Drosera paradoxa Potted

Drosera paradoxa is a woolly sundew from the petiolaris complex of sundews native to Northern and Western Australia. These fantastical plants grow in a region that is almost always warm, even in winter, and prefer tropical conditions. Drosera paradoxa has a Dr. Seussian-like quality with its whirl of thin stems and tiny, perfectly round, dew-covered leaves. These charming plants are one of the easier to grow in the woolly sundew category and will benefit from warm conditions and high humidity. 

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. The flowers are not self-fertile and you will need more than one plant to pollinate and produce seeds.

Sun: These plants are best grown under grow lights, indoors. 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. If you live in a similarly tropical climate to Northern Australia, you may be able to grow them outside but in most areas, indoors, under lights is recommended. 

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: 65 degrees—90 degrees, with high humidity. This species can have a dormancy period but does not need it. Your plant may naturally go into dormancy, reduce watering if dormant. This is a tropical plant and can not tolerate cold temperatures. Never expose it to anything below 60 degrees.

Soil & Repotting: We prefer a mix of 50/50 fertilizer-free peat moss to 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, 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 significantly benefit from a foliar fertilizer. 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.