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Dried blood worms

I've read on the forums that some of you use dried bloodworms as food for your Drosera. I was under the impression that many of the Drosera species that use movement such as D. capensis are stimulted to move by the movement of the struggling insect which inturn stimulates digestion. With a food such as bloodworms, there is no movement, so how is digestion stimulated? I guess I'm just questioning the nutritional bennifit to the plant if digestion is not stimulated by a struggling insect.
 
Not, "dried bloodworms", but freeze-dried bloodworms, a difference that is perhaps, subtle, but I do not believe "dried bloodworms" are available, unless you buy the frozen ones and then dry them yourself.

Try sprinkling a little on a Drosera leaf and you can answer that question for yourself.

A hypothesis is only an assumption (an educated guess) unless you follow it with experimentation and observation. It will either support your hypothesis or eliminate it as a valid possibility.
 
The freeze-dried bloodworms work well with butterworts. Cindy, the Moderator, has some pics of her Mexican Pings, with a heart-shaped pattern or FD - BW's
 
I have been giving occasional feedings of freeze-dried bloodworms to several of my Drosera species, D. capensis among them, and I have found that they respond to the bloodworms almost as fast as to live, moving prey.
 
Greetings,

Perhaps it's the presence of certain nutrients that stimulate enzyme production in Drosera. The leaves of my sundew curl up and secrete fluids in response to dead insects.

Brian
 
Pingman, I think Jason means the dried ones you can buy for fish food.
 
Greetings,

  I did an experiment.  I took some dried bloodworms and powdered them.  I spinkled a very small amount on a couple D. capensis leaves.  Within ten minutes both leaves curled up, just as they would with a live insect.  In one hour, the leaves were dripping with digestive juices.  The response to the dried bloodworms was greater than a live insect.

  It seems that the digestion process has very little to do with the struggle of an insect, and a lot to do with the leaves ability to detect the presence of certain nutrients.
 
Here's the picture of Cindy's butterwort and bloodworms:

hearts_on_pings_rs.jpg
 
That's why we need more women growing carnivorous plants.
 
  • #10
Lol dude...
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Don't forget that the "dew" on our dews are also contain the digestive enzyme, thus it will digest whatever protein containing food that touches it. In response the drosera will secrete more sticky mucus/enzyme to get the most out of the food as it has concluded that digestion of this "food" has produced nutrients which they can feast on. Plants are smart things, they don't only respond to movement.
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  • #11
That has always been one of my favorite photos I've ever seen here. It cracks me up.
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Cindy did a great job on that!
 
  • #12
I would think twice before eating cake at her house. You never know what she used to spell out "Happy Birthday". A girls gotta do something with all those extra blood worms.

Brian
 
  • #13
Brian, you powdered them with what?

Brian's right, sundews respond more to the nutritional value of the food than the movement of it. They detect whatever nutritional value is in it and respond accordingly.

I'll try dried bloodworms I usually feed my betta tonight and let y'all know what happens with my D. adelae.
 
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