How to "tame" the marsh predator sundew?

Carnivorous plants are one of the most unusual representatives of the flora. Their trap leaves are responsible not only for photosynthesis, but also, along with the roots, provide food derived from caught insects. The sundew plant (Drosera) is a prominent and popular "predator".

General information

In its natural environment, the sundew lives on depleted swampy soils, so insects become the only source of adequate nutrition for it. The leaves of this plant are covered with thin needles, at the ends of which droplets of a sticky substance are formed. From the side, the sundew looks like it is covered with dew. Insects fall for this trick - and instead of dew they get stuck in a sticky substance that contains digestive enzymes and a paralyzing component.

Dewdrop is a "reasonable" predator. This fact was revealed by Darwin, who conducted experiments to understand how legible a given plant is. The scientist put milk, a piece of meat, as well as paper and stone on the sheet. Rosyanka reacted only to organic matter. Having determined that the substance that has fallen on the leaf is edible, the leaf receives a signal and begins to roll up around the victim. Soon, the victim is completely at the mercy of the plant, which gradually draws in everything that it needs. After a few days, the leaf will unfold, only indigestible parts will remain on it. In their natural environment, they are carried away by the wind.

Varieties

In total, there are more than 200 varieties of sundew. They differ in the size of the bush, shade, in the shape of the leaves, but they all have a common feature - a large number of cilia hairs with drops of secretion at the ends. Modest, but graceful flowers of a pink or cream shade on spike-shaped inflorescences form fruit-boxes. The most decorative sundews grow in Africa, America, Australia, several varieties are found in Europe. Many of them are quite successfully grown at home.

The following types of sundew are popular.

1. Round-leaved (listed in the Red Book). Elongated petioles diverge from the basal rosette, at the ends of which there are rounded leaves with reddish tentacle hairs. The round-leaved sundew can be found in many regions of Russia, in particular in the swamps of the Moscow region. The ground part of the plant contains organic acids, tannins, ascorbic acid. In medicine, raw materials are used as an expectorant. When kept at home, you will have to organize "wintering" in the refrigerator or on the loggia, but it is better to opt for tropical species.
2. Cape. This type of sundew is most in demand for home cultivation. The shape of the leaf is elongated. There are varieties of reddish and white shades. An adult Cape sundew reaches about 12 cm in height. The plant is relatively unpretentious, it can grow without a dormant period all year round.
3. The sundew is intermediate. Forms small rosettes (5-8 cm in height) of a reddish tint. The sheet plate is curved.
4. English. In a natural environment, under favorable conditions, it can reach a height of 25 cm, when grown at home, it grows up to 8-12 cm. Lanceolate leaves stretch upward. The ground part is used in medicine as a bactericidal, antipyretic, antispasmodic and diuretic.
5. Two-syllable - the original variety: the leaves are double, in shape they resemble a kind of grip with twisted ends. The plant reaches a height of 60 cm.
6. Alicia's Dewdrop. The multi-layer rosette is similar in shape to the superimposed chamomile flowers. A significant drawback for home cultivation is the dying off of the lower tiers, due to which the adult plant loses its decorative effect.
7. Dewdrop Burman - very nice and compact look. Outwardly, it resembles a dark pink ball, strewn with drops. The diameter of an adult specimen is about 15-20 cm. This plant holds the record for the speed of setting prey. The leaf "hugs" the prey insect literally in a matter of seconds.
8. Filiform. The rosette of leaves is similar in shape to a bunch of crochet hooks: the leaf blade is a thin long petiole, slightly curving at the end. The leaves are planted with trapping needles along the entire length. The plant can reach a height of 60 cm (in natural conditions). When an insect is adhered to a viscous substance, the leaf rolls up like a butterfly's proboscis. Several bushes of thread-like sundew in one pot look very impressive.
9. The sundew is hairy. Forms a squat miniature rosette in the shape of a chamomile, the height is 2-4 cm on average. The petiole is short and flat, but pronounced (unlike the sundew of Alicia or Burman), the leaf is rounded, covered with rather long thin tentacles. With sufficient light, the plant turns dark red.
10. Dewdrop offspring. Basal rosette, about 6 cm in diameter, is assembled from small cordate leaves on elongated petioles. Depending on the ambient temperature and lighting, the plant can change color from pale green to yellow, red and purple. A distinctive feature is the way of reproduction - a mustache, like strawberries or chlorophytum.
11. Sundew glanduliger. The leaf is shaped like a mini sunflower. The glanduliger sundew is an active predator plant, capable of shrinking the tentacles to throw an insect into the center of the leaf plate.
12. Pereshkovaya. The name is quite justified: the rosette is formed by pronounced fleshy petioles, topped with rather modest-sized leaves.

Dewdrop is not often found in regular flower shops. Many people buy various species of this plant through the Internet from "breeders" specializing in these representatives of the flora.

Care

Dewdrop is a special plant, which is important not so much care as creating a special environment. Conditions of detention should be close to natural.

Substrate and watering

The root system of the sundew is very fragile, not at all adapted to ordinary soil. She needs an acidic, depleted, very light, constantly moist substrate, which can be used as:

• finely chopped sphagnum moss;
• peat mixed with coarse sand (1: 1);
• peat with seramis (small porous granules).

