Germinating and Growing guide of Drosera (Sundews) From Seed By Crazy plants india.
Growing sundews from seed is a somwhat slow process, but it can be very rewarding. The easier tropical and subtropical Drosera can take anywhere from 1-6+ weeks to germinate, depending on the species and the viability of the seed. For more difficult sundews (such as tuberous Drosera), it may take more than 3 years for the seed to germinate. Sundews can reach maturity much faster than most other carnivorous plants as long as they are fed. Many Drosera species can grow to maturity in only one year or less.
• To learn how to speed up the growth of your seedlings significantly
Above: The life cycle of a sundew starts with just one tiny seed.The adult Drosera spratulata above was grown from seed in the top left pic. After 2 years, it has flowered several times, producing thousands of offspring.
The following guide can be used for nearly all tropical and subtropical sundews. These procedures are also used for the temperate sundews, after they’ve completed the cold stratification process. *For winter-growing sundews, like Drosera glanduligera or tuberous sundews, the following instructions do not apply. These species require a different germination procedure, and sometimes slightly different techniques in order to germinate.
Setting Up an Area to Germinate and Grow Sundew Seeds
You can germinate your seeds under artificial lights indoors, outdoors, or on a sunny windowsill. I prefer germinating sundew seeds under fluorescent lights, since the conditions are more easily controlled. Choose the option that works best for you.
Below are some pictures of one of the germination set-ups I made, using smaller 5 x 12 × 8 inch box. In the following pictures, I use long-fibered sphangum moss because it has a lower tendency to produce algae and mold, and many Drosera species seem to thrive in it. It also has less nutrients than peat, which reduces algae and mold breakouts. The type of moss I used in the pictures is 100% Better Grow Orchid Moss (dead long-fibered sphagnum moss) from Lowes. However, in the past, I’ve had great success with rinsed peat:sand mixes, which are generally recommended for most Drosera- especially the South African species.
Above left: Long-fibered sphagnum moss (LFS), after being moistened and rinsed.
Above right: The LFS is packed in a small basket which fits easily in that box, which are ready for the sowing of Drosera seeds.
I normally try to use a container box that extends around 3 inch above the top of the basket. This way, I can place the seedlings as close to the grow lights as possible, while still leaving room for the seedlings to grow. I try to place the lights as close as possible over the germination container so that the seedlings will grow as quickly as possible. Taller tubs can be used, but the closer the seedlings are to your lights, the faster they will develop healthy coloration and growth. If your lights produce enough heat to boost temps over 25°C, a germination heat mat won’t be necessary.close the container with lid.
Above right: If you have rinsed your media well, you can provide a higher water level for your Drosera seeds without any risk of damp-off or mold. I kept the water level around, 5 cms high in the box with good success. After the seedlings grow larger, I reduce the water level in the tray, since the LFS is very absorbant and the saran does an excellent job at boosting the humidity. Maintain a water level that will ensure the seedlings will not dry out.
The water in the tray should be changed if algae develops. The warmer temperatures required for germination can encourage algae growth, which is harmless as long as you don’t let your pots sit in it for a long time.
Drosera Seed Germination Guide
The Essential Steps for Germinating Sundew Seeds
(If cold stratification is not required, or after you’ve given the seeds a cold period)
The first thing you should always do is rinse the media you plan to use (i.e. sphagnum peat and silica sand or long-fibered sphagnum). Then, prepare and mix the media you will be using (i.e. 1 part peat to 1 part sand) after following the instructions shown on my. Then place the media in the desired pot you want to use. Any basket or tray 2-inches tall with good dranage will be fine, but I usually use basket are 2.5 -inches tall so I don’t have to transplant the sundews for a while. Taller pots also allow sundews to grow larger and can help to prevent root sensitivity to water with the more picky Drosera species.
1. Preparing your growing tray- Pack down the desired media as much as possible- especially at the bottom of the pot. This will keep the soil from drying out at the surface. It also allows you to use a bit less water in the tray, which can reduce algae and insect breakouts. I’ve had good success packing down the top of the media as well, but this is not necessary. Make sure to thoroughly rinse the soil mixture first to avoid mold and algae growth. You can use very small containers if you want to transplant the seedlings after they germinate, or you can use a larger 3+ pots if you want to avoid having to transplant them.
2. Sowing your sundew seeds- Sprinkle the seeds on the surface of the soil. I usually gently press my index finger onto some seeds. The seeds will normally stick unless your hand is very dry. Slowly bring your hand over the soil of a pot you’ve prepared. Then rub your thumb and index finger together, so that some of the seeds fall off of your finger onto the surface of the media. Try to spread the seeds around the entire surface of the pot, avoiding clumping a bunch together. This can sometimes be hard to judge, since the sundew seeds are so tiny. DO NOT BURY THE SEEDS, OR NOTHING WILL GROW! If the seeds are spread out a good distance apart (around a centimeter or further), they will be able to grow larger than if the seeds are clumped. You an also gently separate the seedlings with tweezers if you find that you accidentally clumped them together. If you are planting multiple species in different pots, be sure to get all the seeds off of your fingers before sowing the next species. This can lead to mislabeling and confusion.
