It's not absolutely necessary but your location would help us a bit...such as with the dome/no-dome situation.
Feeding at this stage of their growth would be very difficult. As Chef stated, basically all they need is the sun, water, and air (carbon dioxide is in the air
![Wink ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
). The food morsel would be *very* small. Remember not to give them any food that you would eat (unless you would eat bugs or fish food
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
)
Yes. Open the dome up...several times a day is good. Leaving it cracked open is good. Removing it completely is good. But, do this in stages...this will "acclimate" them to the dryer conditions. But absolutely make sure that the surface stays moist with plenty of water in the water tray.
What Chef said about boiled water...it really doesn't change the mineral content and might even impart metals to the water if the boiling container is metal. In my opinion, the best is rainwater. Next choice of mine would be distilled water....a $1.25 gallon of distilled water will last your seedlings a *long* time. Distilled water shouldn't have any minerals in it....0ppm TDS (total dissolved solids). Rainwater will have a trace of minerals...my rainwater usually tests out at 0ppm-5ppm....usually 1-2ppm. a couple of differences between my rainwater and distilled water is that he rainwater may have some moss/mold/mildew spores in it (I haven't found this to be a problem) and rain water's pH is naturally acidic (good for carnivorous plants) and distilled water's pH is neutral which is, well,...neutral.
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
But, don't let the neutrality of distilled water deter you from using it...it is GOOD, many, many people use it. Rain water is wonderful, in my opinion, though. Living in an industrial area where air pollution is bad can cause a problem...that goes back to your location info.
Catching rainwater can be an adventure! You can go as simple as you want with rainwater collection...depending on how much you need. Naturally, if you're using a good bit of water each day then you would need storage capacity. That can be gallon milk/juice/tea jugs, 5-gallon buckets, 30-gallon garbage cans, on up to 55-gallon barrels and larger. You also should consider how long between rains. For your current situation, some milk-jugs and a 5-gallon bucket (with a lid) would work well. The bucket could be your catchment basin and then you can transfer that to the milk jugs. Of course *two* 5-gallon buckets would be better...and on and on and on. A couple of buckets seriously is a good idea...that way if it rains but only fills the buckets up partially then you have "partially-filled x 2", if you know what I mean. The catchment buckets can be used as bulk storage. Sitting the buckets beneath the drip line of a roof can collect a good bit of rain during decent rainfall....placing them beneath where a valley empties off a roof or beneath a downspout will fill them up quickly. The first few inches of water is good to pour out on the ground...it will have all kinds of roof debris...leaves, dust, bird-poop, bugs, etc., in it. Even a tarp can be draped from a support to create a lean-to to divert water into a barrel. Plus, you get to play in the rain!!!!
![Laughing :lol:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
For now, though, don't sweat it too much....grab a gallon of distilled water (remember the jug is a future water storage container
![Wink ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
). My split personality is "OCC-Me"....I usually filter my water using an old towel with a cotton hankerchef draped over the top of the towel. I drape the cloth over a bucket so that it sags and makes a "bowl". Then I cinch a cord around it to hold the "filter" in place...then pour the caught up water through it. To pour it into the milk jugs a funnel *is* your friend. I don't think most people filter their rainwater except for maybe people who have leaf filters on their rain barrel systems. Anyhow, I like rainwater.
Also, some people use reverse osmosis water. I'm not familiar with its use but there are folks that grow *lots* of healthy plants with it.
You may be tempted to use bottled "drinking water". This isn't usually recommended. "Taste" of drinking water is usually dependent on *minerals*. From my personal testing in *my area* Dasani water tastes good but it's mineral content is way too high to be safe for carnivorous plants. But, Aquafina water usually has a TDS measurement of around 15ppm (good). Now, I don't know if the Aquafina water in your area is like the same brand in my area, so I can recommend that you try it. What you need to assure yourself that it would be good is a TDS meter. You can find them on Amazon for around $15 each. They're simple gadgets that if handled gently will last a long time. You can use them to test your rainwater, distilled water (keep'em honest), RO/reverse osmosis, tap water, bottled drinking water, etc.,. A very handy gadget to have on hand. Mine has served me well...here's a link to the one I got from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H5 ... UTF8&psc=1
As for how much rainwater sundews use...I think most water gets lost through evaporation from the water trays. But, considering that most plants are 90% water and that sundews most likely have more water in them than regular plants do, they may actually consume more water by plant weight than say an ivy plants consumes. Like I said earlier, a gallon of water should last your plants a fairly long time. Either get two gallons and when you use up one gallon get another gallon or either be dedicated of getting another gallon when the first gallon gets down to around 1/3 or 1/4 gallon. Be prepared...don't let the sundews go dry!
Ok, well I'll tell "OCD-Me" to go back to sleep now. Best wishes on your plants, it looks like you got a good germination from them! Be sure to check out the seed bank here on the forum...free seeds for the cost of two envelopes and two stamps.
![Very Happy :D](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
There's also a couple of bonuses active right now so you can get 2-3 different types of seeds! The instructions about the bonuses are in the seed bank forum. Here is the link to the inventory list and with instructions down at the bottom of the post (look elsewhere for the bonus seeds):
flytrapcare-community-seedbank-inventor ... 33352.html
Ok, here comes the sweet lady with my noon meds...cya!
oliver89 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 25, 2023 10:34 am
hi
Hello I have a question please help. I recently bought sundew seeds on Amazon. Drosera seeds 100 seeds (Mix)
Drosera seeds
2.) seedling stage
Mini greenhouse 58 cm x 40 cm (
seedling Drosera 100 (Mix)
![👇](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
I have a question
Should we feed them manually at some point? as the domes are closed in their seedling stage to maintain humidity, leaving no access for any insects to get in.
Should we open the dome every couple of days for them to get new air?
3.) I have been told that boiled and then cooled water is fine for Sundews. Can anyone confirm this?
4.) How much water does a sundew need?
5.) I wish, I just thought. catching rainwater. ?