Question
Hi Christopher,

You gave me some advice as to telling what type of sundew I was given as a gift. Thanks for that, the advice proved very helpful in narrowing down my search. As far as I can tell I have a type of Drosera spatulata. However, absolutely every picture I came across of spatulata with flower had a red coloured stem where mine is green. Incidently it gave me it's first (at least while I've had it) flower yesterday and the second today. That felt quite rewarding. There are 7 flower buds, and the petals are white.

But the big concern at the moment is that today I noticed a whitish fungal mass pm the soil right adjacent, and in fact slightly under, on the other leaves. I've been keeping the flower pot it is in standing in a small dish topped up with reverse osmosed water. The water level is never higher than half way up the pot itself. The plant is kept on my office windowsill. Unfortunately at this time of year, I don't receive direct sunlight onto this sill, though it is still pretty bright. As we here in the Southern Hemisphere pass into Autumn and Winter I think the sunlight will come though directly. The plant looks healthy to my eye (but I'm an entomologist, not a botanist) with good dew production, and I've already mentioned the flowers. We do have growth lights in the insectary if you think it would do better in there. (I'm sure it will feast on any escapee mosquitoes)

Do you have any advice on how to deal with the fungal problem. I assume it's a problem. I'm aware that the pH of the soil an all is quite a delicate thing so not sure how to proceed.

Thanks a bunch
Oliver

Answer
Hello Oliver,

There are several good anti-fungal mixes out there, but stay away from the ones that use a soap based carrier, the soaps are organic compounds that can break down and produce a fertilizing effect when they get into the soil. The better fungicides are Neem oil based and sulfur based ones. The more air flow and light, particularly some ultraviolet light, the plant pot gets, the less likely mold will grow. You can try to pick out whatever it is that the mold is growing on just to get rid of it. It might be an old insect carcass or part of an old leaf. If it is a leaf, perhaps you could use some small tweezers and snips to remove it. The problem with mold, however; is that it produces spores that are everywhere anyways. Mold usually does not cause a major problem unless it gets onto the live plant and begins eating away at it, typically when the plant is a mere seedling or if the plant itself is weak.

Drosera spatulata is a tropical that likes conditions warm and bright. They are tough little plants that will eventually grow into a cluster or even a dome shaped mass of many plantlets around a single parent. After a year or two, the cluster can begin to decline and may need repotting and separating to remove some of the dead matter below the growing crowns.

If you can, attach a picture so I can check on the plant species. Some of those small, round leaf varieties are very difficult to tell apart.

If you could get an extra florescent based light over the plant for at least 12 to 16 hours a day it would help reduce mold and increase the plant's ability to obtain enough energy while flowering. A 100 - 150 watt equivalent florescent bulb would be fine about a foot from the plant.

Christopher