Month: November 2020

Sundews are amazing carnivorous plants. I hear people asking all the time, “can you grow sundews indoors?” I think the name “sundew” makes it seem like a plant that you should grow outside in full sun. Dorsera are extremely hardy plants and are a lot of fun to grow indoors. 

You can definitely grow sundews indoors. If you have a window sill that gets some sun during the day, you should be able to grow a sundew indoors. If you don’t have a good window, you may need a grow light. The good news is, sundews are really easy to grow. They are probably the best and most versatile carnivorous plant for beginners to grow. I’m going to show you exactly what you need to do to successfully grow a drosera indoors. 

Below I’m going to lay out some of the steps you need to take to make sure you can easily grow your sundew indoors. They are a carnivorous plant and do have some unorthodox needs when it comes to growing them indoors. Let’s dive in!

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Table of Contents

How To Grow Sundews Indoors

I put together a quick guide to growing sundews indoors. Make sure to go over everything below before you pull the trigger on a drosera plant. They aren’t hard to grow but do have some specific needs that goes against typical growing logic. 

I’ll try to touch on each important area that needs to be covered so you can give your sundew the care it needs while been grown indoors. If you take the time to learn about the drosera plant, you won’t regret it. Sundew plants are amazing and can be a lot of fun to show off to friends and family. 

They are also great for controlling flies and gnats. I’ve seen my sundews completely covered in gnats before. This gives them some value on top of just being amazing plants. Lets take a look at what you need to do to grow a sundew indoors.  

Check out my video below of me unboxing some new sundew plants from Predatory Plants. If you like it, make sure to subscribe so you can see updates on those plants and many other carnivorous plants! 

https://youtu.be/kKs0Y0Qak6w

Know Your Sundew Plant

We are generalizing sundew plants here which can be kind of a mistake. This guide will help you grow some of the more standard types of sundews but it will be up to you to know if your sundew has extra special requirements. 

Some sundew plants only live one year then seed and die while some need a dormancy period. I’m going to give you some sundews below that will be easy to grow for beginner’s. If you have not purchased a sundew yet, please consider one of the good beginner sundews below!

Drosera Carpensis (Cape Sundew)

The drosera carpensis is probably the best beginner sundew plant. It’s extremely accessible with many sellers offering it and they are really hard to kill. They do not require any kind of dormancy period so you can enjoy them year round. Dormancy periods can be tricky and frustrating to master. These plants have been deemed as almost impossible to kill and make a great beginner sundew plant!

You can even grow a Cape Sundew from seeds pretty easily. If you can find a good reputable supplier of seeds, most people have pretty good success growing them from seeds. It can be a lot of fun to grow a sundew from seed to a full sized plant! 

Click Here To Get A Cape Sundew Plant

 

Drosera Spatulata (Spoon Leaved Sundew)

This is another great starter sundew. The spoon leaved sundew has wider and broader leaves to help give it a more thick appearance. I actually prefer this style of sundews! They are also very easy to care for and you should be able to give them the same care and they will live a long healthy life! 

Drosera Binata (Fork-Leaved Sundew)

The drosera binata or fork-leaved sundew looks a little closer to the cape sundew mentioned up above. It has more of a tentacle look but they are truly incredible. You can give them the same care and they will also live a great long life! 

Sundew Care: Grow Sundews Indoors

I’m going to give you a quick guide on caring for and growing sundews in your home! These plants are so much fun to watch and do a great job keeping gnats under control. If you have kids they are going to love watching this cool carnivorous plant chomp down on bugs! 

Indoor Lighting Needs

To successfully grow sundews indoors, one of the most important things will the light you are able to provide them. Whether it’s artificial or sunlight, check out the requirements below so you can keep your sundew plant happy!

If you have a  window in your home that can provide your sundew plant up to 6 hours of sunlight a day, you probably won’t have any problem with lighting requirements. If you can get your plants more light, then even better! I would try hard not to go under 5 hours. This may require you to move it to multiple windows as the day goes on. 

The other option is to get some artificial light. You can get a Sansi 30W bulb with an E26 (standard) socket to get your sundews more light. I purchased this light for my nepenthes and it really works well. It’s pretty affordable and super easy to set up and plug in. I just grab some clamp lights, like below and allow that light to shine on my Sundews for 6-10 hours day!

Check out my lighting setup below!

This setup is super easy and you can see the exact bulb and the clamp light that I purchased below. 

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Watering Sundews Indoors

Make sure when you water your sundews that you are only giving them pure water. This includes, distilled, rainwater and reverse osmosis water. Sundews, like other carnivorous plants do not like minerals in the water. The minerals can burn the roots and slowly kill your sundew plant. 

