Carnivorous Plants - Sundews

Sundews Lure Their Prey with "Dewdrops" on Their Leaves - But It's a Carefully Designed Trap with No Escape

Sundews (Drosera) are among the most fascinating carnivorous plants you can grow. Their hunting strategy is as beautiful as it is deadly. What appears to be glistening morning dew on their leaves is actually a sophisticated sticky trap that spells doom for any insect unfortunate enough to land on it.

How Sundews Catch Their Prey

The leaves of sundews are covered with hundreds of tiny tentacles, each tipped with a droplet of sticky, glistening mucilage. Insects are attracted to these sparkling "dewdrops," mistaking them for nectar or water. Once they touch the leaf, they become stuck in the adhesive secretion.

What happens next is truly remarkable:

  • The tentacles slowly bend toward the trapped insect, securing it even more firmly
  • The leaf itself may curl around the prey, creating an inescapable prison
  • Digestive enzymes are secreted to break down the insect's body
  • The plant absorbs valuable nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus

Why Sundews Developed This Hunting Method

Sundews naturally grow in nutrient-poor environments like bogs and wetlands. By capturing and digesting insects, they obtain essential nutrients that are lacking in their soil. This adaptation allows them to thrive where other plants cannot survive.

Growing Sundews at Home

These captivating plants make excellent additions to any carnivorous plant collection. They require:

  • High humidity and plenty of bright light
  • Nutrient-free soil - typically a mix of peat moss and perlite
  • Distilled or rainwater only, as tap water contains minerals that can harm them
  • No fertilizer needed - they catch their own food!

Watching a sundew in action is a mesmerizing experience. The glistening traps, the slow movement of the tentacles, and the successful capture of prey demonstrate nature's incredible ingenuity in adapting to challenging environments.

In short: Sundews (Drosera) trap insects on sticky mucilage droplets held by tentacles, then digest them with enzymes to gain nitrogen and phosphorus. The genus counts about 150 species, forms and varieties, divided into four growing groups. Water only with rainwater or distilled water, keep humidity from 40 to 100 % depending on the group, and never fertilise.

Genus sizeapprox. 150 species, forms and varieties; described by C. Linnaeus in 1753
Pygmy sundews18 – 25 °C in summer, 15 – 20 °C in winter, humidity 40 – 80 %
Non-dormant light-loving sundews20 – 25 °C in summer, 10 – 18 °C in winter, humidity 60 – 80 %
Sundews with overwintering budsconstant 15 – 28 °C, humidity 60 – 80 %, form hibernacula in winter
Rainforest (shade-loving) sundewsconstant 18 – 30 °C year-round, humidity 70 – 100 %
Substrate and sowingfibrous peat with silica sand 1:2 (pygmy) or 2:1; germination in 14 days to 1 month; cold stratification approx. 1 month at about 5 °C


Sundews are very interesting carnivorous plants that have their specific trapping mechanism - sticky trapping slime on the leaves.

Thanks to this trapping slime, sundews look as if their leaves were covered with dewdrops.

Don't give up on this spectacle in advance, some sundew species can be grown even by less experienced growers. You just need to know which group your sundew belongs to, because you must adapt your cultivation accordingly.



In this article you will find: basic information about sundews, cultivation, pygmy sundews, light-loving sundews, species

Sundews

Sundews (lat. Drosera) are another genus belonging to carnivorous plants. Sundews belong to the sundew family (lat. Droseraceae) together with the waterwheel plant (lat. Aldrovanda) and the Venus flytrap (Dionaea). The sundew genus counts approximately 150 species, forms and varieties.

Sundews have a long history behind them, the first records of these plants date back to the 12th century. Officially, the sundew genus was described by C. Linnaeus in 1753.

The name of this carnivorous plant genus comes from the Greek word "droseros" meaning "covered with dew". Sundews grow wild on all continents in various climatic regions. Some sundew species grow in tropical areas, others have preferred temperate to cold climates.

