Question
QUESTION: I recently harvested about 25-30 spoonleaf sundews from my main plant and transplanted them into a large pot for optimal growth.  yesterday i noticed a bit of fungus or slime growing on the soil around them.  Without really thinking ahead, i sprayed fungucide to get rid of that problem.  After i did, i began to question if it was a good idea to spray fungus treament onto sundews where it could easily get absorbed into the plants. (same anti fungus i use on my sarracenias while they are wintering) if it is a problem, are there any suggestions to ensure the health of my sundews?  ALso i have the water level pretty high in that pot. Its about an inch from the soil level, is that water level causing the slimy fungus? lower the water level? leave it where it is at?

Also, my nep. ramispina has been with me for over 2 years and occasionally sprouts a beautiful pitcher 3-4 inches long. the entire plant is only about 5-6 inches tall, and the topgrowth leaves are a little smaller than the ones below them.  over the last 2 years the only place i could get the plant to pitcher has been in a western window (along with a nep spectabilis). every night i mist with distilled water, and every 2-3 weeks i fertilize with a spray of diluted orchid fertilizer (bromid).  is there a good way to kick start some additional growth on this plant? it is one of my favorites, and i absolutely love the green interior of the pitchers!
One more question: My cape sundews recently flowered and i let the flowers dry up and removed them, and dusted the seeds onto a half dozen 3 inch pots (half spag peat moss/half perlite mix). i've got them under a 40 watt flourescent light 24/7 and have the pots sitting in 2+ inches of water. Anything that i might be overlooking in creating a cape sundew forrest?

ANSWER: Hi Darren,

Some fungicides can be harsher than others.  A sulfur based fungicide shouldn't hurt your sundews.  Neem is fine also.

Definitely get the water level lower.  Although sundews are used to water almost at the soil surface in the wild, the water usually has some circulation.  In a tray it becomes more stagnant, and can create the kind of problems you are experiencing.

The growth gets better as the plant gets older, but Nepenthes ramispina is a slow grower.  Your description sounds very typical.  We have one plant from our original batch, and it is only a little bigger than yours.  Ours has been in a humid greenhouse.  Other than to feed it a few more bugs, you can't speed up growth all that much.  Sam Estes in Hawaii says even there with near perfect conditions, many highlanders are slow.

Your set-up sounds great.  Just give them some time and you should have more Cape Sundews than you know what to do with. :)  You probably don't need to do a 24 hour light cycle.  It will just encourage more moss and algae.

Good Growing!

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

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

QUESTION: Wow!  Thank u!! 1. for the unbelievably fast response. (2 hours) and 2. for the initial information from the CD that i purchased, and then for the information "tweaking" that will hopefully enable my plants to grow large and healthy.

Oh, almost forgot my followup question.  Is it normal for the ramispina the spectabilis not to have much liquid in their pitchers? occasionally i add a few drops distilled water to aid in digestion a bit.  Anything that i am overlooking?

Answer
Hi Darren,

Sometimes it is, especially if the air has been very dry.  Adding a little water is fine.  We find that water does go into pitchers when we spray our plants, and no doubt wild plants get a certain amount of rainwater.  Their lids probably keep them from overfilling.  It sounds like you're doing fine with your plants.


Good Growing!

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