Drosera arcturi

[JB in Utah]

So I've been doing some research on this species and I'm very interested in its alpine nature, I was wondering if anyone at TF is successfully growing it, I hear it's fairly difficult. I've already found cultivation threads, I'm just looking for any other useful information.

Thanks.

[RL7836]

I hear it's fairly difficult.

From what I read, that's an understatement. In addition to being picky about conditions, it grows very slowly ...

Best of luck if you try to grow it - share pics...

[Not a Number]

I kept some seedlings alive for two growing seasons. The second season they rarely had dew so it wasn't possible to feed them. I gave them a zero chance of surviving through dormancy and was right.

A couple people were trying to grow some recently (last couple years or so). They never posted anything more other than requesting cultivation tips. Take that as you will. The absence of proof is not proof of absence.

[dashman]

I had some seeds this spring. Unfortunately I had them in a small plastic pot on my back porch and the wind blew the pot onto the ground before they had a chance to sprout. I only had them out for a week or so before I lost them.

I do plan on trying these again though and with a larger/heavier pot. Maybe next spring. I too find arcturi pretty fascinating.

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

SO you're saying you like a challenge, hey? I found this to be one of the most difficult species to cultivate in my conditions. Seed is long lasting but difficult to germinate. They need a great deal of direct sunlight to grow well, and this coupled with an absolute need for consistently cool (read cold) roots. Plants grow slowly, producing only a few leaves each season. The plant needs aggressive feeding, but care must be taken to remove prey corpses, otherwise they will moulder and damage the leaf, and there are so few produced so this is often fatal. The plant has an obligatory winter dormancy just at the freezing point, and not below. It is a wonderful species to be sure, but like Drosera uniflora and Drosera stenopetala they need chill conditions to really prosper. My plants lasted 3 seasons, and never had what it took to flower them. Good luck with this one, and please keep us posted as to your success (or more importantly) or failures regarding this attempt!

[JB in Utah]

Thanks all for the info, it is very much appreciated. If and when I can grow this, I'll definitely take pics and share with everyone of my successes (hopefully not failures, but that's the risk you take). Might not be this winter when I start growing it, but definitely next winter for sure.

[Not a Number]

Allow two months for stratification and at least as long to germinate. Maybe even longer.

[JB in Utah]

Thanks for the tip.

If I plant them this year, I plan on sowing them in Mid-Late November when local temperatures are low enough to do cold stratification outdoors.