Question
Hi, I have a little drosera spatulata sundew that is turning from green to brown.  I've been misting my sundews daily, and they have a UV/UB light (same kind as for amphibian pets) which I leave on 10 hours a day.  I live in Georgia, where it is humid, but I am afraid to ever put my plants out into real sunlight, since I have lost some that way (they burnt up and died!)  All my carniverous plants live in sphagnum moss, sand, vermiculite, perlite mix, and I use distilled water and keep them moist/wet.   my question is, does that type of baby sundew go into dormancy?  Are its spatula s supposed to turn brown?  Can they get too much water?  What can I do to try to help it?  It is the size of a dime!

Thank you,
Candy

Answer
Hello Candy,
This specific sundew that you are growing is a tropical sundew. It does not require any type of dormancy, so you can enjoy growing it all year long. As the plant ages it does brown or lose it leaves and grows in new ones, however, if you are growing it under lights and then suddenly putting it under the sun, this would also cause the sun burnt leaves. My suggestion is if you are wanting to grow it outside, you need to slowly introduce it to the sun. How you can accomplish this by gradually putting it outside for 30 mins aday then an hour and so forth. Water I dont beleive is a problem, generally you would want to keep these plants with a tray of water at all times. Hopes this helps.

Jake,
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