Question
my drosera capensis has no dew. i ordered from            predatory plants.com about a week ago they said keep it make sure it has plenty of light but i have been giving it plenty of uva light and water do you have any tips on getting dew i know you guys are against this but i  have it in a terrarium i don't have any other place to put it outside it freezing cold and theres not enough strong light. i live in slidell,Louisiana  please help

Answer
Hi Xavier,

There are several reasons why sundews fail to produce dew, and insufficient light is the most common cause.  While you say you have them under UVA lights, I don't know the wattage or the distance of the lights, so I can't comment on them directly.  The most I can say is that your plants are always the final judge of what is bright enough.

There are two things that you can do.  First is to move the light source closer to the plant.  We generally recommend 8-12 inches.  You'll need to leave the light source there for at least a month and judge the outcome based on the new growth.  Depending on the trauma that your plant has experienced as a result of shipping and repotting, you may not see any dew on the current leaves no matter the light intensity.  (This is particularly true if your sundew was shipped bare root.  For this reason, we ship plants only in pots.)

Second is to simply accept the fact that sundews will produce less dew in winter due to the lower light levels.  While we maintain dew production on our tropical sundews with a very intense light source (1,000-watt high pressure sodium light), we don't expect customers to have the same resource.  So low dew production is expected without the presence of a light source that can simulate full sun.

I strongly suggest that you watch our DVD, Grow Carnivorous Plants Volume 2.  We demonstrate how to use artificial lights properly, and we show growers the factors that affect dew production.
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

For general growing information, you can read our care sheet online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin