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Hey everybody, I recently got back into CPs after about 5 years away and the bug has bitten. What started off as having a D. capensis "broad leaf" in a windowsill has quickly grown to a 4 tube, 20 gallon highland terrarium complete with ice bottles and computer fans. Right now all I have in the terrarium is an N. densiflora x ventricosa, P. laueana, and a D. capensis, which, for some reason is acting crazy. When I first put it under lights in a mason jar in a makeshift grow rack ( before I purchased the tank) it was quickly putting out large, green, dew-covered leaves - probably 1 leaf opening every other day. It also sprouted 2 plantlets. Since I moved it to the terrarium the new leaves are getting increasingly small and yellow and don't unfurl, and the plant even aborted a flower stalk. The old normal leaves are still there and look fine. What is going on? I've never had a capensis do anything other than thrive, especially alongside a happy Nepenthes and a newly-awakened Ping.

The daytime temps have, so far, never gone above 75 degrees with the humidity between 60% and 90%. I have 4 T12s on 16 hr timers about 6-8 inches above the plants, and I water with distilled water. Recently I've been experimenting with ways to drop the temps below 60 degrees at night in anticipation of my new arrivals and have been successful. Why won't this plant work with me? Am I overlighting it? Is the photoperiod too long?

Help!!
 
They don't do well in tropical conditions. However, they very well on a sunny window sill, and/or on a grow rack, under artificial lighting.
 
They can crap out too, after 3-4 years. By then you should have plenty of offspring so who cares really?
 
Pics would help, if you have them...
It seems like your conditions should be fine though.
 
Hello dionysos86

If you move a plant into a terrarium, thats mean more relative humidity around the dew. If you dont adapt your watering, your plant's roots will rot.

Maybe if you reduce your watering (i.e: top watering once or twice a week, no standing water under the plant), your problem will be solved. But maybe its already too late..
 
Hmm, that's a good point maiden. It's the only plant I've kept in a water dish in the terrarium. Ill post some pics tomorrow. Lots of new plants arriving in the next few days!!!
 
when was the last time you repotted? my capes were acting funky lately so i repotted them and discovered they were completely and totally rootbound.. i'd never seen such a thick tangle of roots on a sundew before

oh yeah and one was even sending out roots to neighboring pots..
 
Ah, the famed Drosera capensis. Possibly the least challenging carnivorous plant to grow! I can only advise you to not keep it too wet, as others have said. Since you have a terrarium, the water eventually will condense and drop back down on the soil. Also, I have read that Drosera capensis occasionally dies back to the ground, but it usually resprouts. If that's what yours is doing, it should be okay.
 
really? It's gonna rain in his terrarium?
 
  • #10
I have several capensis... They all seem to do well being about 5 inches away from a very bright 4 bulb t5 HO setup in humidity around 50-60%. I have one large pot full of mixed capes that I've been experimenting with. It no longer sits on a water tray, I water it by hand the same day I water my nepenthes and cephs. Mine definitely began to grow better when I increased the temperature so maybe that's your issue.

Edit, here's that pot aforementioned:
IMAG0587_zps71173e68.jpg
 
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  • #11
really? It's gonna rain in his terrarium?

Precisely! Why do you think there's always the same amount of water on Earth at one time? The terrarium is a mini-Earth: water evaporates but doesn't boil off into space; it eventually condenses and falls down again. It's just a very slow, natural distillation. That is, if the water doesn't get any nasty crud dissolved in it from the air...

But, yeah, other than, say, Utricularia and Aldrovanda, carnivorous plants need more water than other plants, but too much of anything good is bad.
 
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