QuestionQUESTION: If i want to grow drosera dichotoma indoors, and don't want to provide additional lighting in the winter, what will the dormancy be like? or will i have to do something special? or will i i just need to keep it moist and wait til the light returns?
Nathan
ANSWER: Hi Nathan,
A D. dichotoma will go dormant in November or December with natural daylight hours. It will look dead. They don't form a hibernacula the way North American sundews will. They just die down to their roots. In February you'll see the new growth start. Keep the soil just moist when the growth stops; avoid water in the tray. Don't let it go totally dry however. Resume normal watering when growth starts.
When that growth resumes you may still want to consider some artificial light since this is a very high-light demanding plant. We just don't get much sun in the Northwest until summer.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
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QUESTION: oh ok. I actually just got lights but just as an inquiry kind of thing. i bought it from you about two weekends ago at the market and lucky me it had two seedlings so since i live in camas washington i figured i would put one indoors and one outdoors. i got the lights for the Ventricosa X Sibuyanensis that i asked about earlier and i'm sure my ping and clipeata and of course the drosera would love it. one quick question to make sure i've got this right: leave lights on 14 hrs in the summer and 12 in the winter. right? anyway thanks for the great plants. :)
AnswerHi Nathan,
If you want to keep the plants (Pinguicula/Drosera) dormant, go down to a 10 hour day. The Nepenthes don't really have a dormancy, so to keep them pitchering the light cycle needs to be 12 hours or more. Every year we see in our greenhouse Nepenthes stop pitchering around November 1rst coinciding with short days. (We're adding more artificial light this year to keep that from happening.)
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
