Question

My Plant about 10 hour   QUESTION: I just purchased a D. Adelea from Lowes, When i purchased it, the poor thing seemed healthy, but i didn't know what to expect...It had small amounts of clear water particles, but they we're sticky for I fed it an ant, i noticed that once i fed it the ant, the leaves weren't turning to it, I'm weary that I may be killing it, I know they don't need to be fed, but I am concerned about what I can do to keep up its dew, it has a rather small amount of dew compared to those I have seen on Google, Its still in it's cubical, but i removed the plastic lid with a clear plastic wrap with holes. I read that they could be in humidity shock so I'm trying to help it out, but so far I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I don't have a pot nor the soil needed for it to be repotted. I am hoping to get a 8" wide pot and the peat moss and perlite soils. I looked at the stores and when I look up perlite it shows miracle grow, which im concerned will kill it, because I did research on it not needing any fertilizers. Sorry for the novice questions, this is my first CP ever and I really don't want to kill the plant.
So my questions are the following:
1) What do I do to keep my plants dew up. (note: the sky has been rather gray here in FL lately)
2)What kind of soil should I get? I understand its the peat moss and perlite 50/50 deal, but what brand, can i trust miracle grow?
3)Can I use tap water to keep the plant moist or do i have to get lake water or rain water?
Sorry for the stupid questions.
A Novice D. Adelea Grower,
Kain

ANSWER: Hello Kain,

Those questions are exactly why we are here. Everyone was a novice at one point in time and questions are the way to alleviate the unknowns.

Florida humidity is quite high from what I remember, however; you might want to keep the cover on for now and just punch some 1/4 inch holes in it every three days until it no longer holds in humidity and can be removed after two weeks.

1.  As you surmised, light is the source of energy that sundews use to produce dew. Drosera adelae only need filtered or partial sun as they cannot adapt to full sun. They burn in direct sunlight. If the sky is overcast, you might need to provide a compact florescent light of 100 watt equivalent 5-8 inches from the plant or a regular 40 watt set of florescent, cool white, shop light tubes (the 4 foot variety) 5-8 inches over the plant to enhance the light it receives if you have it indoors. When the plant is receiving enough light it will respond by producing dew and developing red coloration on its tentacles.

2.  Miracle gro will kill your sundew. Any soil with fertilizer is harmful for carnivorous plants in general. You can try to find bales of perlite and sphagnum peat moss at garden centers and nurseries. The best moss is a plastic wrapped dry cube of 1 x 1 or 2 x 2 foot size that says premium canadian sphagnum moss. You can also buy pre-mixed soil that is safe for carnivorous plants from online suppliers like cobraplant.com and californiacarnivores.com.

3.  Tap water must be very soft for carnivorous plant use. Never use water over 50 parts per million hardness and never use drinking water or salt softened water. The water that is safe for carnivorous plants is rain water, distilled water, and reverse osmosis water that is purified through steam, deionization, and filtration in stages.

Keep up the good work caring for your sundew.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: Thank you for the help and the reply in such a short notice.
Right now, Here in Florida the weather is strange, We are having temperatures of 40F to 73F and normally it is from 60F-80F, Right now I have my plant get at least 3 hours of direct sunlight, then I will carry it off to a shadier spot.
The humidity factor is of question, I have removed the lid since this morning, but just now the humidity is nearly gone, it just has a small amount of water on the cub, so I don't know if I should just leave it out there in the sun (directly) for another hour and see if it goes away, and then put it in the shade.
Soft water? How can I measure this, by touch? If so my tap is really soft. But if its chemical wise, I'm not so sure.
Also, I have once watered it with Spring Water out of the bottle, but only a fairly small amount, I hope I'm not killing it.
Novice,
Kain

Answer
Hello Kain,

Plants like to be placed in one spot and kept there. Moving the plant around stresses it by quickly changing the environment over and over. Place it in one spot in a well lit window and keep it out of direct sun. Add artificial light as needed until the plant colors up and produces dew normally. Slow adaptation to humidity and temperature extremes are crucial for the plant's proper growth and health.

Water hardness can be seen online if your cities water supply. If is shows over 50 parts per million hardness, measuring levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium, it is too hard and should be avoided. Spring water is the same as drinking water for our purposes, it has minerals added often times, which should be avoided. One watering will not harm the plant overall, but use only mineral free water to keep the soil from becoming altered. Carnivorous plants need acidic soil, provided by the moss. If minerals and other impurities are added, they alter the Ph of the soil which harms and kills carnivorous plants.

You can also measure water hardness yourself by going to a pet store with fish supplies and getting a water Ph and hardeness test kit. The easiest to use are the ones with little sticks that have bars of colored chemicals on one end that you dip in the water and observe. They change color to show the level of each impurity and tell you the results within seconds. Dip that in a glass of tap water, take it out and let it sit on a table for a minute and see what happens.

Christopher