Drosera admirabilis “Betty's Bay, RSA” is a new site location release of admirabilis. In South Africa where it grows naturally it can often be found growing on floating mats in shallow water. The leaves are boxed off, and mature plants can be up to two inches across, with their tentacles blushing a lovely red! The leaves of Drosera admirabilis will slowly curl around their food once trapped!
The plants we are shipping are about 1” 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 is a rosetted sundew meaning it grows leaves in a round, rosetted pattern. New leaves grow from the crown and older leaves die back, the plant will grow taller on brown stalks with the older leaves building up under the new leaves, forming a tall skirt of old leaves. It is normal for these plants to have high leaf turnover, meaning the leaves die back frequently and new leaves grow in. This is a compact species, usually no larger than 2” across. It forms pretty pink flowers and can easily be grown from seed. Sundews have black roots generally, do not be alarmed when you see the roots are black!
Sun: Full sun. Drosera require lots of direct sun to grow and form dew properly. In ares with mild climates, they can be grown outdoors in full to part sun. If you live in a very hot AND very dry place like Arizona or Sacramento, for example, you will want to grow your plants in full morning sun with protection from the afternoon sun or under 30% shade cloth. In extreme climates like this, you may not be able to grow this plant outside. It is common for several leaves to "burn" and die back when you first place your plant into the sun; your plant is acclimating to your conditions, and in most cases, new leaves will soon grow and be fully acclimated. These small Drosera should be carefully acclimated to the full sun if introduced in the hot and sunny months of summer as smaller plants can burn too much and die. We recommend growing these indoors on extremely sunny windowsills that receive all-day sun, or under grow lights. Grow lights should be 6-10” from the plant, depending on the light, and on a 10-12 hour day length. These will do well in a terrarium if they can get good light. If your plant is not producing dew, it most likely needs more light.
Water & Humidity: Always keep them in a saucer with a few inches of distilled, rainwater, or reverse osmosis water. Never let them dry out, especially in the hot summer months. Drosera are bog plants that prefer water-logged conditions unless you live somewhere both very hot AND extremely humid, like Alabama. In that case, let the water tray dry out for a day or two between refills. Always use distilled, reverse osmosis, or rainwater only. These plants are sensitive to their water quality, and giving them mineral and salt-free water is very important. In winter you can let them dry out a bit between rain storms, but do not let the soil get so dry that it pulls away from the edges of the pots. Be sure to supplement water as needed in between rains in winter. These plants appreciate humidity of at least 40%.
Temperature and Dormancy: These are subtropical plants, meaning they grow throughout the year without dormancy requirements and prefer warmer temperatures but can tolerate a brief frost. They thrive in temperatures ranging from 40 degrees - 90F degrees and can take a brief freeze or high-temperature spike up to 105F degrees for a short period. If nighttime temps drop to 25 but rise again during the day above 40, your plant will be fine outside. However, be warned that exposure to a brief freeze can kill back the rosette and your plant will likely regrow from the roots so we recommend not exposing to freezes without protection. These plants do appreciate a 10-20 degree drop in temperature at night. They do not need or require a dormancy, making them an ideal houseplant.
Soil and 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 do 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.
