FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello

I have two Drosera Capensis that we use for gnat control in our office, when there are gnats. As well, I feed them with Betta food to supplement when there aren't any gnats. They are kept under grow lights during the week and moved to a bright windowsill on the weekends. They're also kept in a tray of purified water. They look very, very healthy - tons of dew, constant new growth - but the dew is not red. It started to get a little red and the next time I fed them the red went away. Should I be concerned?

Ah, one more thing... twice now I've fed them small spiders since we have a spider phobe in our office. They don't attack the spiders like they do when I feed them the Betta food. The spider gets stuck and slowly dies, but the leaves do not curl over them in attack. Any idea why?

Thanks!

Tons of dew and growth means the plants are healthy, even without red coloration.

Sundews curl around food items that are large enough that they need to be engulfed to digest properly. The spiders are most likely not large enough to trigger that response, but should still be digested.

The second spider finally died, so it's starting to curl around it ever so slightly. I think the spider was fighting and trying not to come into contact with tentacles.

But that reminds me... do the leaves ever "reset" after it's done feeding? None of mine have and I wasn't sure if that was normal...

They usually try to reset, but sometimes they're just stuck. It shouldn't hurt them.

ameliarose wrote:The second spider finally died, so it's starting to curl around it ever so slightly. I think the spider was fighting and trying not to come into contact with tentacles.

But that reminds me... do the leaves ever "reset" after it's done feeding? None of mine have and I wasn't sure if that was normal...

With larger prey, the leaves often don't straighten out. They die coiled up. The new leaves will appreciate its sacrifice. But don't worry. Your plant has extracted every bit of delicious nourishment from that bug.

Good growing,
Mike

Thank you both for your wisdom! Its quite helpful!