FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

In late December, I planted some D. Capensis 'Red' seeds that I'd gotten from an Ebay seller who stated they'd been harvested in October. They had a high sprout rate, but the seedlings are growing very, very slowly. They're only 2mm across.
In early January, I planted some D. Capensis 'Alba' seeds that I'd gotten from a user on here. I don't have a harvest date, but it was presumably very recent. Those seedlings vary wildly in size, from 2mm to almost 10mm, but have a much higher average size than the Reds. The Reds just don't seem to be thriving, even a few I've transplanted into the same pot as some of the Albas.

So is this due to the seed freshness? If not, what else could have caused it?

I have heard of plants from old seeds not doing so well, but I am not entirely sure about the truth behind this. I suppose from the seeds laying dormant for so long, the plant will struggle to have enough energy and nutrients initially?

I'd think they would have overcome the initial struggle now that they have roots down, though.

I have another batch of seeds that I got from the same seller, D. Capensis 'Typical', and they're also much smaller than the Albas I planted later.

Do Albas just grow faster, maybe?

I have noticed that Alba seedlings tend to start faster. I am not sure if it's true or just a coincidence. At some point my Typical D. capensis seedlings become larger, though. I guess they (seeds I bought..) have genetic predisposition to become a bit larger.