Question
QUESTION: I got this stag horn sundew on friday. There was some brown coloration on the tips when it arrived, but I put it in a window receiving 4 hours of direct sunlight, have been keeping the soil moist, and the pot is sitting in a tray with 2 inches of water, just as described on the care sheet. But the plant is starting to look worse and worse, its getting more black coloration on the tips and on the stem and its effecting all of the "staghorns" now. its getting worse every day (I took these pictures last night and its worse this morning). Anyway to salvage this plant?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Caelyth/006.jpg full view
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Caelyth/007.jpg stems
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Caelyth/008.jpg leaves

thanks as always

ANSWER: Hi Katie,

It could either be a transition issue or a dormancy issue.  While this plant doesn't require winter dormancy, it will go dormant if it experiences a decrease in lighting and/or temperature.  We normally keep this plant on the upper shelves of our greenhouse, so they get sunlight throughout the day.  

This plant is also a bit more sensitive to the shipping process, so it's natural for some leaf die off to occur.  The main issue is whether or not you see new growth coming up.  Since some of the new leaves look fine, your plant is doing fine.  It's just going through an adjustment period and acclimating to its new home.  Sometimes it can take up to a month for this plant to acclimate fully.

In either case, keep your plant in the sunniest window possible.  During fall and winter, this might be your south window.  If the plant happens to go dormant, the leaves will gradually drop off and the plant will form a resting bud on the soil surface.  It'll resume growth when the temperature and lighting increase.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

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

QUESTION: It looks worse every day. All but one original stalk is turning brown. If its
acclimating, its acclimating hard! There is one new stem forming though ( its
unraveling its leaves) so I hope thats a good sign.  Are the stems individual
plants, or is it all part of one plant? I cant tell
When watering it, and I water it every other day, is it good to really flood the
soil?
Thanks!!

Answer
While it may be distressing to see a plant do this, keep in mind that it may also be going dormant in response to the sudden decrease in lighting and temperature.  We're already past the fall equinox, so we can't rule out dormancy completely.  All we can do is wait to see if the plant eventually forms a resting bud.  Otherwise, if new growth occurs over time, then it was an acclimation issue.  

Judging from the photograph, it looks like you have two small plants.  Each plant will produce a cluster of stems from the base, so just look at the soil where the stems emerge.

It's not necessary to water the plant daily.  Just keep it in a saucer of water, no higher than half way up the pot.  Add more water when the water dries up in the saucer.  Just make sure to avoid letting the soil become completely dry.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin