What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Struggling Drosera falconeri

Wanted to know if you guys think this is normal growth. I received this plant on a very cold day. Did my research on the forum and set up "box" for it....think I have good growing conditions. The temp is just above 80 (I think) and the humidity is about 85%. My temp guage changes drastically as I move it around the box. The plant is about three inches below a 20 watt plant fluorescent coil bulb. I repotted in a shallow bowl with drain holes, and let the water level rise and fall with a couple days drying out period. While it is putting out a lot of leaves, it just appears stunted, the leaves are somewhat malformed, and the dew isn't consistent on the leaves. Any suggestions?

a>


a>


a>
 
wow, looks like those old leaves were enormous. how long have you had it in this new setup? It looks like it might still be adjusting to your conditions.
 
my guess would be that if it went thru some shocking conditions on its way to you and then now a new home with a new "environment", its probably just adjusting. Keep with it! :)
 
I think that is what was so shocking to me. The plants were about three inches across, I got a couple of medium sized leaves, and then an abundance of these small leaves which are appx. 1 inch across. It has been in this setup for about a month.

One concern I have, I read that they have a deep root system. The pots are only about 2 inches deep (aesthetic reasons only). Would they benefit with a deeper pot?

I have been criticized for my lack of patience, so, I will hang in there. Thanks for your responses.
 
I can get anxious, too if my sundews aren't doing too well. I grew mine in a 4 inch pot, and it did well. For sundews with large roots, the taller the pot, the better, in my opinion.
Since it's been in that setup for a month now, I might be a bit more concerned, but it could still be adjusting (some sundews take a long time to do this).
 
I make sure they have had food in the last month, then all you can really do is hold out. If you are giving them good light, good soil and some food here or there then theres nothing more you can do, its all in the plant adjusting. Just like the others said, ive had some plants take a month or more to adjust. Some adjust in a day, some just are tired and dont adjust well.

what kind of light period is it on?
 
it appears to me that it might be going into dormancy.........
 
Falconeri goes through a hybernation period during which almost all the leaves die out. It may just be coming out of dormancy or it may have been shocked into starting up again.
When hybernating, the recommendation is that you cut down on the humidity and heat and let the plant clue you in as to when it wants to come out of dormancy - generally in the form of new growth. It may simply be coming out of its slumber.
I don't think your conditions are too bad. Falconeris come from the Northern Territory in Australia where it's sweltering hot and humid during summer and slightly cooler in winter. Try to provide them with those conditions.

You can see the progression of mine here:

http://icps.proboards105.com/index.cgi?board=drosera&action=display&thread=1069
 
While it may be 'adjusting' as others have suggested, I'd have a close look around to ensure it doesn't have some critters setting up residence. The malformed leaves are enough cause to do an inspection...
 
  • #10
Wow, you're giving it so much attention!! I've got mine tucked away in a corner.

Looks like the inward spiral to me - so its probably going into dormancy because of being moved.

Just water it a bit less.
 
  • #11
Thanks all for the advice. I checked it for pests and the plant is clean. Brokken, thanks for the link, your plants are awesome and there was great information in that thread. I hope to achieve that some day. I purchased this plant without doing my homework, hence the special setup. All of my other plants grow in highland conditions. I am determined to have success with this plant. The photo period is 14 hours per day.

The phrase "inward spiral" peaks my curiosity. What do these plants do during their dormancy (are there living parts)? Can they be forced into dormancy and how dry is the soil during this time (damp, dry)?

These plants, although stunted appear to be actively growing, therefore, I am hesitant to change the growing environment.
 
  • #12
Thanks all for the advice. I checked it for pests and the plant is clean. Brokken, thanks for the link, your plants are awesome and there was great information in that thread. I hope to achieve that some day. I purchased this plant without doing my homework, hence the special setup. All of my other plants grow in highland conditions. I am determined to have success with this plant. The photo period is 14 hours per day.

The phrase "inward spiral" peaks my curiosity. What do these plants do during their dormancy (are there living parts)? Can they be forced into dormancy and how dry is the soil during this time (damp, dry)?

These plants, although stunted appear to be actively growing, therefore, I am hesitant to change the growing environment.

You can't "force" the plant into dormancy, but you can give it subtle hints: Reducing the photo period for example. As the days grow shorter in the winter, maybe you should consider cutting down on the amount of light. This will also have the effect of reducing the temperature inside your enclosure. You may also wish to move the plant close to a window so that the cold radiating from the window also helps cool it.

