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Can Cape Sundew 'Red Leaf' Handle 100°F+ Greenhouse Temps?

Short Answer: Not Well

Drosera capensis 'Red Leaf' slows down significantly above 100°F. It prefers cooler conditions (80s–90s°F). At 100–105°F with 40% humidity, it will likely struggle, lose dew, and may die back.

Recommendation

Wait until fall when temperatures moderate before ordering. Cape sundews are tough and recover well from heat stress if the root system survives, but why risk it?

Greenhouse Context

At Sarracenia Northwest, the sundew house runs in the 80s–90s with occasional spikes into the 100s. Even there, sustained triple-digit heat causes noticeable stress.

Carnivorous Plants: Drosera capensis 'Red' Turning Green: Classic Low Light Symptom; Drosera capensis 'Red' Leaf Twisting: Causes and Summer Care in Phoenix; Identifying a Mystery Sundew: Drosera capensis 'Narrow Leaf'; Growing Drosera capensis 'Red Leaf' Outdoors in Hot Climates; Light Placement for Cape Sundew Varieties Under High-Output Fluorescents; Drosera capensis 'Red Leaf' Lost Dew? Check Crown for Aphids or Cutworms; Treating Aphids on Drosera capensis: Safe Methods; Soil Mixes for Cape Sundew, Venus Flytrap, Sarracenia, and Nepenthes; Rescuing a Cape Sundew After Cutworm Attack; Broadleaf Drosera capensis Repotting Stress and Hardening Off Cuttings

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