Drosera venusta is an easy, South African, rosetted sundew that is semi-upright. It has pink flowers on tall scapes and reseeds readily. These are various clones from seeds we obtained from Allen Lowrie, who reported they could grow up to 7cm!
The plants we are shipping are about 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 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 2-3” across. It forms pretty 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 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.