Peat must be free of additives. The requirements are met by such brands as Agrobalt-V, TP Pelgorskoe (Morris Green, pH 2.8-4.0), high-moor peat from Fasco. But "Agrobalt-N", "Gardens of Auriki", soil "Azalea" are not suitable for sundew (from the practice of flower growers). Expanded clay cannot be used as drainage; it is better to pour coarse quartz sand.

The planting pot should be as small as for violets. Ceramic is not suitable, since it gradually alkalizes the soil, and the sundew develops well only in acidic. The pallet needs to be high enough so that about 1 cm of water is constantly present in it.

Important!

You cannot fertilize a sundew. Water must be watered exclusively with distilled water (can be purchased at automotive departments or pharmacies) and preferably in a tray. You should also not touch the droplets on the hairs.

Although the sundew is an insectivorous plant, it is not necessary to breed fruit flies for it in an apartment. On occasion, you can throw dry flies, moths, mosquitoes on her. Sundew will not die without insects, but growth may slow down. In the summer, it is useful to expose it to the air (on the balcony).If there are other plants, then mushroom mosquitoes and midges are often bred in them, which will be actively used by the sundew. The main thing is that droplets are present on its leaves.

Lighting and temperature

For normal growth and decorative appearance, the sundew requires at least 12 hours of daylight hours in summer and about 8 hours in winter. In most cases, you cannot do without additional lighting. In insufficient light, the plant will be pale, dew will disappear. Many drops are generated with additional illumination with lamps at 6000K-6500K (color temperature, measured in Kelvin). For sundews, a DNAZ 150 lamp is well suited.

Direct sunlight is harmful, so on fine days it is advisable to place the plant away from glass or shade it.

Wintering is a mandatory period for most varieties of sundew. At this time, catching insects almost stops, the lower tiers of leaves die off. The "Predator" goes into dormancy from mid-autumn to the second half of February. European varieties of sundew winter comfortably at 7-12 ° С, in summer their maximum is 22-25 ° С. Tropical plants withstand + 30 ° C heat during the growing season, and winter at 14-16 ° C. The main condition is high humidity, then the plant is provided with proper heat exchange.

Reproduction

How to grow a sundew? There are several basic ways: by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. All of them are theoretically easy to implement at home, but in the end, much depends on the type of plant.

• Seeds

When the sundew flower fades, a box of seeds forms in its place, which ripens in about a month. Some species are self-pollinated, but there are those that need help: transfer pollen with a cotton swab or lightly rub flowers against one another.

Sundew seeds are sown in a wet mixture of sand and peat (1: 1) and covered with a transparent cover. Seedlings appear quickly, small plants dive into separate pots (not peat). In practice, from sowing to flowering, for example, Cape Sundew takes about 5-6 months, if conditions are favorable.

• By dividing the bush

Many varieties of sundew form several basal rosettes, collected in a bunch or sprouting from the ground in the radius of the pot. They are easily detachable when the mother plant is transplanted. Most florists use wooden sticks and tweezers for this.

• Cuttings

As a cutting, you can use a flower shoot (before the flowers bloom) or a leaf cut at the base. Rooting is carried out in a moist substrate, which must be covered with a cap. In some cases, the leaf gives roots directly to the water (you need to put it with the villi up).

Diseases

Sundew can easily get sick and dry out if unsuitable conditions are created for it. The leaves will curl and begin to rot due to too alkaline or dense soil. Fresh air is essential, so don't put the plant in closed glass containers. This is permissible only as an emergency measure to save the sundew in dry air conditions or after transplanting.

Important!

Do not spray the leaves for the appearance of drops. You can only humidify the air around, which is necessary with actively working heating devices.

The sundew, although a marsh plant, but excessive moisture due to poor drainage will lead to root rot. Water should not stagnate in the pot.

Dewdrop will not survive if:

• planted in ordinary flower soil;
• poured with tap water;
• top dressing was added to the substrate.

The last point is especially important, since even a single watering with fertilizer will lead to inhibition of growth and death of the plant. If this happens, then rinse the substrate well with distilled water. In some cases, this method helps.

Rosyanka is fragile but tenacious. If a long vacation or forgetfulness of the owners led to the drying out of the plant, then it is necessary to cut off all the dead parts and water well.Life usually glimmers in the center of the outlet, the sundew will hatch after a while.

Pests

Of the pests at home, the "predator" is attacked only by aphids - this is the only insect that can not get caught in the trap. This small parasite can be found on the back of the leaf and at the growth point in the center of the rosette.

Important!

Dewdrop is a very delicate plant, so use insecticides carefully. Preparations should not contain additional dressings.

It is better to use "Fitoverm" for aphids: 5-6 ml of the drug is diluted in a liter of distilled water. Spraying is done with an emphasis on the affected areas (if the trap is not affected by aphids, then it is better not to process it). Then a bag is put on the plant, which is left for about a day. If necessary, after a week, the treatment is repeated.

In general, sundew care cannot be called difficult. But for its successful cultivation, special knowledge is required, since this swamp “predator” significantly differs in needs from the usual home flowers. The key to success is the right substrate, high humidity and sufficient lighting.

Dewdrop is an “amateur” plant, but many growers grow real small masterpieces that make even people completely indifferent to such a flora interested. "Predators" are not only original, but also very interesting to observe.