Germinating and Growing Sundews from Seed
Sundew seeds are very small. Most tropical and subtropical sundew species can take anywhere from 1-6 weeks to germinate depending on the viability of the seed. For difficult sundews (such as tuberous), it may take up to 3 years for the seed to germinate. Sundews reach maturity much faster than most carnivorous plants as long as they are fed. Most sundews will take around a year to reach maturity. However, some of the sundews I grew from seed flowered after only 3 months!- To learn about cold stratification, click here to be directed to the article below
- To learn how to speed up the growth of your seedlings significantly, click here
- How long can sundew seeds be stored? Click here to find out.
Above: The unique life cycle of sundews can start with just one tiny seed.The Drosera natalensis above was grown from seed in the top left pic. After 2 years, it has now flowered many times, producing thousands of offspring.
Preparing your Sundew Seed-Growing Area
(If cold stratification is not needed, or after you've completed the cold stratification process)
To start seeds, first rinse all of your media (peat and sand) and prepare the media you will be using (i.e. 1 part peat: 1 part sand) after following the instructions shown on my sundew essentials page. Then place the media in the desired pot you want to use. Any pot over 2" tall will be fine, but I'd recommend a pot that is 4-5 inches tall if you don't want to transplant them for a while, and want to avoid root rot.
You can use the following procedure for pretty much all tropical and subtropical sundews. This procedure can also be used for temperate sundews, but first, you should read about the cold stratification process.
*For winter-growing sundews, like Drosera glanduligera or tuberous sundews, the following instructions will likely not apply. Instead click on the links in the previous sentence to be directed to the ICPS pages about them.
Preparation Tips for Sundew Seed Germination
1. Pack down the desired media as much as possible (this will keep the peat mix extra moist and you can keep the water level a bit lower this way). Make sure that it was thoroughly rinsed first, if you want to avoid mold and algae.
2. Sprinkle the seeds on the surface. DO NOT BURY THEM, OR NOTHING WILL GROW! You can use very small containers and then transplant them with tweezers once the seedling once they get large enough.
3. Next, create a warm, humid environment that you will place in your windowsill or under growlights. Since it gets pretty cold in my room during the winter, I placed a small heat mat underneath the sterilite container. I turn it on in the day and off at night. It creates a perfect balmy environment in the day for germinating South American sundew seeds, and any other seeds for that matter.
Temperature Range for Germination
For tropical and subtropical sundew seeds, I have had the most germination success with daytime temperatures of 75-85 degrees Farenheit, and temperatures around 70 F or lower at night. I've found the nighttime drop aids in germination success. As I previously stated, I obtain these temperatures by using a seedling heat mat in the day, and turning it off with my lights at night.
After a few short weeks, the seedlings should look like this:
The sundew seedlings will then develop carnivorous leaves soon after this, and will then begin the slow process of growing to adulthood. After the plants are large enough, it is reccommended that you "harden" the seedlings. This means giving them less humidity. By doing this, the leaves become more sturdy and they are less susceptible to disease. Slowly acclimate them to the lower humidity. If you do it too quickly, your seedlilngs might all die! Then, you can grow them just like the adult sundew should be grown. There are some growers that have great success with their sundews even though they never harden them after germination, so this is not required.
Young Drosera camporupestris seedlings. Drosera burmannii seedling after 2 months
If you decided to go the route of planting the seeds in a small container...
You can transplant seedlings into a larger pot right after they first sprout. Use a pair of tweezers or a toothpick when transferring them. Otherwise, transplant them after you let them undergo the hardening process to ensure the highest success. They will experience setbacks if the roots are damaged, so take extra care in handling them.
Speeding up the Growth of Your Seedlings
Once your sundew seedlings have several tiny carnivorous leaves (which can take from only a few weeks to a month or so after germination), you can speed up their growth exponentially by feeding them extremely small bits of food. Technically, when you see the first carnivorous leaf on your sundew, you could already start feeding your seedlings. However, I generally try to wait until there are at least 3 or 4 carnivorous leaves to be safe, in case mold beaks out when feeding. I also normally allow my sundews to "harden" first before I feed them, to avoid mold, but as long as you use very tiny pieces of food, you will be able to feed your seedlings that are unhardened or in an environment with high humidity.
