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what to feed drosera with?

so in particular, drosera regia, but i would also like to try feeding drosophyllum and others too...

at the moment, i have some random fish food balls... i hear people recommending betta fish food... is there something particularly special about betta or can i crush up any fish food and feed it to my drosera, as i have alot of old unused fish food, none particularly for bettas?
 
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Any unused fish food should be fine. When I use fish food I either sprinkle it on dry, OR I rehydrate it with a bit of distilled water (until it has a thicker consistency of say, ketchup. You just don't want it getting all over your plants and causing a mess). Other times I don't have the patience of doing that and I just lightly mist my plants with 1/4 tsp per gallon of Maxsea 16-16-16. Just remember - When trying new feeding methods always start with smaller quantities and see how your plants react.
 
right... i was wondering if betta food was some sort of god amongst fish food for sundews or something, and regular food would kill them lol...

maxsea isnt sold in my country so it's not really an option

edit: my post sounds ungrateful lol, thanks for the reply.
 
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Betta food is typically recommended because it's already in small pellet form, high in protein and made specifically for carnivorous/insectivorous fish. You'd want to avoid vegetable based fish foods such as the formulas used for goldfish, African chichlids or algae feeders.

Misting the plants with any Urea free orchid fertilizer also works very well and is a lot easier than dabbing fish food on individual leaves.
 
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right... i was wondering if betta food was some sort of god amongst fish food for sundews or something, and regular food would kill them lol...

maxsea isnt sold in my country so it's not really an option

edit: my post sounds ungrateful lol, thanks for the reply.

Haha no worries! By the way, here is a really great site that I reference from time to time. It hasn't been updated in a while, but this guy also created a ton of instructional videos focusing on sundews. Enjoy! The Sundew Grow Guides
 
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I occasionally crush up some fine fish flakes or Betta bits and lightly sprinkle them on a few leaves. Not so much in winter though.
 
1/2 tsp per gallon of just about any fertilizer, misted onto the leaves once every 2 weeks or so. Many times I will go back the next day and top-water or mist with plain water. I find that the nutrients will re-dissolve and the plant gets several days' worth of feeding this way.
 
how often do you guys feed your drosera? i have done a little experiment and fed goldfish food to d. regia, capensis, drosophyllum... my method was to dip a brush into the powder, then flick the brush so it would disperse over the plants... i might just get some betta food just to be safe though
 
I use pulverized freezed dried bloodworms, sprinkled on the leaves.
 
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Depends on how fast I want them to grow. To maximize growth, every time I see the tentacles expanded and dewy, it's time to go to work!

Fish food works, but in my hobby greenhouse, where I don't get good air circulation, any physical food will begin getting moldy. Even small pieces of fish food. So I tend to like chemical fertilizers because they are cleaner and safer for the plants in the dilutions that I apply them. And as a horticulturist, I know what I'm getting out of them--there's a set and balanced amount of nutrients being applied, whereas for bugs and such, it's kind of a random "grab bag."
 
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  • #11
All I do is use up some cockroaches I find in the garage. First, I split the really big ones in half and put it blood-side down on the leaves. The small ones I just step on the outside and put 'em on! Yeah, it's gross but that's how I do it! Also, my collection is pretty small so it's reliable.
 
  • #12
All I do is use up some cockroaches I find in the garage. First, I split the really big ones in half and put it blood-side down on the leaves. The small ones I just step on the outside and put 'em on! Yeah, it's gross but that's how I do it! Also, my collection is pretty small so it's reliable.

Gruesome, yet effective. I actually chuckled a bit imagining a person acting this out. You certainly earn effort and creativity points!! :spidersmile:
 
  • #13
i wouldnt have the stomache for that haha
 
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