FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I gave a modest effort to find this info on this site, but time being the Vampire that it is, I decided to just go ahead and ask, and lay my questions at the mercy of the forum members. I have a Sundew that has a flower stalk on it. Do I treat it like a VFT flower stalk? Will it suck the life out of the plant if I let it flower? Can I cut it and plant it in peat/sphagnum and potentially propagate another plant? Can the plant essentially self-fertilize, or does it need a second Sundew? Are the seeds generally viable, and easy to start? I appreciate all knowledge bestowed.

Cut the flower stalks off. They will consume energy which could have otherwise been used for roots, leaves, and new growth. Most CPs lose some leaves and are not in top health after flowering. My spatulatas had three or four well developed flower stalks EACH. The old growth died off and they look a bit sick. I'm starting to think that since the nursery was allowing them to spend energy to make flowers, they only had less of that energy to maintain old growth, and this did not help the acclimation process to their new home. It's really best to cut flowers on new, young, recently purchased plants.

it's also better to focus on maintaining the health of your current plants rather than worrying about growing new ones from seeds or flower cuttings. If the seeds don't germinate, flower stalk doesn't propagate, and the existing plant gets sick, then you're left with nothing.

I suggest you leave the stalk and get seed from it. They are not hard to germinate at all. It does not drain that much of the plants energy like a VFT does. What kind of Drosera do you have?

akinkysnorlax wrote:I suggest you leave the stalk and get seed from it. They are not hard to germinate at all. It does not drain that much of the plants energy like a VFT does. What kind of Drosera do you have?

I second the post also, just one detail, let the flower make 1 stalk, extra ones are the ones that are detrimental. Also feed your plant to get lots of seeds.

coline wrote:

akinkysnorlax wrote:I suggest you leave the stalk and get seed from it. They are not hard to germinate at all. It does not drain that much of the plants energy like a VFT does. What kind of Drosera do you have?

I second the post also, just one detail, let the flower make 1 stalk, extra ones are the ones that are detrimental. Also feed your plant to get lots of seeds.

I third this notion. I have a D. spatulata with 2 flower stalks and it is doing fine. I grow it in full sun and water via tray method (with a careful top watering every week or so). I feed it about 1-2 times every 2 weeks (if it doesn't catch anything on its own).

Drosera flower doesnt drain so much energy from the plant.

beckhamlim24 wrote:Drosera flower doesnt drain so much energy from the plant.

Depends on the plant, some with small flowers, like tokaiensis, do not matter much, but others like capensis that have big flowers and tons of seed do impact the plant growth, also burmanii, even when best fed.
Even more, the best fed plants tend to make extra stalks

Most drosera will not decline if let flowered. Depending on the species, the size of the plant may get a bit smaller during this period, but it won't be unhealthy for it. However if the plant isn't healthy to start with, then flowering may weaken it severely.

All the questions regarding (flower stalk cuttings, seeds, self viability etc) are dependent on the species of the sundew. if unsure about the species or condition, then posting a picture will help.

Nevermind my answer then. I jumped to conclusions based on my plants.

Thanks for your responses; I didn't have much opportunity to check back on this thread until now. I purchased a Wally last year, and there were a few tag-along plants in the pot: a baby Wally, a Sundew, and some sort of giant moss (proportionately speaking, of course). The larger Wally was replaced with a B52, and all were transplanted into the current pot of which the following pictures will attest. I'm not only clueless as to what type of Drosera I have, but can anyone identify the moss? Or give a suggestion as to how to propagate it? Anyway, thanks again, and here are some photos:

The drosera seems either a capensis or an intermedia drosera, the other plant I had never seen it, as all plants like that I normally transplant them to another pot and grow them separatedly, maybe it is even a bromeliad, but really I have never seen something like it.

Its drosera intermedia i guess. I change to red colour because of the strong lighting. But the way the flower unfurls doesnt look like the intermedia's ways.
I will go with capensis then.

Well no, in that case no, capensis makes much more longer flowers, with lots of flower buds, and the buds in the photo are much bigger than capensis, never seen some like that

I have a red capensis and it does indeed look very similar. I can say that it is not a capensis though due to the flower bud size and the fact that the traps are paddle-shaped. Capensis have leaves that are straight and have parallel edges all the way down the leaf.