Cape Sundew (Drosera Capensis)

🌿 Welcome to the World of Cape Sundews (Drosera Capensis)

The Cape Sundew (Drosera capensis) is one of the best carnivorous plants for beginners and experienced growers alike. Native to South Africa, this beautiful species is covered in shimmering, sticky tentacles that glisten like morning dew. These droplets aren't just for show they're an incredibly effective way of catching fungus gnats, fruit flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects.

Cape Sundews are fast growers, incredibly forgiving, and often produce beautiful pink flowers throughout the growing season. With the proper care, they'll even produce tiny baby plants all on their own, giving you an endless supply of new sundews to enjoy or share.

Our Cape Sundews will ship bare root. If you do not currently have a substrate and a planter we recommend out carnivorous plant repotting kits! Each kit comes with enough soil to completely fill the planters with there always being some left over. We have two sizes. 

Cape Sundew Repotting Kit With 3.5x3.5x4.8 Inch Planter

Cape Sundew Repotting Kit With 5x5x7 Inch Planter

• Plant Size - the cape sundews we ship out are usually between 2 to 4 inches. Cape sundews can grow to around 6 inches tall at maturity.
• Shipping - I ship live plants on Mondays and Wednesday to avoid the weekend cutoff. They will come bare root in a small plastic container surrounded by moist paper towels. If shipping during the colder winter months, it's strongly recommended that you add a heat pack to keep the plant warm. Heat packs are available as an add on. Please note, returns requested for plants that were shipped in the winter without a heat pack may not be accepted. 
• Return/Refund Policy - All plants are guaranteed to arrive in good condition. If plants arrive in poor health or dead, we will be happy to either issue a refund or a replacement, please note that replacements are subject to availability. In order to be eligible for a return or refund, please take photos and email us within 24 hours upon receipt. Please note, photos of plant that is dead or in poor health will be required for a refund or return. If request and photos come in later than 24 hours we will not be obligated to provide a return or refund. Please, always reach out to us at cplantshub@gmail.com even after 24 hours to see if we can come to some sort of arrangement. We will always work with you and try to come to the best resolution for both parties! 

Please see below for Cape Sundew Care! 

Written instructions are below the video.

 

💧 Water

One of the most important parts of growing cape sundews is using the right water.

Only use:

✅ Distilled Water
✅ Rainwater
✅ Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water
✅ ZeroWater filtered water

The water should measure below 50 PPM (TDS) whenever possible. If you need a TDS Meter, I have them for sale as an addon! Click here to see if we have TDS meters in stock!

Avoid:

❌ Tap water
❌ Well water
❌ Drinking water with added minerals
❌ Softened water

Cape Sundews love consistently moist soil.

The easiest method is the tray method:

• Place your pot in a shallow tray.
• Keep approximately ½ to 1 inch of water in the tray during the growing season.
• Never allow the soil to dry completely.

During extremely hot weather, you may need to refill the tray more frequently.

🌱 Soil / Substrate

Cape Sundews don't grow in regular potting soil.

They require a nutrient-poor mix that stays moist while allowing oxygen to reach the roots.

At Carnivorous Plants Hub, we recommend a premium blend consisting of:

• Peat Moss
• Perlite
• Crushed Glass/Coarse Sand

This mixture provides excellent drainage while maintaining the moisture Cape Sundews love.

Never use:

❌ Potting soil
❌ Compost
❌ Fertilized soils
❌ Miracle-Gro products

These contain nutrients that can quickly damage or kill carnivorous plants. The cape sundew will be shipped bare root, we recommend getting one of our carnivorous plant repotting kits so you are ready to repot your cape sundew when it arrives! 

🪴 Choosing the Right Pot

Cape Sundews develop surprisingly deep root systems.

For the best long-term growth, choose a pot that's at least 5 inches deep.

We recommend:

✅ Plastic pots
✅ Resin planters

Avoid porous containers like:

❌ Terracotta
❌ Clay pots

These materials can slowly release minerals into the soil, which carnivorous plants don't tolerate well.

If your plant eventually outgrows its container, simply repot it into a slightly larger pot using fresh carnivorous plant soil.

🪰 Feeding

One of the best things about Cape Sundews is that they do most of the work themselves.

If grown outdoors, they'll happily catch:

• Fungus gnats
• Fruit flies
• Mosquitoes
• Small flies
• Ants
• Tiny flying insects

Indoor plants will usually catch fungus gnats if they're present around your home.

If your plant doesn't have access to insects, don't worry—it can still thrive with occasional supplemental feeding.

Freeze-dried bloodworms make an excellent food source. Simply rehydrate a tiny amount with distilled water and place a small piece onto a few leaves every couple of weeks.

Check out our freeze dried bloodworm kits here! 

A little goes a long way.

🌸 Fertilizing

Unlike most houseplants, carnivorous plants don't need traditional fertilizers added to the soil.

For even faster growth, we use the same fertilizing routine featured in our care videos:

• Osmocote pellets placed in the soil during planting.
• MaxSea 16-16-16 mixed at 1 teaspoon per gallon of distilled water and lightly misted onto the leaves approximately every three weeks.

Check out our carnivorous plant fertilizer kit here!

This method has produced excellent growth in our Cape Sundews and many other carnivorous plants. Because these plants naturally grow in nutrient-poor environments, only small amounts of fertilizer are needed.

🌡️ Temperature & Humidity

Cape Sundews are tropical plants and grow well under normal household conditions.

Ideal temperatures:

🌡️ 65°F-85°F (18°C-29°C)

They appreciate moderate humidity but don't require a terrarium.

Many growers successfully grow them indoors on a sunny windowsill or under grow lights with normal household humidity.

❄️ Dormancy

Unlike Venus Flytraps and many North American pitcher plants, Cape Sundews do not require a winter dormancy.

If you provide:

• Bright light
• Proper water
• Warm temperatures

...they'll continue growing all year long.

They're surprisingly hardy, though. If they experience cooler temperatures or even a mild dormant period, they'll often die back and return with vigorous new growth once conditions improve.

✂️ Maintenance

Cape Sundews are incredibly low maintenance.

Occasionally:

• Remove old brown leaves.
• Keep the tray filled with clean water.
• Repot every 1-2 years using fresh soil.

Over time, your plant may begin producing small baby sundews around the base or from dropped seed. This is completely normal and one of the reasons they're such fun plants to grow.

🌸 Flowers

Healthy Cape Sundews regularly produce tall flower stalks topped with beautiful pink blooms.

Unlike Venus Flytraps, allowing your Cape Sundew to flower typically won't harm the plant.

Once the flowers finish blooming, they'll often produce hundreds of tiny seeds that can germinate and create new sundews throughout the pot.

Don't be surprised if one plant eventually turns into dozens!

❤️ Why We Love Cape Sundews

Whether you're buying your very first carnivorous plant or expanding an existing collection, Cape Sundews are one of the most rewarding species you can grow.

They're:

✅ Beginner friendly
✅ Fast growing
✅ Beautiful year-round
✅ Excellent at catching small insects
✅ Easy to propagate
✅ Constantly producing new leaves and flowers

With bright light, pure water, and the proper soil, your Cape Sundew can thrive for many years while providing endless fascination.

Thank you for choosing Carnivorous Plants Hub. We hope your new Cape Sundew becomes one of your favorite plants, and we're excited to be part of your carnivorous plant journey! 🌿🪰