Hi there! New member looking for help.

[Blackshadow]

I recently purchased a Sundew and for the first 2 or 3 weeks it looked fantastic with bright red coloring and lots of mucilage. Then it started to flower and the plant itself started to look pretty sickly. I have been following all the care directions- filtered water, bright sun, moist soil- but I cannot seem to return the plant to its former beauty. Is this normal for the plant? The flowers never seem to bloom but they appear healthy other wise. Any advice?

 

[Not a Number]

Do you know what Drosera the plant is? Offhand, I'd say D. intermedia.

Many Drosera go downhill when flowering, especially the annual plants. One way to offset this is to make sure the plant is well fed until the seeds are ripe or you can trim off the flower stalks before the flowers open if you don't want seed. It looks like there are plenty of seedlings in your pot although they may not be the same species or hybrid. Unless the plant is an annual or starts forming winter hibernacula it will likely bounce back over time once the seeds have matured.

 

[Blackshadow]

Yes, I believe that it is a Drosera Intermedia. Thank you for the advice. This is my first Sundew and I want to make sure I'm giving it the best life that I can. Once I noticed that it was looking unhealthy I moved it from the bright, sunny window sill that was its home to outdoors on my bright, sunny stoop. It should be able to attract enough insects on its own there, correct? Again, thank you for your advice. Cheers!

 

[fredg]

You are using reverse osmosis water?

 

[Blackshadow]

I am using water that has run through a five stage filtering process which produces water with zero percent dissolved solids. It is the same water that I use for drinking and each new batch is tested for purity. If reverse osmosis is recommended I can certainly switch.

 

[fredg]

TDS of 0 will suffice


Next question.

What water level is the pot standing in?

 

[Blackshadow]

The bottom of the pot is submerged to about one quarter to one half inch. I bought the plant from a gentleman who breeds and sells carnivorous plants exclusively and this was per his recommendation. The water level stays pretty constant since there is no air flow to cause evaporation. I change it once every two or three days.

 

[fredg]

Personally I'd be starting with the water level considerably higher than that with what looks like D intermedia. I'd start with a couple of inches and be topping it up when it fell to an inch. You don't need to change the water unless it's smelling which with filtered water at a TDS of 0 is unlikely to occur.

 

[Blackshadow]

Thank you for the advice. I will raise the water level and see how that works.