There are even sundews that survive in freezing regions. Most sundews grow in bright locations that are significantly moist year-round or at least seasonally.

Getting to Know the Sundew

Sundews are perennial plants forming rosettes. The size of the rosette depends on the specific species. Australian pygmy sundews have a rosette with a diameter of several millimeters, while the stems of Australian tuberous sundews can reach heights of several meters.

The shape of the leaves and their color also depend on the specific species. Sundews are very diverse in this respect. The sundew's trapping mechanism is completely different from, for example, the bladderwort, which you can also read about on our website. Sundew leaves are covered with tentacles, at the end of which are glands producing trapping slime.

The trapping slime, besides capturing small insects, also takes care of subsequent digestion. Small insects are attracted by the light reflection and the red color of the tentacles. Subsequently, the prey sticks to the sticky droplets from which there is no escape. In an attempt to free itself, the victim becomes increasingly enveloped in the slime.

Some sundew species (e.g. Drosera burmannii) can bend their tentacles towards the center of the leaf, thereby additionally squeezing their prey.


Sundews are divided into four groups according to their original homeland.


Sundew flowers are usually white or pink, blooming for only a few days. The flowers consist of five sepals and five petals with five stamens and three carpels. An advantage of sundews is that many species are self-pollinating.

Growing Sundews by Groups

Sundews are divided into four basic groups according to their place of origin. Their native habitat is related to the cultivation requirements of individual sundews.

The basic groups of sundews are pygmy sundews, non-dormant light-loving sundews, winter-growing rainforest sundews of Australia, and sundews with overwintering buds.

Pygmy Sundews

Pygmy sundews include, for example, Drosera callistos, Drosera enodes, Drosera mannii, Drosera parvula, Drosera pygmaea, Drosera roseana and Drosera spilos.

Pygmy sundews require maximum light throughout the year for satisfactory growth. Indoors, place them on an east, south or west window. Sundews are grown in plastic pots with a diameter of around 15 cm.

Don't be afraid to place smaller plants in larger pots; the advantage of a larger amount of substrate is better pH stability. Fill the pots with substrate mixed from fibrous sphagnum peat and fine silica sand in a ratio of approximately 1:2.

Pygmy sundews are heat-loving plants that require temperatures in the range of approximately 18-25°C in summer and approximately 15-20°C in winter. Pygmy sundews thrive well in a wide humidity range from 40% to 80%.

Like other carnivorous plants, soft water is recommended for watering, preferably rainwater or distilled water. During the growing season, sundews should constantly stand in water; the substrate must never dry out during this period.

In winter, sundews need considerably less water, but the rule still applies - the substrate must never dry out, it must be constantly moist.

Non-dormant Light-loving Sundews

The group of light-loving non-dormant sundews includes, for example, Drosera indica, Drosera burmanii, Drosera capillaris, Drosera capensis, Drosera dielsiana and Drosera binata.

Growing this group of sundews is similar to pygmy sundews. They grow without problems in ordinary plastic pots filled with a mixture of fibrous peat and silica sand (ratio 2:1).


If you grow sundews in a closed location, don't forget to ventilate them sufficiently.

Sundews with Overwintering Buds


You can plant moss on the substrate surface, which will create a pleasant microclimate for the sundews. Provide sundews with plenty of light throughout the year. The recommended temperature for growing sundews differs between summer and winter periods.

In summer, the optimum range is 20 - 25°C, while in winter it's lower, approximately 10 - 18°C. Humidity and air circulation are closely related to temperature. Non-retracting light-loving sundews thrive at humidity levels of approximately 60 - 80%.

For watering and misting, always use soft rainwater or distilled water. In summer, let sundews stand in water; in winter, just keep the substrate moist. If you take exemplary care of your sundews over winter, they will reward you in spring with white or pink flowers growing on tall stems.

Sundews with Overwintering Buds

This group of sundews includes, for example, Drosera rotundifolia, Drosera linearis, Drosera intermedia, and Drosera stenopelata.

