Hello everyone,
Sorry I haven't replied to anyone, but I had a very close cousin pass away from cancer and I really haven't been quite myself.
I will try and give some cultural info on my Droseras.
Most of my tuberous sundews I have had for probably 4 or 5 years.
Some of the plants that say Lowrie on the label I got last winter.
They were just coming out of dormancy when I got them. I grew them for a short period but Spring was here and they went dormant again. I had to give them a short growing season and dormancy so they would come back this winter. They needed to be converted to the northern hemisphere's seasons. They seem to be changing just fine, they are all growing just fine and this is when you want them to grow. They would normally be dormant this time of year in Australia.
They all grow in my basement where it is nice and cool, (50's). I have them under a four tube T-5 fixture, The soil they are in is just peat and sand, roughly 50/50. I keep them damp but not waterlogged. When the temps start coming up this Spring they will all go dormant again and I let them dry up. I usually wait about a month after the top growth dries up to un pot, because when the top growth dies the energy goes back down to the tuber, and you have to let it rejuvenate itself. After about a month I unpot them and put them all in there own labeled zip lock bag. I store them all in a bedroom in the house for the summer where it is usually pretty warm.
I keep checking them every now and then and usually by fall you will see little eye's starting to form on them like potatoes. When they start doing that I pot them up again and bring them down in the basement again. The cool temps and damp soil bring them right back.
A good thing to do when labeling the baggies they are stored in is to take note of the depth the tuber was at and mark it down. Some tubers I have planted 1 to 2 inches down I find later while unpotting to be 4 to 5 inches down. They seek their desired depth I guess?
They might also be adjusting themselves for the water available. I usually just use the tray method keeping them all in about an inch of water. You really don't have to go threw all this for dormancy, some people just let the pots dry up and keep them warm then start watering again in the fall. That's tricky though, you don't want to start watering to early because of rot. I find it much safer to have it unpotted in a baggie. You see when it starts to grow and pot it up at the right time. I have also had pots that I planted one tuber in turn into five tubers in one season. I know this is a lot of rambling, but it works for me just fine.
I'm sure there are plenty of people out there with better formulas for growing these sundews, but if anything maybe this will be of some help for someone. They are really cool sundews!
JMatt
Quick D. Browniana update,