Question
My hitchhiker
Hi, I purchased a Giant Staghorn Sundew from your nursery back in March, and as I was trimming off dead leaves recently, I realized that there is a hitchhiker in the pot, which I'm hoping you will be able to help me identify. I've been growing the plant outdoors, and was planning on letting it go dormant and stay outside over the winter since I live in Seattle, but I assume that will no longer be possible with the addition of the second type of sundew in the pot.
Thanks so much for your help.
AnswerThat plant is a spoon leaf sundew, Drosera spatulata. It's a tropical species, so it won't tolerate a frost. It's a judgment call about what to do, depending on your goals.
The dichotoma will go dormant, even if you brought it indoors. It's dormancy is triggered mostly by a decrease in daylight hours rather than temperature. Another option is to remove the spatulata and put it in its own pot. Of course, you can also place the dichotoma outdoors for the winter (provided that you follow the recommended winter precautions) and let the spatulata die off. At our nursery, wen we find volunteer plants in other pots, we grow the plants for the main plant in the pot, not the volunteers.
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
