Question
Hi Jeff!

We now have 10C?in day time in Germany. So I brought in my Drosophyllum into an unheated room with 13-14 C?

I guess I must water even less then usual... But how can I know if it is watered enough since the soil is always "nearly dry"? Is the dew on the leaves an indicator for the water requirements?

Thank you and have a great day!

JP

Answer
Hi JP,

Here's a trick I use that works well for me.  Find a dish type container to use as a water tray that is just a little bigger than the pot, yet is maybe 5 cm or so tall.  My plant in the house has a small ceramic pet dish that it sits in that has vertical sides.  The goal here is to be able to pour water in the dish, but have the plant soak it up very quickly, yet the water reservoir is very small.  

Watch your plant closely for any signs of wilting, or the mucilage looking drier.  When that happens fill the little dish.  The plant should soak up all the water.  Add just a little more until the pot won't soak up any more, then leave it.  You should be able to go 3-4 days then before needing to water again.  You just have to watch your plant to get an idea of how much it's going to use.

I think we've had this conversation before, but far more Drosophyllum are killed from not watering enough, than from too much.  They don't do well with bone-dry soil.  They like moist soil, just not wet soil, and there's a difference.  It's super similar to other houseplants.  Most plants like their soil damp to the touch, but if you set them in water the way you do for bog species, it will cause root-rot.  We lost a couple big plants this summer from drying out.


Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com