Cape Sundew Care: Stem Management, Lighting, and Common Mistakes

A grower in NJ detailed a year of Drosera capensis issues: woody stem, dew loss, light distance experiments, stem burial causing rot, and aggressive root scraping. They also asked about VFT and Sarracenia care.

Cape Sundew (D. capensis)

• Develops a woody stem with age—normal. Can bury deeper or decapitate and root the top.
• Light: Keep within 3–4 inches of two 40W fluorescent tubes, 14 hours/day. Don't move the plant around.
• Water: Soil constantly moist (tray method), not bone-dry on top.
• Feeding: Unnecessary; tiny seedlings catch their own prey.

Temperate Plants (VFT, Sarracenia, Doodlebug)

• They need dormancy. Keeping them indoors under lights year-round will kill them.
• Cut brown leaves, place in a cold window (35–45°F), keep damp, spray fungicide.
• Return outdoors in spring after frost.

Soil for All

Use 1:1 peat:perlite. Avoid vermiculite (leaches minerals) and pure long-fiber sphagnum (compacts).