Sundews, also called Drosera, is another genus of carnivorous plants. There are more than 200 species of sundews. Sundews require different type of care from other carnivorous plants. In this complete guide, we will discuss how to grow and care for sundew plants at home.
There are different species of sundews, that also look differently. There are sundews that are long and thin, while some have round or triangular leaves. Drosera also come in different sizes and can be very small or as big as bushes.
Where do Sundews (Drosera) grow?
Sundew plants grow in many parts of the world. These include most parts of the Europe, Southern Africa, North America, Alaska, numbers of countries in South America and Asia. Sundews are very common and inhabit every continent (except Antarctica).
What traps do Sundews (Drosera) use?
Sundews use flypaper traps to catch the prey and feed
themselves. Sundews have leaves that are covered in tentacles – spikes (often red) that look like plant hairs. At the end of these tentacles, there are glands that produce mucilage, which is a gluey secretion for trapping the insects.
Most insects decide to land on Sundews because they think that these gluey droplets are nectar drops. When a sundew catches a prey – its flat leaves start curving at an angle to digest the prey. Insect dies quickly or slowly as its body juices are sucked out, and its body is digested by plant’s enzymes.
And now, let’s talk about growing Sundews at home and caring for them.
What types of sundews are there?
- Pygmy sundews – this group of sundews grow in Australia. They have adapted to hot summers in Australia by protecting themselves with hairs and by going dormant during the hot months.
- Tuberous sundews – also the group of sundews from Australia. They survive hot summers by going dormant.
- Temperate sundews – group of sundews growing in Europe and North America. Most of them experience cold winters, so they become dormant during these cold months.
and others...
Sundews habitat – which soil do they need to thrive?
Most sundews thrive in a usual soil for carnivorous plants – wet soil that is poor in nutrients (often bogs and fens). That is the reason why they catch and feed on insects’ juices to compensate for poor soil. But some sundews that live in deserted areas can survive the heat by only growing with the rain.
For growing at home, the best soil mix for sundews is a 1:1 mix of peat moss and sand/perlite. For some other sundew species that inhabit hotter areas such as Australia, use a mix of sand and perlite. These are Australian tuberous sundews, which mostly live in tropical conditions.
Most sundews that live in hot areas have adapted to living in these conditions – most become dormant during the hot weather and continue growing with the start of rainfall season.
You can also get a soil mix for sundews like this – a mix of perlite and peat moss.
Which containers should you use for growing sundews?
For growing sundews, pick plastic containers with the holes on the bottom. Some sundews that grow in humid conditions will do well in plastic or glass containers without the holes. Keep them in humid-wet conditions. The best pot size for small sundews is around 4 inches, and for larger ones – 7-10 inches.
What should you feed sundews?
Feeding sundews can be very exciting. If your climate is native to the sundew plant, you can keep it outside and it 
will feed itself most of the time. Sundews are very pretty plants and will attract their own prey.
But if you keep it indoors (such as terrarium or greenhouse), you can feed it various insects or some other food. These can be houseflies, ants, spiders, gnats, moths and fruit flies.
If you can’t find any insects, you can get freeze dried insects such as fly larvae. Moisten the food to make it softer, and don’t give your sundews any hard to digest insects – such as crickets or grasshoppers.
They only need food once a week or so, so don’t overfeed them.
How to water sundews? And how much water do they need?
Water your sundews as you would normally do with other carnivorous plants. Place the pot with the plant in the tray with water filled to about 0.5-1 inch. Keep the soil only damp to slightly dry when plants enter the dormancy state.
Only use distilled, reverse osmosis, purified, demineralized or rain water. Don’t use any tap or mineral water because it contains minerals that will accumulate in the soil and kill the plant. Read more about preparing water for carnivorous plants in this post.
How much sunlight do sundews need?
Most sundews thrive in full sun to part sun and develop their colors best in these conditions. If you keep them indoors, the best place is a windowsill. If required, use artificial light fixtures to provide light in greenhouses or terrariums.
Where can I keep my sundews?
As mentioned, you can keep your sundews outdoors if the climate is suitable for them. But if the climate is unsuitable or just because you don’t want to keep them outdoors, you can keep them indoors.
Indoors, you can keep sundews on a windowsill (for natural sunlight), in a terrarium or greenhouse (indoors or outdoors). Most popular cape sundews will be very comfortable on a windowsill. Humidity should also be high.
