Messing up my D. capensis

[seedjar]

So I just took a look and my new D. capensis is without dew, and one leaf is molding! I've had it in with my other D. capensis and my N. alata, which have high humidity (about 70-75%) and a decent temp (low 70s) but substandard light. I've been watering it with filtered tap water, which I suspect is the culprit; I'll be getting a few gallons of RO water soon or maybe work out some rain catch.
The strange thing is, my old D. capensis is a little less dewy than usual, but otherwise seems unphased. Vegetatively (and aside from the mold) they both look very healthy - just not up to catching bugs.
Anyways, I took them both out of the terrarium and put them in a tray of water about 4" away from a fluorescent grow light (no enclosure, about 60% humidity.) Soon I'll have a much better grow setup, so if I can keep them alive for a few more weeks, they should have ample oppertunity to recover. However, I'm heading back home for Christmas and then to my grandparent's for New Year's, so I need to get them set up to be care-free for a week or so at a time.
Any hints? Should I clip the moldy leaf? What should I look for as far as signs of stress? Thanks!
~Joe

 

[vft guy in SJ]

D. capensis doesnt need high humidity to grow well.. but it does need good light. If I had to take a guess based on what you have said I would say its most likely a poor light/bad water problem. Switch over to distilled or RO water ASAP and flush out the pot by top watering for at least several days.

D. capensis is a very hardy species and has strong roots, if the crown of the plant should die off completely it is still very common for new plants to grow from the roots, so dont panic if the entire crown of your plant dies away. Just move it into your new setup when you get it together and if the conditions you provide are good you should have a nice D. capensis palnt in notime. If it dies completely and never recovers, I have about a bazillion seeds of D. capensis you can have to get you restarted.

Good luck
Steve

 

[seedjar]

Thanks, that's very kind of you. I'm not really worried about these guys dying... it's a capensis, it's not like I don't find them every time I go looking for CPs. I'm just a little PO'ed that they decided to crap out with almost no warning (literally, the new one looked exactly how I got it until yesterday afternoon.) I'm going to take a walk to the store right now and get a jug of RO, and right now I've got a few pots out on the patio catching rainwater.
Thanks again!
~Joe

 

[rattler]

Joe, my capensis are growing quite happily in about 40% humidity and have been for about a year. they are extreamly dewy, so much so that you have to wash your hads if you bump into them when arainging other pots around them. they are my best fly catchers. kept moist in a tray of water and giving them really good light is all they need. sure their "just a capensis" but a properly grown one thats good sized looks as good or better than most 'dews. infact other than my D. spatulata from Hong Kong they are my favorite species in terms of looks that i currently grow.

 

[jimscott]

One thing not mentioned as a possibility is that the new plant might be in shock, in its transition from where he purchased it from and home. I speak from experience of taking home an already stressed sundew home and putting into a new environment. I'm not saying that this is the cause, but it could be a possibility. What worked for me was keeping it moist, covered, stable, with subdued light - then patience for new growth to appear. That took lamost a week.

 

[NepenthesMaster]

It's the light that's causing the problems.
I once had a dew in lower light, there was no dew, and the leaves were pretty small. Once i moved it to higher light, i got dew, and larger leaves.

 

[jimscott]

How new is the plant? Did it have dew before you brought it home? Dew production is very degintely a direct dunction of adequate lighting. But a plant that is stressed and then has nore stress added to it, like taking one home from a garden center, puts it over the edge, into shock.That results in the existing leaves losing their dew.