This group of sundews requires as much light as possible throughout the year. The optimal growing temperature is constant, ranging from 15 - 28°C. Sundews with overwintering buds cannot tolerate temperatures that are too high or too low.

The recommended humidity for growing these sundews ranges from approximately 60 - 80%. Mist the plants regularly if possible. Don't forget about ventilation - it's essential for successful cultivation. The distinguishing feature of this group of sundews is their overwintering method.

Most sundews from this group retract in winter and form so-called hibernacula (overwintering buds), which detach from the mother plant at the end of the growing season, and a new plant grows from them in spring.

Shade-loving Rainforest Sundews of Australia

This group includes, for example, Drosera schizandra, Drosera prolifera, and Drosera adelae. As the name itself suggests, this group of sundews is somewhat less demanding in terms of light than other sundews.

Regular daylight is sufficient for this group of sundews; in winter, they don't mind shorter days and lower light intensity. Artificial lighting is not necessary. Shade-loving rainforest sundews need less light but more humidity.

The recommended environmental humidity for growing these sundews ranges from 70 to 100%. Additionally, mist the plants regularly. This group of sundews doesn't limit growth during winter; they grow continuously throughout the year, which is why they require a constant temperature year-round ranging from 18 - 30°C.

How to Help Your Sundews Thrive?

Sundews benefit most from regular misting with soft water. You definitely won't help them with fertilizer, so never add fertilizer to the water - sundews and other carnivorous plants would die from excess nutrients.


Sundews benefit most from regular misting - fertiliser will harm them!


Feeding? Feeding sundews is not necessary. If the plants are not isolated from their surroundings and insects can reach them, they will catch their food themselves. Otherwise, you can occasionally offer them a live fly.


Repotting Sundews

Sundews don't need to be repotted too often, it depends on the circumstances. They are usually repotted once every 2-3 years. The most suitable time for repotting is at the end of winter, when the dormancy period ends.



Sowing Sundews

Sowing sundews is not complicated. However, you need to pay attention to which sundew you are sowing. Sundews with overwintering buds are sown differently than tropical sundews.


Tropical sundews should be sown in a propagation device, for example in a mini greenhouse or in a tray filled with peat without adjusted pH (ideally pH 5.5). Thoroughly moisten the peat with rainwater before sowing. Spread the sundew seeds evenly on the substrate surface, do not cover them.

Sundews need high air humidity and constantly moist substrate for germination, so it is necessary to cover the sowing with glass, place it in a plastic bag, or ideally place it in a mini greenhouse.


Sundews with overwintering buds need to go through a cold period after sowing.


The tray (pots) with the sowing can be placed in a saucer with water so that the peat can constantly absorb the necessary moisture. Place the propagation device in a bright location, but without direct sunlight, which could easily burn the young plants.

The seeds should begin to germinate after approximately 14 days to 1 month depending on conditions. After germination, start gradually ventilating the sowing so that the plants get used to lower air humidity.

Young sundews are ready for their first transplanting into regular substrate after approximately 2-3 months. After transplanting, water the sundews less for about a week, then return watering to normal.

If the desired "droplets" do not appear on the sundew leaves, it is necessary to increase air humidity, for example by placing the plants in a semi-closed aquarium or in a larger glass container.

Seeds of sundews with overwintering buds must go through cold stratification before sowing, just as they would in their natural environment. Sow the seeds in a dish the same way as tropical sundews, but instead of placing them in a bright location, put them in a cold place (ideally at the bottom of a refrigerator).

The ideal temperature at this stage of sowing is around 5 °C. You should store the sowing in the refrigerator for approximately one month. During this time, germination inhibitors will break down.

After a month, remove the sowing from the refrigerator and place it in a bright location. Then proceed the same way as with tropical sundews. Don't forget to maintain sufficient substrate moisture and gradual ventilation after germination.



Best of luck with growing sundews, wishes Lenka Z.

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