Once the plant starts to get the hints, reduce your watering schedule so that the pots are moist, but not drenching wet (which is easily overdone in a closed environment like what you have). If you treat your falconeri like a denizen of green hell, it may grow, but the moment that humidity drops your plant will surely wilt within hours. Don't make your plant so reliant on you that the moment power fails, it will dry out like a fish out of water.
 
  • #13
My Drosera falconeri always did best in a light airy mix of perlite and live milled LF sphagnum with some added laterite. My gut level impression is that this [;ant is in too wet a medium, and not the right light spectra. I grew mine outdoors in warm months in a covered terrarium, after acclimating the plant slowly to full sun. They like HOT! When showing active growth, plants were in tray water, the goal being to leep the roots wet at this stage, but avoiding conditions where the roots are compacted by the medium. Over wet and dense medium are invitations for anaerobic microorganisms what find roots tasty. When the "inward spiral" as noted happens, the plants come out of tray water and the medium kept at a moisture level like a wrung out washcloth, More observatiional care and careful watering are in order at this stage. Also, water droplets should not fall on the rosettes. There is very little of that happening in the NT in Australia! These plants grow in seeps where there are standing pools, but the rest is desert and harsh. If the top of the mix can be kept significantly drier than the rest of the pot, all the better, but your growing in a 2 inch pot works against this. If something happens to the root tips, they cease growing and so does the plant. What happens beneath the surface is as critical for good growth as factors of nutrition, water and light.

It's hard to say what to do in this case. I would probably reduce the wetness gradually, lower the humidity as well after repotting into a much larger pot. Mine were in 6 inchers. Try to give the plant some broken sunlight and maintain the mix at least at 70F and hope and pray. I've killed many a D. falconeri, but here is my favorite shot of my best plant before it too joined Darwin in the Big Bog in the Sky. The traps were quarter sized on some of the petioles. Sigh.

http://www.cpforums.org/gallery/sundews/Drosera_falconeri_begininning_anthesis_2002
 
  • #14
Tamlin, where can one get laterite?
 
  • #15
Tropical fish supply concerns have it or can order it. If it is available, try to get the type that's evenly reddish.
 
  • #16
Brokken, thanks for providing the link. Funny... same people, different forum. This stood out to me, as I struggle to get my recently acquired plant adjusted:

Hey Brokken,
Your plants have great color and symmetry. I've also found that if you put this species in live sphagnum, it seems to encourage rapid crown splitting, flowering and multiple healthy plants. The same holds true for Drosera kennealyi. Since I've done the above mentioned, I don't even worry about trying to get seed!
Happy Growing,
Brian.

My plant went through a little shipping shock and then it put out new leaves. Then those leaves declined when I put in in the fishtank. An now I see green leaves emering from the crown.

Picture045.jpg


I'm hoping that my on again - off again D. kenealleyi's will do the same. They look pretty bad for now.

Picture057-1.jpg
 
  • #17
Jim: Better looking than MY Dk. I expect it to come back in force once the weather gets warmer. I expect a few freezes before then. I keep mine in a bed of wet sphagnum in the meantime.
 
  • #18
Update - I took everyones advice, put it in a blender and here's what I got. Repotted the plants in a six inch pot, with 2 part LFS, 2 part Perlite, 1 part Peat & 1 part Sand. Lowered the water table, keeping it moist, but not soaking wet. The temps are lower (appx. 75 degrees) to respect its winter "state," and have moved the plants a couple inches lower from the light. Plants are looking pretty happy, in fact the second plant has started a new plant off the side. Here are pics.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lambdlth/3232338452/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lambdlth/3231488029/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lambdlth/3232341508/
 
Last edited:
  • #19
I don't see your pics but here's mine in recovery. Does it look similar?

Picture016.jpg
 
  • #20
Hey Jim - I changed the images to links as I couldn't see the photos either. You will see the plants look very similar. I removed all of the dead or dying growth before transplanting. Your plant may have experienced more trauma than mine, but I can add that my plant is producing about two new leaves a day. My hope now is that they will not exhaust themselves, as food is in short supply here this time of year. I did feed them a speck of cheese which they readily devoured (it was pretty interesting). I tend to think the rebound was a result of the open media with less water. As soon as I put them into this mix, the leaves started producing dew.
 
Back
Top