FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I got this little guy from Carlton Carnivores. It was going well after putting him in a plastic bag after I got him in the mail, but after moving the lights a little too close to it and giving it a little treat probably a little too early (it's still young) I think I stressed it out.

I'm just wanting to get some other opinions on the status of it.

The long fiber sphagnum moss says moist and it gets pretty good light, after I've moved the light up. The large leaf at the top slight left in the first image was a newer leaf that didn't dew up, and the top most unfurled leaf in the 3rd image is a newer leaf that has yet to emerge and dew up. The second image is the leaf that got a tiny bit of a bloodworm that seemed to have grow mold.

How long ago did you get it?

Do you still have them bagged? And, if they are bagged do you have the bag open or holes in it for air exchange? These filiformis.filiformis NJ seedlings are roughly six months old. They started out in this exact same spot sitting to the side of a LED grow light (you can probably tell by the shadow inside the cup). They are growing in either 16 or 20 ounce cups (I can't remember which ) filled with Better-Gro sphagnum moss. They sit in a tray with anywhere from 1/2" to 1-1/2" of water in it. Beside them is a large tray that holds some pots that I'm *attempting* to grow some sarrs in...an inch or two of water is in the bottom of that roughly 16"x16" container...so another humidity source.

When these were roughly 1/2" tall I removed the loose-fitting plastic cover from them (a piece of clear bag) and they've been dewy ever since then. I believe that that the "climate" around them is humid enough for them now...my little temp/hydrometer that sits at grow mix level in the neighboring box usually reads something like 65% RH on average. In the individual cups the soil level is below the rim...I believe when the lights (and thus a little fan) are turned off that it creates it's own humid micro-climate in that area. (For transparency, I'm in lower Alabama and just now checking the outside humidity it's 83% under partly cloudy skies. Your growing area might be more arid and require different actions to get the humidity up.)

As Chef inquired about how long you've had these it may just be that they've got to settle into their new home. Being low growing and the sphagnum moss staying good and moist I'm not sure I would be bagging at this point. Light is tricky, though, too much and you burn them...too little and they don't produce a lot of dew and they suffer. I think they really need to just settle in.

ChefDean wrote: ↑Sat May 13, 2023 10:38 am How long ago did you get it?

I'd say a little over a month ago. I only had it bagged for a week to get acclimated. It was doing fine until I moved the lights a little too close.

It's like I tell my wife....TIME. Give it time.

Drosera hate being transported, change in conditions, Mondays, looked at funny, breathed on wrong, and your little brother. They can pout for weeks, but, as long as they're still green (alive), give them time. Loosely bagging it again could help, but don't do it for too long.

^^^ This.
For a plant that's considered by many to be a weed, they sure can be particular.

Yea I'm beginning to get used to the fact that I can't change anything when it comes to the drosera I have.

Funnily, the more mature D. capensis "Lotus Eater" I have is acting up from too bright (new growth turning red and black, no hairs), but a little plantlet it grew from roots is doing great! Nice and dewy, no excess redness, new growth looks great. So while the change in growth on the adult might be concerning for maybe issues with water or soil, the smaller plant indicates the mature one didn't like the grow lights being so close to it.

For the D. capensis "Albino" x sp. "Lantau Island", it also didn't like the grow lights being too close so it decided to pout. I'm almost going to get my tape measure to find how far the grow lights need to be from the tallest point of both the hybrid and "Lotus Eater" so that they don't gripe.