In the northern hemisphere (includes North America and Europe), you will get most sun on the south side of your house.
For their dormancy period (if they have it), you should remove them from watering tray or other humid conditions – terrariums for example. Let them rest and only keep the soil damp.
If you are keeping sundews in your office, make sure to provide extra artificial light and humidity. If needed, increase humidity with a humidifier.
Conditions for keeping sundews will depends on few factors – if they naturally live in areas with hot and dry summer, or in areas with cold winters.
If your sundews come from areas with hot and dry summers, you will have to remove them from wet conditions (such as bog gardens or terrariums) for a rest period. And if the plants come from area cold and chilly winters, you must also stop watering or providing light for the rest period in winter.
How to prune sundew leaves?
You can remove dead leaves by trimming them with scissors. But this is not mandatory unless there are any pests. Also, transplant the plant into the new containers (bigger size if plant has grown) or wash the old container with soap and use it again.
You don’t need to do it often – once in 3-4 years is enough. Transplant them only during dormancy period to avoid causing stress to the plants.
Should I fertilize my sundews?
Sundews, like other carnivorous plants, live in nutrient-poor soil and compensate for it by feeding on body juices of insects. If your carnivorous plants are indoors and don’t get to catch any insects, and if you don’t provide them yourself, fertilizing is an option.
Only use fertilizers for acidity-loving plants. An example is orchid food, which you can dilute even more for sundews.
Drosera schizandra, D. prolifera, or D. adelae naturally grow in humid Australian rainforests and don’t require fertilization.
What pests can attack my sundews?
Read a full list of pests and diseases that can attack your sundews in this post on carnivorous plants.
The main pests to attack sundews are aphids or fungus. For aphids, use insecticides (only on affected leaves). For fungus, use fungicide, and for mites – miticides. Try to use natural organic gardening sprays and avoid using concentrated insecticidal soap on sundews.
One of other best treatments for viruses, algae, viruses and fungus is Physan solution, which doesn’t harm carnivorous plants.
Do sundews become dormant?
Yes, as we have mentioned, some sundews from Australia go dormant to survive the heat. And most temperate sundews from North America and Europe become dormant in winter to survive cold. Other sundews grow all year round and can survive heat or cold to a certain degree.
How to propagate sundews?
Leaf cuttings
The best way to propagate sundews is from leaf cuttings. Snip off few leaves from the main stem and place these leaves in a demineralized or other mineral-free water for 2-2.5 months. After that, gradually reduce water levels in the container with leaf cuttings.
And then finally, use a carnivorous plant soil mix (perlite and sphagnum moss) in a small 3-4-inch container and place the cutting there. One cutting per container.
Seed germination
Firstly, you will need to germinate the seeds. To do this, choose a colder time of a year, as these are optimal conditions. Pour some soil mix in a plastic tub with a lid and place the seeds on the soil. Don’t cover up the seeds and make the soil just damp.
Close the lid to increase humidity. After 2-3 weeks of keeping them in damp conditions, take the lid off and place them for another 4-6 weeks under growing lights or direct sun. When the seedlings become ready, transfer them to 4-inch pots.
You can store more seeds for the future in a fridge.
Cape sundew care
One of the most popular sundews to grow indoors are Cape sundews (or Drosera capensis). Cape sundews are perfect carnivorous plants for beginners. They will excite you with their colors and adaptability. They also bend their leaves when they catch prey – you will be able to see this in action.
Cape sundews don’t become dormant in winter and can survive slightly chilly weather (from -1 to +5 degrees Celsius) and hot weather of up to 30 degrees Celsius. If it gets colder or hotter, take the cape sundew indoors.
Propagation of cape sundews
The best place for keeping sundews are indoors – in a terrarium, windowsill and even office (but make sure to provide extra light). You can also keep them outdoors if the weather is suitable.
You can propagate cape sundews from leaf cuttings or seeds. Propagating cape sundews from seeds is easy – they grow flowers that will have lots of seeds in them during warmest months of the year. Shake the flower to get the seeds.
As previously discussed, it is exhausting for carnivorous plants to grow flowers. If you wish, cut the growing flowers to save plant’s energy. This is useful if you don’t plan to use any seeds.
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Happy growing!