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kath

Katherine
Hi.
I've got some plants growing nicely, so I've decided its about time I do some more research!
Here are some questions I have:

1. How long does it normally take for sundews to grow to full, mature size, from seed? (Assuming they were in the correct conditions and were thriving!)

2. How long does it normally take for sundew seeds to germinate? I always thought it was 3-4 weeks, in ideal conditions, but is this number true for all sundews? Which sundews, if any, break this 'rule'?

3. What conditions are optimal for the following species:
Hamiltonii
Dielsiana
Burmanii
Intermedia
Rotundifolia
Spatulata
Stenopetala
Binata

4. I've heard you can feed baby sundews on dried bloodworm. Is this true? If so, how do you do it? How much? Does it help the baby sundew at all, and does it carry any risks? Do you store the dried bloodworms in the fridge?

5. Does anyoe have any tips for growing D. Filiformis, normal form? I keep killing mine!

Thanks.
 
1. imposible to tell. many different type of sundew
2. different for different type of sundew
 
Can you answer questions 1 and 2 for the sundews I've listed?
 
Burmanii matures in year and germinates pretty quickly.

The temperate sundews take a few years to mature and germinate in weeks after a cold period of two months
 
1. It depends on the species. Annuals/biannuals (like D. burmanii) can flower within 3 months. 1-4 years is probably average for most of the others.

2. 10-21 days for most. The winter growers are usually a lot more stubborn - tuberous Drosera can be notoriously slow germinators.

3.
Alpine - D. stenopetala*
Temperate - D. rotudifolia*, D. intermedia*
Sub-tropical - D. hamiltonii (needs chilly winter to flower), D. dielsiana, D. spatulata, D. binata*
Tropical - D. burmannii

* requires dormancy


You can probably grow all of these save D. stenopetala in a "Mediterranean" climate. If you want to match them to the climates you need either location data or guess from their natural ranges.

Note: D. stenopetala is even more difficult to grow than D. arcturi as it is less forgiving about winter dormancy conditions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Köppen_climate_classification

4. Yes. Crumble or pulverize the dried bloodworm and feed with fine forceps (tweezers) or sprinkle the powder on the plants. Some people wet the bits before applying with forceps. I find the moistened bits stick better to the forceps than the plant. Therefore I lightly mist the plants after applying the dry bloodworm. Many species simply stop growing if they don't get fed. Some of the annuals like D. glanduligera will die prematurely if not fed. Risks? Undigested food will rot from fungus or mold which can attack the plant. Feed smaller amounts if this happens. If the bloodworms are freeze-dried then just keep them dry. Otherwise they are probably frozen and only what you are going to use should be thawed.

5. Don't top water, use deeper pots and a sandier mix - 2 parts sand 1 part peat moss. Let the tray dry out before adding more water. When dormant leave the tray dry a couple days before adding water.
 
Thankyou very much. I feel a bit more knowlegable about my seeds now! Thanks.
 
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