We are delighted to have Drosera falconeri for sale again! This has always been one of our very favorite sundews! The entire plant looks very much like a Venus flytrap, but with sundew traps instead. Small rosettes of glistening, rounded leaves blush deep red when grown in strong light. There’s something so charismatic about this little sundew! It comes from tropical Northern Australia, so it requires warm temps, high humidity, and strong light to thrive.
This is a true tropical species that prefers temperatures in the 70s- 90s with high humidity. A bell jar or cloche can help keep humidity high. This is an ideal plant for a terrarium as it loves increased humidity and can thrive in lower light.
The plants we are shipping are 2-3” tall.
Please note: shipping can be hard on the sticky dew covering the leaves so your plant may arrive without dew. It can take a few weeks for the plant to produce more dew, if after four weeks it has not produced dew, you may need to increase light.
First photo by Shawn Shumaker.
Care Instructions
Growth Habit: Drosera have long black roots. Older leaves will turn brown and die back but new leaves will grow in. Can be propagated easily from leaf or root cuttings. These plants are self fertile and can make seed.
Sun: Full to part sun. Grow on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse or in a terrarium. These plants can be grown under grow lights on a 10-12 hour day length. Grow them 8-12” from the lights depending on the strength of your light. If your plant does not produce dew, it may need more light or more humidity. Plants in this complex experience a dry dormancy in the wild but do not need it in cultivation, do not increase photo period longer than 12 hours so as to not induce this dormancy.
Water & Humidity: Always sitting in at least two inches of distilled, reverse osmosis or rain water. Keep well watered so as to not induce dormancy. Keep humidity high, over 60% preferably. We grow under domes, cloches or in terrariums to increase humidity.
Temperature & Dormancy: 60 degrees - 90 degrees, prefers high humidity. Plants in this complex experience a dry dormancy in the wild but do not need it in cultivation. This is a tropical plant and can not tolerate cold temperatures. Never expose to anything below 50 degrees. They will be happiest if grown always between 70-90 degrees.
Soil & Repotting: We prefer a mix of one-part fertilizer-free peat moss to two-parts sand. You do not need to repot your plant when you receive it from us for at least a year, and we recommend against it during the spring-summer months. Repot Drosera every 1-3 years. Avoid placing in excessively large pots; size up only a few inches at a time. Soil can also develop a swampy smell, especially right after shipping, when the plant is wrapped in plastic and sealed. This is normal; these plants grow naturally in bogs and swampy conditions, and peat moss can develop a bit of an anaerobic smell, but this does not indicate a problem with the soil.
Feeding and Fertilizer: Drosera will catch plenty of food when grown outdoors. When grown indoors, they will significantly benefit from a foliar fertilizer. Plants grown outdoors will appreciate a foliar feed as well. Apply MaxSea fertilizer once per month to the foliage only. Dilute 1/4 teaspoon of MaxSea into one gallon of water and then apply to the leaves with a mister bottle or a watering can.
More Information: For further information on dormancy, repotting, dividing, and more, check out our website or our YouTube channel.
