The Alice sundew (Drosera aliciae) is quite possibly the most popular rosetted sundew, and it is easy to see why! It is excellent for terrariums and windowsills, is tolerant of light frost, and is a reliable seed producer. Its handsome wedge-shaped green leaves have bright red tentacles and form rosettes one to three inches across. It often produces offshoots from its roots and slowly produces attractive clumps.
The plants we are shipping have rosettes 1-2” across.
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.
Care Instructions
Growth Habit: This plant grows in a rosette of leaves, slowly growing taller along its stem. As the older leaves die back, they turn brown and form a skirt of older leaves under the new leaves. The stem can be brown as well. Mature rosettes can be 3” across. New leaves grow from the crown of the plant. The roots can be brown to black and thick. The flowers are self-fertile and produce lots of seeds. These plants can regrow from the roots if they die back.
Sun: Full sun indoors, in a terrarium, or outdoors if you live in a nearly frost-free climate. If grown under grow lights, the lights should be on a 10-12 hour day length 6-10” above the plants, depending on the strength of your lights. If your plant does not have dew, it may need more light.
Water & Humidity: Always keep the pot sitting in at least two inches of distilled, rain, or reverse osmosis water. These plants will do best with a humidity of 60% or more.
Temperature & Dormancy: 50 degrees—90 degrees, with high humidity. This species has no winter dormancy but may grow more slowly in winter if exposed to cooler temperatures and shorter photoperiods. This is a tropical plant and can not tolerate cold temperatures. Never expose it to anything below 40 degrees.
Soil & Repotting: We prefer a mix of four-part fertilizer-free peat moss to one-part perlite. You can add our pre-made mix to your order here. 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, but they appreciate tall pots. 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.