Avoid using your tap water unless you have a TDS meter to measure the PPM in your water. You want to try and keep the PPM below 50. PPM stands for parts per million and this is essentially measuring the mineral content in your water. You can see a TDS Meter below! Occasionally tap water will run lower than 50 PPM but it’s super rare. 

You want to make sure your sundews never dry out. They like to remain moist. One of the best ways to water a sundew is to keep them in a tray of water with 0.5 to 1 inch of water at all times. This will help make sure the plant stays healthy and continues to produce the dew drops that catch the insects. 

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Sundews also like a little extra humidity in order for them to thrive. I live in an area where my humidity is often down around 30-40 percent without any assistance to get a higher humidity. In those conditions my sundews grow fine but I can really tell the difference in how fast they grow and how much dew they produce when I bump the humidity up. 

I try to use a humidifier to help give them a bump. If thats not something that is possible for you, maybe try bringing your sundews in the bathroom with you when you take a shower or try to keep them in a window in your kitchen or bathroom. Both kitchens and bathrooms have naturally higher humidity due to how the rooms are used. 

Also, a small humidifier is extremely affordable and easy to manage, check out the  small humidifier below to help give your sundews a nice boost! 

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Soil Mix For Sundews

For Sundews, you want a good carnivorous plant soil mix. I actually have a video I made showing you how to make a great carnivorous plant soil mix. I made this mix up for my venus flytraps but this mix is great for sundews as well. 

You want to make sure you have a nutrient poor soil mix. You also want to make sure your mix has good aeriation. I use a peat moss, perlite and silica sand mix. This mix does a great job of allowing water to escape but also absorbing water to help slow release it to your plant. If water can’t escape and sits your plant can be subject to root rot. 

You can get a great carnivorous plant soil mix on Amazon below. I have talked to people who just don’t have the time or resources to make their own and love the option of just having some shipped to their home, check it out!

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

You can also use a long fiber sphagnum moss for your indoor sundew plant. LFPM is a favorite among many carnivorous plant grows. It does a great job of absorbing the water but doesn’t allow water to accumulate. My sundews right now are in LFSM but when I replant it will be to a peat moss, perlite and silica sand mix. You can also get long fiber sphagnum moss on Amazon shipped right to your home! 

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Don’t forget to check out my video below! I will show you how to make your own sundew soil mix. Please also subsribe to my channel so you can see updates to all my carnivorous plants and more! 

https://youtu.be/q6WaSVn3bKg

Pots & Planters For Sundews

When you are looking for a pot or planter for your sundew plant, you just want to make sure you are getting something that has plenty of holes for good drainage. It’s also important that you get a pot or planter for your sundew that is either plastic or resin. 

You can get a ceramic planter but you need to make sure it’s fully glazed. You don’t want the ceramic or clay to be exposed to your substrate. The clay can leach minerals into your soil giving your sundew a long and slow death. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative. There are plenty of fun planters and pots out there that can be a lot of fun to put your sundews in! 

Click Here To See Pots & Planters On Amazon!

Feeding Sundew Plants

When you grow sundews indoors you may have to work a little harder at keeping them well fed. If you grow sundews outside, they will almost always be able to catch more than their fill of insects. 

How much you need to feed your sundew plant will completely be determined by how much exposure they have to insects. Check out my sundews below. They are around some other carnivorous plants and there always seems to be a semi decent amount of gnats available. 

If your plants are never exposed to insects, you may need to feed them from time to time. If you can find insects, this totally works. Flies are great! You want to make sure you only feed them softer insects. Try to avoid crickets & grasshoppers. 

You can get a bag of fly larvae to feed your sundew on occasion. I would say one larvae a week should be plenty depending on the size of your plant. The bigger it is the more you may want to feed it. Make sure you soak the fly larvae before putting it on your sundew plant, this will help it be able to break it down easier. 

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Do Sundews Need Dormancy?

The answer to this question is yes, for some. No for others. I STRONGLY suggest for your first sundew plant, to get one that doesn’t need a dormancy period. Dormancy can bring some extra need when it comes to care and isn’t very fun when you have to watch your plant stop growing or die off. 

There are plenty of incredible and easy to grow sundews out there that don’t need to go through a dormancy period. Make sure and do some research on the sundew you want to find out if they need a dormancy period. 

Most growers will list this information on their product page. If they don’t, you should be able to contact them and find out if the plant they are selling requires a dormancy period. 

Final Thoughts

If you are even considering a sundew plant, I strongly suggest you give them a shot. If you do your research, there are plenty of low maintenance sundew plants that can thrive in a wide array of conditions. The longer you have your sundew the better acclimated it will become to its environment. 

They will wow your company and always give you something to talk about. Telling someone you have a carnivorous plant always peaks interest and questions will be asked. It’s fun showing people how your little plant catches and eats bugs. Sundews can be grown indoors and they will make you happy you chose to get one.