Drosera australis [Warriup, Cranbrook, Western Australia]

Care instructions

How we grow Pigmy Drosera?
In-vitro plants are acclimated in a Grow Chamber with controlled temperatures and humidity. This indoor setup ensure an easy adaptation to extra-vitro condition, guaranteeing the best conditions for plants in this delicate stage. All plants available at the Diflora shop have been acclimatized for at least 3 months. After this first step the plant is brought outside, under direct sunlight with the classic tray system as watering method and so, keeping always some amount of water in the tray. As with the majority of carnivorous plants, we use distilled water produced by our reverse osmosis system.

Lighting:
As with all sundews, pygmy sundews also need direct sunlight in order to be able to live at their best and carry out their activities as tiny predators.

Watering:
In nature, pygmy sundews face torrid, dry summers where they enter a state of dormancy to awaken and vegetate in their winter period, which is characterised by abundant rainfall and a mild climate. Unless you have a terrarium, this is rather difficult to reproduce in a temperate climate. In fact, reproducing these conditions is not necessary as most pygmy sundews vegetate happily all year round and do not require a resting period. In summer, the usual centimetres of water in the saucer should be maintained, while in winter the water supply should be reduced.
Pygmy sundews are very hardy plants and we can ‘fool’ them by pretending that our summer is their winter. It is important to use only distilled water or alternatively all waters that have an extremely low mineral salt content. For example rainwater or all condensation water (air conditioner, dehumidifier). It’s important that the conductivity measures below 50 micro-Siemens.

Substrate:
While 50% peat and 50% perlite is fine as a general substrate, we recommend the Drosera substrate we have developed and tested for optimal growth of this genus.

Seasonality and temperature:
Pygmy sundews do not need any kind of vegetative rest. Many growers bring pygmy sundews inside a terrarium or a double window during the winter period. This applies to the more delicate pygmy sundews in geographical areas where winter temperatures expect frequent frosts. Generally it is sufficient to reduce the water supply (not necessarily gradually) to prevent the water in the saucer from freezing and irreparably damaging the roots. They are very hardy plants but watch out for frost! Ideally, they should be placed in a cold greenhouse.
One of the peculiarities of pygmy sundews is the production of buds, this event coincides with our autumn and therefore with the lowering of temperatures (generally around October-November) and is an extremely effective form of asexual reproduction as the buds, produced in the centre of the rosette, reach maturity and are immediately responsive and ready to germinate. With the arrival of fine weather, the only thing to do is to place them back in the sun and increase the water supply.

Additional info:
For more cultivation information visit our care guides or use our plant care support by writing to ilpigliamosche@diflora.it