FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi everyone, I bought a few Drosera varieties from Allen Lowrie. Being that Mr. Lowrie is in the southern hemisphere and I’m in the northern hemisphere, I’m curious how I can them to sync up to the seasons up here.

Mr. Lowrie mentioned that the plants will come out of their dormancy in late March. After some time, they will go back down and sprout back up a month later. I’m curious if that’s all there is to it? Is there anything I need to watch out for during this process?

On a more simple note, Mr. Lowrie sent me the Drosera in the form of a rhizome/bulb (I’m not sure what the right term is). The embarrassing thing is, I can’t tell what direction is up. In other words, I’m not sure which way to plant the bulb. I’ve included a picture and I would really appreciate advice on how to identify which way should be facing up. In the off chance that I planted this guy with the “upward side” facing down, what will happen? Would the Drosera die?

One last question, when should I plant this bulb? I just don’t want it to rot if I it ends up sitting in moist soil for too long (especially since I’d be placing it on a heat mat).

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I do everything right, considering these guys have travelled a long way!

Is the topside visible in the first image or the second?

I can’t help you with syncing them up but the tubers (that’s what they are called) can be planted any way. They know which way is up. Also why are you going to use a heat mat? These are winter growing Drosera. They grow during the cool time of the year in nature.

The 'eye' of the tuber should point upwards when planting. If it's planted upside down it may not grow the first year, it will, hopefully, make another tuber and grow the second year.

Keep the tubers in a plastic baggy with a little LFSM to keep it dry untill you see a stolon start to grow from the eye. Once that starts, plant 1-2" into a 5in+ deep pot. Keep 'dry' until you see the plant emerging at the surface, keep plant wet until the plant dies off on its own. Do not force dormancy.

When acclimating tubers, you are basically trying to get 2 growth seasons in one. The first plant should grow and go dormant by April may, then it should come up again about a month later. When the second plant goes dormant, leave it till fall.

There is a lot of information online about tuberous drosera, I'd spend the next couple weeks reading up while you wait for the stolons to start growing.

Austin