Question
QUESTION: Hello. About three months ago I've purchased a Drosera aliciae. Everything was ok for a few weeks, then it started losing its dew. I didn't make a fuss about it and just let it be. But now I see a lot of brown leaves which are nearest to the ground, other leaves started to have their tips brown too. So I guess it is time to do something and save my plant. I keep it on a windowsill and if it is sunny, we have sun from about 12 pm till sunset. Since it was winter, we didn't have a lot of sunny days but the flower received all the light possible. I don't use any special lamps to grow the plant so it gets only natural light. I water it by pouring water into a plate under the pot and the plate almost never gets dry. I think that maybe it was too much water? I keep water in room temperature for a night and then I water my all plants. So what can be the problem? Maybe I should re-pot my plant?

ANSWER: Hi Inga,

Chances are this problem is related to light.  If you've had lots of cloudy weather over the winter, even a West facing window may not be enough light.  The simple way to tell is the color of the plant.  If the leaves are reddish and dewy, you probably have enough light.  If they are pale green without dew (prior to the browning), then the plant needs more light.

With your watering, be sure the soil is always damp.  Sundews are bog plants so they should never dry out.  Also, be sure you are using water that is low in minerals.  This will usually mean distilled water, rainwater, melted snow, or water purified by reverse osmosis.  Other types of filtration don't remove minerals.  If you've been using untreated tap water this could be part of the problem too, and repotting would help this problem.

If you can send me a photo that will help with a more detailed diagnosis.

Good Growing!

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

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QUESTION: http://imageshack.us/a/img209/5412/p3084676.jpg

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Not a very good quality but this is the best I could do. It looks terrible, I know...

Answer
Hi Inga,

Thank-you for the photos.  Your plants actually don't look that bad.  However, after seeing them I can say this is completely a light issue.  If you can't get them more sun you may want to consider supplementing them with artificial light.  A simple fluorescent desk lamp with a timer can work very well.

Good Growing!

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