Sundew leaves bending? Help.

[Homedawg76]

Im wondering what could cause my cape sundews leaf tips to start pointing down and not making dew.

The other parts of the leaf look fine.
Temperatures are between 85-60 degrees *fahrenheit. Humidity 20-50%. light doesn't seem to be the problem because its still making red tentacles. I did have the water level pretty high in the tray though. Around 1.5 inches and theyre in 4 inch pots. They're planted in a mix of 50:50 peat:silica sand.
I recently got them in the mail, maybe that could cause leaves to be deformed for awhile?
The peat has no fertilizers in it.*
Ive been using RO water with a tds level of <50. L
Not sure what the problem could be. Other than over watering, but I'm not sure if that could even cause this. I have another plant in the same pot doing the same thing.
Heres a close up of another leaf of the same plant.*

For now I'm going to keep the water level low and let the tray dry out before waterings, but id appreciate any help y'all can offer.

 

[mass]

that's a normal shape for capes. So I'm going with maturity causing your leaf shape.

As for the lack of dew, humidity is my final answer.
My capes are always kept in 85% or higher.. UNLESS they're outdoors. Then it doesn't matter.. the sun takes care of all the dew production. Indoors when they don't get natural sun they need higher humidity.

 

[B0B]

maybe heat has it always grown in 85 or try flushing soil good with distilled water or ro water see if that helps

 

[B0B]

oh weird did not know that, my capes just stick out straight but then again haven't grown them as long as Trav so I'd stick with his advice

 

[richjam1986]

As mass said, that is perfectly normal. It just looks like the leaf is still developing, which is why the tip tentacles have no dew (but you'll notice the tentacles lower on the leaf have dew). Give it a day or so and all will be dewy.

 

[Homedawg76]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll try to boost humidity with a little humidifier i have.
And i'll give it some time to settle into its new home and gather energy.

 

[mass]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll try to boost humidity with a little humidifier i have.

little clear cups over the pots, tray lids, zip lock bags, and deli cups are a few easy ways to cover the pots or trays to up the humidity in a contained area.

 

[Homedawg76]

Yeah, just covered them up with saran.

 

[mass]

they in a tank or something?

 

[Homedawg76]

No. Just a little plastic tray. Its like .5 inches above the top of the pots.

 

[Homedawg76]

Heres a picture of an empty pot next to the big tray. Fits 6 pots that size.now with some saran over the top to boost humidity a little.

Not .5 inches. Closer to 1.

Thanks again for the help all

 

[amphirion]

capes appreciate a night time drop as well...

 

[Homedawg76]

Oh. I forgot to mention. The first leaf it put out after i got it in the mail had dew on it from top o bottom and had relatively straight leaves. It wasnt until n

 

[Homedawg76]

Now that the new growth started doing this.

 

[Homedawg76]

So.
Older leaf

new leaf.

Could only humidity cause such drastic change in leaf shape?
Or could it be a combination of too much heat, too much water, and too little humidity? *
Is it normal for capes to do this and change shape so quickly?
I dunno. It seems like more than just humidity to me.
But ill see what raising humidity for awhile does.

 

[Sundrew]

How close are they to your lights? Mine do this when they are within an inch. So it could be excessive heat and lack of humidity.

 

[richjam1986]

Plants will change their growth form in different conditions, so it's not unusual for the plant to look a little different after a little time in your care . I totally understand new grower's jitters, but I wouldn't be too concerned. I think the plant still looks healthy overall.

Having said that, here's a little more advice: I'm in dry Utah and do nothing to boost humidity, and my plants do fine (average 35-40% humidity indoors) and produce plenty of dew. As mass said though, if it's not getting enough light then it won't produce as much dew. They need light to produce dew. Just because it has red tentacles doesn't necessarily mean its getting quite as much light as it would like. Rather than focussing on boosting humidity, I personally would try to boost their light. You'll get a much healthier and robust plant by doing this compared to just increasing humidity. The bent leaf CAN be a symptom of not having enough light, as the leaves grow thinner and weaker in lower light situations, so the tip will naturally bend. If you CAN'T increase the light, for whatever reason, then by all means try to increase the humidity to maintain what little dew it can make.

And yes, a temperature drop at night is very helpful for cape sundew as well.

Lastly, I wouldn't let the soil dry out. Keep the plant in a shallow tray of water. No need to let the tray dry out before watering again, but just don't keep it totally waterlogged all the time.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/68248217@N04/8041607360/" title="Drosera capensis by richjam1986, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8317/8041607360_a7a514227d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Drosera capensis"></a>

 

[Homedawg76]

Never even thought of that. Could be too much heat from the lights. They're pretty close now. 1-2 inches. I'll definitely try moving the lights farther away
So humidity plus less light heat should do the trick. Thanks everyone.

 

[Homedawg76]

Oh and im almost 100% positive its getting enough light. My other dews are making copious amounts of dew, getting blood red(granted theyre the res form), and theyre farther away from the lights than the capes. Anyways thanks for the advice. Ill try it all out and see what works.

 

[richjam1986]

I guess if it's that close to the lights, they're probably getting enough light Moving them a couple inches further could do the trick. I Personally wouldn't worry about the humidity though.