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Tuberous Drosera dormancy

  • Thread starter Tanukimo
  • Start date
The tip (~ 1mm) of my Drosera macrantha turned a little brown a few weeks ago so I am worried that the plant is going dormant. I am currently keeping it in a tray with a lot of water. The brown part has not spread at all and the traps still look fine and have dew. I'm just worried that I'm delaying the dormancy by not removing it from the tray.

I got the plant near the end of January, when it was around six inches tall, so it was probably growing since December at least. Should I call the nursery I bought it from to ask if their plants are going dormant, or does the time of dormancy depend on my growing conditions?

Temperatures here are around 75 during the day and 65 at night but sometimes there are particularly hot or cold days, and the plant has taken a few hot days while it was still growing without going dormant.

Here are a couple of pictures of the growing tip I took last week.

DSC_0370_1.jpg


DSC_0371_1.jpg


And if they are going dormant, what should I do after I remove them from the tray? I know to take them out of direct sunlight, but should I cover the pot so the soil doesn't completely dry out?
 
Yup, going dormant. Stop watering it until August or September, you want the pot COMPLETELY DRY for dormancy. Then lightly top water it until new growth breaks the surface of the media. After that, you can return it to a tray.
 
I agree - your macrantha is on its way south for the summer. Mine are doing the same thing right now.

The plant will slowly blacken from the top down and all of the trapping leaf tentacles will curl inwards. Depending upon the plant's subspecies or affinity you can expect the stem to slowly die off over the course of a few weeks. Very warm weather usually speeds this up. Very slowly dry out the pot - over the period of six weeks. Most tuberous species have evolved to expect (and require) completely dry conditions for the summer months. Make sure that you store the dry pot in a protected location out of the sun but in a spot that experiences ambient outdoor humidity such as a shed, unheated garage, under staging in a greenhouse, etc.

I hope your macrantha produces a couple of extra tubers for you this year. Good luck!
 
Thank you for the replies everyone. The plant has been removed from the tray. I guess I will put in in my room so it doesn't get direct sun but stays humid. I know some subspecies of macrantha make extra tubers and some don't. I'm not sure about mine.
Is it fine to keep it in a dark place like a closet or does it still need light while it is transitioning?
 
The lengthening days will prompt the plant to go down. Keep it in the light until it is fully dormant then store it in a warm, dry place for the summer.
 
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