in hot summer, the humidity must not remain at around 90%, otherwise the stems and leaves will rot. If stem and leaf rot occurs, please ventilate promptly.

Cutting Propagation of Sundews

Since the vast majority of sundew varieties can be propagated by leaf cuttings, when propagating sundews by cuttings, leaf cuttings are generally chosen; of course, thicker stems can also be chosen for cuttings. The specific method is to cut off an entire leaf of the sundew, then lay the leaf flat or insert it obliquely into the soil. At this time, keep the soil moist and provide sufficient light. It takes about one month for the cut leaf to take root, and then we can plant the rooted leaf.

It is said that sundew seeds are very small, so propagating by sowing is relatively disadvantageous, so when growing sundews we usually use cuttings and transplanting more often. As for exactly how to operate, follow Zhifure, and it can help you reveal the answer!