Question
QUESTION: Hi, it's me again. I just have a quick question. I looked at your most recent reponce that you told the person to cut off all the leaves of a drosera adalae. Well, I've had a drosera adalae for about 2 months now and it's doing pretty well. I'm just wondering when should I do the same for my plant and how does it benifit the plant? I see that you've done it with your plant 2 times and it looks GORGEOUS.

ANSWER: Hi Victor,

My plant is quite a bit older than yours.  I wouldn't do it yet if it looks good.  Over time, D. adelae will usually send out numerous side shoots, and eventually they fill the pot they are in.  They will even develop plantlets from roots coming out the bottom of the pot.  I cut mine back last fall because the thing had become an ugly mound of dead leaves intermixed with live ones.  It's at that point that trying to trim them becomes futile, I just decapitate the whole thing.  You usually start seeing new growth in about a month.  This technique can also be useful with other thick root sundews such as Drosera capensis and D. binata complex.  Many of the South African species respond well to this.

Good Growing!

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

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for everything! I just found a tiny spider that I want to feed my adalae. So I was wondering if you could tell about how they digest and capture their food becuase I know they don't curl over prey like the Capensis?

Answer
Hi Victor,

Like all sundews the sticky mucilage is the primary capturing mechanism.  The tentacles move, but the leaf blade doesn't.  D. adeale tends to capture large numbers of small flying insects, and occasionally flies since they are a mass of sticky tentacles.  Here's some videos that just came out you may find fascinating:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPRg7tHtPEE

Good Growing!

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