I’m considering converting my old tree frog terrarium into a sundew terrarium. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to which sundew would be the best for a beginner. Any information possible would be appreciated including any other plants- carnivorous or otherwise that would thrive in the same environment as (whatever type of) sundews. Thank you.
I have found Drosera capensis to be the easiest to grow, takes quite a lot of abuse and flowers and multiplies readily. There are also some hybrid Pinguiculas and Sarracenias which are easy. There are some excellent sources of info on the web. eg http://www.carnivorousplants.org/ and the related http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html for practical info. Boa sorte Brian
Drosera adelae is another good one to grow. I find it self-propagates to a greater degree than D. capensis. I have both in my plantroom.
I too would go for D. capensis. I grow a few different Droseras, and others that I have found to be easy are D. binata, D. binata var. dichotoma and D. spathulata. Check out this forum for lots more help: http://ocps.proboards.com/index.cgi?. Have you ever been to Hawaiian Botanicals http://www.hawaiianbotanicals.com/drosera.html? It's not really that far from where you are, and they are excellent! As for other plants, Pinguicula are also very easy, and have very showy flowers. Try P. moronensis as a first plant, but there are many that are just as easy. Good luck with your terrarium!
I had considered growing D. binata but doesn't it require a period of dormancy in which it dies back?
Yes and no. Some people do not give it a dormancy, and they seem to do fine, but I do give mine a dormancy. You are in Vancouver, so you might possibly be able to overwinter it outside with protection. They can survive brief freezes. I don't know how critical the dormancy is, but you can try to place it up against an outside window in the winter, and that might be enough to push it into dormancy. I keep mine outside until it gets to near freezing, then I have a cool area in the basement where I keep them. Mine have been inside since October, and are starting new growth now.
