FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I had yet another impulse-purchase last night- a 30 pack of D. burmannii seeds from California Carnivores. Just wondering if anyone had experience with these guys that is a little beyond the basics for a beginner. I hate the idea of growing an annual. I read that these plants can live for years if you give them the right conditions.

- is growing them on my windowsill during the winter not going to provide enough light?
- I plan to start them off in 100% LFS with a 16 hour photo-period under grow lights until they are ready to be transplanted indoors.
- I will bag the top of the container to increase humidity for germination
- Ultimately, they will be in the same mix as my D. spatulata and D. aliciae
- I will feed them every 2 weeks with beta fish pellets (until it can eat on its own)
- I will water using the tray method

I'd grow them under fluorescent bulbs indoors with them as close as possible to the light source. One of my favorite dews. Good luck with the seeds.

Hello, these guys have become one of my favorites because they real easy. I start mine on a mixture of 50/50 peat moss and perlite. I just sprinkle the seeds around and I start them under 40w GE daylight bulbs. I do not cover them to increase humidity. I have found it may take a little longer to sprout but then I don't have to harden them off. I live in the Phoenix area and this plant loves it here because of the heat. They are heat lovers and low humidity does not phase them. I have some outside now experienceing temps from around 30f to 60f and they are fine. They do loose some color in winter but they have a good amount of dew and catch flys and flower allot. I have found as long as they are getting full sun six plus hours and are catching insects the main plant seems to keep growing well. Just provide allot of light and keep them wet and they spread like weeds. Hope this helps.

Arizona Flytrap wrote:Hello, these guys have become one of my favorites because they real easy. I start mine on a mixture of 50/50 peat moss and perlite. I just sprinkle the seeds around and I start them under 40w GE daylight bulbs. I do not cover them to increase humidity. I have found it may take a little longer to sprout but then I don't have to harden them off. I live in the Phoenix area and this plant loves it here because of the heat. They are heat lovers and low humidity does not phase them. I have some outside now experienceing temps from around 30f to 60f and they are fine. They do loose some color in winter but they have a good amount of dew and catch flys and flower allot. I have found as long as they are getting full sun six plus hours and are catching insects the main plant seems to keep growing well. Just provide allot of light and keep them wet and they spread like weeds. Hope this helps.

How long has your plant been alive?

Close to a year.

You shouldn't have much trouble. From what I've heard, D. Burmanni sprouts real easy and is low matinence. Just ask bananaman - he's been working on some seeds and they're already sprouting!!

I just want to replicate conditions to allow them to live for multiple years (and not be annuals)

Sundewman says its possible. Why not you ask him?

@Kbud- I have had no luck in the past getting a hold of him. I don't think he uses this forum very much anymore, and he did not respond to my last email I sent him.

My burmannii has arrived! I am going to start it off with a 24 hour photoperiod until I see some strikes.

Sundewman is at college doing his graduate work, I wouldn't expect him to respond to a PM or email very quickly.

*edit*

I wouldn't leave that light on all day an night, the germination rate might be quicker but the seedlings that pop up early may be weakened. A temperature and photo-period break is usually most beneficial.

okay, thanks David.

I also went against my 100% LFS due to laziness. I had this mix already made and washed.

Starchy wrote:I also went against my 100% LFS due to laziness. I had this mix already made and washed.

They'll be fine.

I'm tired so sorry if this response is a little disjointed.

Burmannii is my favorite sundew by far.

In regard to burmannii being annual - they're not strict annuals. I've grown burmanniis for years and if treated like a tropical sundew, they will behave like a tropical sundew, sending up multiple flower stalks and living for years. I don't know exactly how many years they'll live; I've had some for up to three years so far.

In nature, they die after flowering/setting seed when they sense colder temperatures/lower light. If it's still primarily warm & sunny after flowering/setting seed, they're programmed to keep growing and try to flower/set seed again before winter hits. If winter never hits, this cycle just keeps on repeating. This is what happens when you grow them under artificial lights, or like a tropical.

If you grow them in your window sill, they might behave like annuals and die after flowering depending on temps/light at the window. The windowsill can't get cold (not dropping more than a few degrees below room temp at night), and the amount of light should probably be somewhere around 6+ hours of direct sunlight per day to have them grow like tropicals. Your mileage may vary. If you're growing a ton from seed, you could repot half of them separately and put some in the window and keep some under lights, then compare.

Crush the betta pellets at first while they're very small. Do feed every two weeks, give or take - you don't have to do it like clockwork, but don't neglect their feeding for a month straight. If you do manage to keep up on feeding, they'll reward you with explosive growth and will be flowering size in as little as of 3-4 months, though they do remain very small for the first month or two no matter what you do.

Even in humidity down to ~30-35%, these things dew up like crazy under good light, and they have a fast trapping speed compared to most other dews.

Soil mix looks good, tray method is good. They're not picky about soil sogginess, just don't let it dry out. I keep mine a little wetter than flytrap soil, but not near as wet as Sarr soil.

Good luck!

Anyone know where I can find a video of one of these guys in action (trapping)?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5n3W_u4Ot8[/youtube]

Just know that when they germinate, they'll be tiny!
Mine were smaller than a capensis tentacle when they sprouted, and sprouted in only 17 days or so after sowing, so you should see sprouts soon!