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Wilting Pygmy Sundew


Question
Nitidula x Ericksonae
Nitidula x Ericksonae  
I ordered and received a pygmy sundew called Drosera Nitidula x Ericksonae back in June or July. Ever since I have had it, I have treated it the same as my other Drosera and they have all thrived. However, this has not and I do not know what to do. I type it in online to find out how to grow it and nobody even knows what a Nitidula x Ericksonae is. There's almost zero information about it.

I have it currently under a grow light with 2000 initial lumens and it is planted in a 1:1 mix of perlite and regular carnivorous plant soil. I only use distilled water. Like I said before, this is the only one not doing very well... there were three of them when I received it, and two have turned brown and I suspect they died. One is still green but it has stayed the same size since I have had it.

I live in Pennsylvania, Eastern time zone. I grow my plant inside when there's no sun out and outside when the sun is shining.

Answer
Thank you for uploading the photo.  This helps me out a lot.  Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do for your plant.  It's actually dead.  I don't see anything that resembles a live sundew.  I only see remnants of what looks like a pygmy sundew.  You mentioned that it was green, but all I see is moss in the middle of the photo.  There might be a plant still alive in the upper portion of the green moss area, but it's difficult to determine exactly what it is from the photo.

Since I don't have much information about how you cared for when you received it, whether or not you repotted it, and whether the decline was slow or rapid, I can't tell you how it died or what caused it to die.  

The care for pygmy sundews, regardless of species or variety, is all the same.  They like lots of sunlight (and I mean A LOT), warmth and water.  You didn't mention the other types of sundews you're growing (whether they are also pygmy sundews or not), how far the lighting is from your plant, and how many hours you have the light on, so I can't say for certain if it's your growing conditions and/or some other factor was involved.

In general, your lumen output is relatively low, and I strongly suspect that lack of proper light intensity is why your pygmy sundew died.  You might think it's bright enough, but in the end your plant is always the final judge.  If your plant is still alive, then you're definitely not giving your plant enough light.  In strong light, the plant should be bright pink.  That's how you'll know if you're giving your plant enough light.  It will turn bright pink only when the light is strong.

If you're going to use fluorescent lights, you should look for a minimum of 3000 lumens placed about 6 inches above your plant.  For more information about how to use artificial lights with tropical sundews, watch Volume 2 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series.
http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD

Good growing!
Jacbo Farin

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