Food Choices
| I
use Beta pellets (fish food pellets), but other sundew growers tear apart dried bloodworms,
fruit flies or other small insects into tiny pieces with tweezers. Beta Pellets work just fine, but I would try to use live insects (such as wingless fruit flies) if they are available. |  |
Preparing the Food
I crush the pellets into a fine powder, using a roller pin or other heavy object. You can also use a mortar and pestle. I then pick up a few tiny particles of "food dust" with tweezers and gently rub the food particles against the tiny carnivorous leaves of the seedlings so that they get stuck to the dew. If you don't make sure that the food is touching the dew, the leaf will not be able to sense that the food is there and it will mold.
Results of Feeding your Sundew Seedlings
You will then have to wait around 2 weeks to see noticeable growth, but after this time, you will see that larger leaves have unfurled. You may also notice new leaves forming at the crown of your Drosera. I would recommend feeding the sundew seedlings once every 2 weeks (or longer if your seedlings are not getting very much light). If you do this faithfully, you will have flowering sundews in only 4 months or less for some species like Drosera tokaiensis or Drosera intermedia 'Cuba'
***Be sure to check often for mold. If you overfeed your sundews and there is food particles left on the leaf, which the sundew was unable to dissolve and absorb, mold may develop. You can pluck off the moldy portion with tweezers. Some growers use isopropyl alcohol to kill the mold. ***
NOTE: If your seedlings only have 3 leaves, then I'd only recommend feeding
one leaf at a time unless you will be carefully monitoring for mold
Also be sure to check out my sundew feeding page that describes other benefits of feeding your sundewsThe Cold-Stratification Process
This can be a bit tricky if you're not used to it, but is easy if you follow direction three below. Cold-statification involves placing seeds in a refridgerator (or chilled area) on a damp surface for around 4-6 weekss. Cold-stratification is used for temperate sundews as well as Sarracenia and several other species of carnivorous plants, in order to stimulate a cold, damp winter. When you take the seeds out of the fridge, it simulates the start of spring, when the seed would germinate naturally. To simulate the season change, place in the same conditions you'd use if planting normal sundew seeds, as described above.
You have several options to choose from when giving seeds cold-stratification:
Option 1. Mix the desired media that you want to use. Moisten the soil mixture.. Sprinkle seeds on surface, and place in a plastic bag. Leave in fridge for necessary time. EASIEST, but mold can develop which is very frustrating. You will have to carefully remove the mold without removing any seeds. Then grow as described above.
Option 2. Moisten a paper towel. Sprinkle seeds on the towel. Place inside a ziplock bag. Leave in fridge for the necessary time. Pick up all the seeds with a tweezer or toothpick and place them on the surface of the media you've prepared. NOT FUN, but less of a risk for mold. Then grow as described above.
Option 3 (my favorite). Fill a small cup with distilled water. Mix seeds into the water (try to get them to sink to the bottom of the cup- this is not possible sometimes). Seal cup w/ saran and tape tightly so that no water evaporates and the seeds don't get displaced on the side of the cup and dry out.. Leave in fridge for the necessary time. Pour out water without pouring out the seeds (tricky sometimes). Collect the seeds and, using a tweezer or toothpick, transfer them to the pot you've prepared. Then grow as described above.
------
I never had success with cold stratification when I first tried it. Most of the time, I've found it was because the seed was old and is no longer viable, so don't be discouraged. I've read that some growers sprinkle seeds onto their pots in the winter, leave the pots outside, and let it snow on the seeds. Then they get a natural cold-stratification. I've never tried this, but it seems like it might not work all that well for most people.
GOOD LUCK!
Storing Sundew Seeds
If you don't have time to plant your sundew seeds right ater they ripen, or after you receive them in the mail, you can store them in the refrigerator. According to Triffid Nurseries, the ideal temperature is from 3-4 degrees Celcius (about 37-40 degrees F). While the temperature does not have to be exact, cooler temperatures can allow most of your sundew seeds to remain viable for up to 10 years or more. It has also been reported on the CPUK forum that a Drosera grower harvested some Drosera spatulata seeds and left them in his hiking jacket in warm temperatures for a year or more. He was worried the seeds would be inviable after that time, but he ended up having great germination success. Goes to show you how tough sundew seeds can be.
Additional Questions or Suggestions?
Contact me at: sundewman(at)yahoo.com