First off, a very helpful tip for giving your plants a constant amount of light is by setting up your lights on a timer. You can buy a timer for only a few bucks. It will save you a lot of time and frustration with having to turn the lights on yourself- and many times, forgetting to do so. With a timer, you can also synchronize your lights with the natural photoperiod outdoors. Now to the important stuff...

Originally, I bought 6 4-foot T-12 fixtures. They use 48 watts per bulb, so I decided to purchase the more energy efficient T-8 fixtures, which are only 32 watts per bulb. Since T-8s provide higher light intensity as well, I was able to get more light intensity from 4 T-8 fixtures than I was getting with 6 T-12 fixtures. This cut my lighting bill in half (I'm saving around $150 every year). Plus, my plants have never looked better. They color up very well.

It seems you can never give sundews enough light (except for a select few). The key to getting maximum coloration out of your plants is by moving the bulbs as close to the plants as you can, without doing harm to the leaves. When using T-12s, I actually let the leaves touch the bulbs and they didn’t burn. I have the light about 5-inches above my plants right now, and most of my sundews are turning bright red. Before I bought the new fixtures, I had to place my plants 3-inches under the lights to maintain a similar coloration.

The key to building up light intensity is to hang multiple fixtures next to each other. I don't have very much space, so I only have enough room to put two 4-foot fixtures side-by-side. If you can get 3 or 4 lamps together in an area, you will be able to put your lights much further away from your plants and still get rich coloration. Not only does this method build light intensity, but it is a great method for raising temperatures high enough to give the plants a nice drop in temperature when the lights turn off. Most sundews seem to love temperature drops for some reason.

Another way to maximize light intensity is to surround your growing area with mirrors or tin foil. Mylar costs a bit more than foil, but it is an excellent reflective material if you have a little extra cash to spare. I am notorious for my frugality, so I just pretend that foil works just as well. If you want to use reflective materials, remember to leave a side open for air circulation. If you plan to seal the entire growing area off with reflective material, you should place a fan inside to improve circulation.

Setting up a good lighting system is the foundation for growing beautiful sundews. You will also keep plant casualties to a minimum. I've found that you can change many variables (besides watering) and the sundews will thrive AS LONG AS LIGHTING INTENSITY IS HIGH ENOUGH. Examples of things you can change are pot sizes and media mixtures. I cannot stress the importance of a setup like this enough! I've seen not only new, but experienced growers with etiolated plants that are being starved (not from insects, but) from light. Light allows sundews to produce sugars and other foods necessary for healthy growth.

I have no experience with other forms of plant lighting, such as halogen lights, etc. Most of these other lighting systems will be effective, but can end up costing you a fortune in energy costs. T-5 fixtures are best for light intensity, but they are very pricey. I'd recommend this if you had only a small space to grow your plants, or if you have a very deep terrarium that isn't large enough to fit multiple 4-foot fixtures over it. If you only want to light one or 2 plants and the window you have has very dim light, then I've seen some growers buy the small fluorescent bulbs that you can use in place of typical incandescent lights. This will provide a little extra light so that your plants won't get etiolated

I hope this article helped you learn a few things. If you only get one thing out of this, just know that if your sundew is green, you need to give it more light!!!

Exceptions:

D. adelae

D. prolifera

D. schizandra

D. capensis ‘Albino’ (tentacles will turn pink in strong light)

I don’t know of any others, but will add to this list if I find out.