3. Final steps- Now you’re ready to put the seeded pots in the germination set-up you prepared earlier. Higher humidity seems to aid germination success. To provide a humidity boost, I place my pots in a sterilite container with saran wrap on the top to seal in humidity. You will then want to provide a warm, humid environment for the seeds in order to get the highest germination rates. See the next paragraph or more information about the proper temperature range.
Temperature Range for Germination
Subtropical and tropical sundew seeds have the highest rates of germination when provided with a warm, humid environment. Since it gets pretty cold in my room during the winter, I place a small heat mat partly underneath the sterilite container during the times of the year that temperatures are lower than 22 degree C in my house. I turn the heat mat on in the day and shut it off at night (it is synchronized with my lights). This creates a perfect balmy environment of 24 – 28 degrees C. in the day for germinating subtropical sundew seeds. The ICPS guide says that 27 degrees is perfect. I’ve also found the nighttime drop, even as low as 19 degrees C is actually beneficial and seems to aid in germination success. For tropical Drosera, I place the entire mat under the germination container, since these species will do best in temperatures of 85-90+ degrees F.
Once your seeds have germinated…
It can take from less than a week over 2+ months for sundew seeds to germinate, primarily depending on how fresh the seed is (but germination conditions can also affect the speed of germination). Some Drosera species will take much longer to germinate than others. Tuberous species are noted for taking the longest time, sometimes requiring over 3 years of a consistent seasonal cycle until they will germinate!
Your seeds should look like this around 2 weeks after germination:
The above picture shows a group of Drosera capensis seedlings, 2 weeks after germinating. These were the first batch of sundews I ever grew from seed! Notice the algae and mold growing in the above picture. At the time, I did not know the benefits of to rinsing sphagnum peat moss before using it. While the algae is harmless, it can overtake your sundew seedlings if you’re not careful. As I’ve emphasized all over the place already, be sure to check out the page I made about rinsing your peat and sand before using it ;).
Raising Sundew Seedlings to Maturity
The sundew seedlings will then develop carnivorous leaves soon after germination, and will then begin the slow process of growing to adulthood. Note that the cotyledons are non-carnivorous. The first true leaves will usually have small carnivorous traps if conditions are favorable. However, these carnivorous leaves may not fully develop (under insufficient lighting, for example). Therefore, the first 4 or more leaves may be non-carnivorous until the seedling can build up enough energy.
After the plants are large enough, it is usually recommended that you “harden” the seedlings, so that they are able to grow in a less-humid environment. Be sure that the acclimation process is gradual- if you do lower the humidity too quickly, it can sometimes do the seedlings more harm than good! You can harden-off your seedlings by gradually ripping more and more holes in the saran covering your seedling container over a period of a few weeks. If humidity is sufficient in your trays (greater than 40%), you can generally skip this gradual process and move them directly to the new tray.
By hardening-off your seedlings, the leaves become more durable and less susceptible to fungus or disease. The seedlings can then be grown in the same conditions as you would grow the adult sundew of that species. When hardened, you can feed your seedlings larger portions of food than you would be able to unhardened seedlings. There are some growers that have great success with their sundews even though they never harden them— even for the sundew’s entire life, so this is not required- but is recommended undeer most circumstances. I once waited over a year to acclimate my seedlings to lower humidity (when using 100% long-fibered sphagnum for my soil mix), and the seedlings continued to grow very well. The only difference was that I had to make sure to feed them much smaller portions of food to avoid mold, which caused them to grow a bit slower than the hardened seedlings.
1st Image is Young Drosera Burmanii Seedlings And 2nd Image is Drosera Burmanii Seedlings After 8 Months.
If you decided to go the route of planting the seeds in a small pot or container…
You can transplant your sundew seedlings into a larger pot right after they first sprout- or you can leave them in the pot (if it is 2 inches or larger), and wait to transplant it until it reaches maturity. Some species that I’ve written about can actually do quite well in smaller pots for their entire life including D. anglica, D. burmannii, D. capillaris, D. intermedia, and D. spatulata, among many others. When transplanting young seedlings, use tweezers or a toothpick when transferring them and be VERY careful not to disturb the roots or leaves, since this may cause the death or the severe setback of the seedling.
An interesting fact is that some species like D. burmannii can even be germinated successfully if completely submerged or floating in water, even in dim lighting- so this can be another option for you, if you want to try it. I usually like using microcentrifuge tubes. Once the seedlings germinate, you can pour the seedlings/water combo directly onto the media, or carefully tweezer the seedlings to where you want to plant them.
# Note :- Seed germination is not gaurenteed because its depents on climatic condition.