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Should I feed my Drosera regia? Put it outside?

I bought this D.Regia a couple of weeks ago and it's making a nice come back.

I've read some where that they require good feeding so they don't die.

Since I'm growing it indoors I'm wondering if any other Northern Californians in the Bay Area grows them outdoors and if I can throw them outside.

Also, what kind of food should I feed them?

Thanks!

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i've read someone who's regia started dying from the soil fertilization hmmmm...... but i mean if ICPS suggests it then i guess it's okay.

I have the Flower & vegetable osmocote, wil that work?
 
I would not feel the D. regia. When I grew this plant, it appreciated feeding. Osmocote boosted my plants a bit, but the feeding of rehydrated-dried-bloodworms to the leaves was what really got them going.
 
I've had a smaller D. regia plant growing outdoors here in southeast Alaska for the majority of the summer months. I have not fed or fertilized it once. It is certainly not thriving but it has maintained growth and put out a few leaves. This makes me think that if it could survive with so little care in my constantly cool and light starved, over-saturated conditions that D. regia may be able to grow outside in your area pretty well.
 
I have grown my Drosera regia outside for a year.

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It is growing in a terracotta pot in a peat and perlite mix. I give it Osmocote every few months because it doesn't seem to catch many insects on its own.
 
I grew two different clones indoors. They seemed to do well but after 2 or 3 years exhibited a noticeable and rapid decline. Such as shrinking down to a winter type bud in late spring and staying that way. I would put 4 or 5 Osmocote pellets in the medium once a year in the spring and feed with fruit flies or ground Betta fish pellets.

I moved them outdoors and the improvement was dramatic - coming out of the bud-like state and doubling in size relative to the pre-"dormant" size in a few months. I still add Osmocote pellets once a year and feed with fruit flies and foliar spray with MaxSea fertilizer.

I would guess these plants like a seasonal drop in temperatures which they weren't getting indoors even when I left the room mostly unheated during the winter.
 
thanks for sharing guys, your experience is super valuable. I think i'm going to put it outside
 
  • #10
It is growing in a terracotta pot in a peat and perlite mix. I give it Osmocote every few months because it doesn't seem to catch many insects on its own.

Try it in a plastic pot. There doesn't look to be enough mucilage for it to be catching its own prey.
 
  • #11
Fred, why would you recommend a plastic pot over terrracota?
 
  • #12
Mine are in 1 gallon nursery pots. I feed them because the catch very little. They catch very little as there tends to be very little to catch. The Sarracenia sucks up most of the prey.
 
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  • #13
ya...... my droseras barely catch anything sitting right next to the sarracenias, the only other plant that can compete with the Sars is the dewy pine.
 
  • #14
Fred, why would you recommend a plastic pot over terrracota?

My plants like to be wet. You've seen the amount of mucilage they have on my video. I've never fed them
 
  • #15
Are your plants outside? @fredg
 
  • #16
The main ones are in the top greenhouse in a large case which has the doors open all year. As you can see on the video they catch very very little, if anything at all. It's been like that since 1988.
The single plant is in the middle greenhouse and as you can see, it has caught a few in there. It's close to the Sarracenia lagoons.
 
  • #17
Okay, I'm just going to throw my Regia outside in my drosera water treys. I've read that they dont like standing in water but eh. Sounds like they will do fine.
 
  • #18
Hi,

My 2 cents : Have had mine for about 2 years now.
. Had to move it from plastic pot to something cooler (Glazed terracotta) as it was suffering during summer months (Winter is always the best months for the majority of my drosera :0o:)
. I also water my Regia with refrigerated RO water during summer to keep it cooler. (Mines seems to like a wetter substrate, probably because its always hot here when the sun shines :-)))
. I have yet to use some fertilizer on them but will be trying some soon on root cuttings I have. (Feed my plants bloodworms or beta fish pellets from time to time)
. What I have found, in my environment that my Regia grow better outside than indoors under my t8 lights, yet various other drosera, Neps and cephalotus grow fine under my t8's..
. I have had some real problems growing this plant but the above mentioned really helped a lot.

Happy growing!
 
  • #20
great info I'm going to experiment on my root cutting plantlets NOW
 
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