How To Feed Sundews

Sundews are unique types of carnivorous plants which belong to the genus Drosera. This genus contains a varied and extensive number of species each with their own unique form, color and trapping mechanism. Like all carnivorous plants sundews rely on captured prey items to obtain vital trace elements such as nitrogen for healthy growth.
In this video I explain why sundews are the easiest carnivorous plants to feed. I also demonstrate how growers of these amazing plants can feed sundews to achieve healthy, large specimens including.......
- What food to use
- How to store and prepare the plant food
- How to apply the food to the sundew leaf
- How often to feed your plants
- What size food portion to apply and why too large a food item can harm your plant.
Other topics covered in the video include an explanation as to what sundews are, how they attract and catch insects, and why one would even consider feeding sundews even though they're effective they are at capturing their own insects.
I briefly cover feeding for the following species:
- Drosera capensis (Cape Sundew)
- Drosera venusta
- Drosera pygmaea
- Drosera burmannii (Tropical Sundew)
- Drosera binata
- Drosera spatulata
Website: succulentflytraps.com.au
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Link to my online shop where you can purchase Drosera capensis and Drosera burmannii (Australian residents only) succulentflytraps.com.au/shop/
Happy growing to you all!

[@jackcaleb7291]

Wanted to let you know I found your videos about a month ago. And have enjoyed them ever since, keep up the good work!

[@succulentflytraps]

Welcome to the Channel ......looking forward to producing more quality videos....Happy Growing to you ....

[@jeffparryncc1701]

Oh wow, a very different way of feeding 😊

[@casualgardeningwithdustin]

I got one of these (Drosera spatulata) as a hitchhiker with a Cape sundew (Drosera capensis) that I'd purchased. Now I have about 30 pots of the little buggers! It's amazing how readily they'll reproduce for you given the slightest excuse. I was not aware that the leaves will curl around prey. I knew capensis would do it, but not spatulata. I'm going to have to see if I can capture that in a time lapse.

[@succulentflytraps]

Hi there....that would be fascinating catching the time lapse of a curling leaf. Drosera spatulata have much shorter leaves so its easy to miss the enveloping action ....unless you you look closely. Ah the power of self pollination. All the flowers have to do is open and close for pollination to commence. I like to think of self pollinating plants such as Drosera spatulata, Drosera capensis and Drosera burmannii just to name a few as 'living in the fast lane '. They really do make the most of the good growing conditions and this is reflected in the amount of seeds they produce. Happy growing to you!

[@ClausCarnivores]

Nice video, I feed my sundews also a lot (for my timelapse videos) usually I use fish food, or living insects like fruit flies. You can even trigger the sundews with almost any organic material like chocolate, gelatine, blood (yes I used a drop of my blood and the sundew bends around it) etc. Mostly it is the amount of salt that induces the bending.Even pure NaCl can induce that. But of course, it is not very healthy for the plant and it cannot digest and uptake it.

[@succulentflytraps]

I didn't realise its the salt that induces bending.....interesting! Just out of interest what camera do you use for your time-lapse videos .....I've always wanted to produce time lapse but haven't got around to it yet..

[@ClausCarnivores]

@@succulentflytraps I use two Panasonic Cams (a FZ1000 II and a GX80) they have a nice built in timelapse function, and for better macro timelapses a Sony 6400 with a Laowa 65mm macro lens.

[@succulentflytraps]

@@ClausCarnivores It sounds like you know your cameras and cam-corders......thanks for sharing.

[@teresashinkansen9402]

I enjoy a lot feeding my plants as well due the same reason, lots of fun, ive even performed some experiments like Darwin did, like feeding them tiny egg white cubes (1.6mm) and see them dissolve it until no trace is left, I also cut a piece of dead skin from my thumb and feed it to my Dionaea, it almost completely dissolved it! the only left was something reminiscent of slime . Ive observed that most of the pygmy sundews also have some crazy fast tentacle movements, my pygmy sundew (Not sure what species, I think its an hybrid) is faster than my D. burmannii, take a toothpick wet it with some milk and touch a couple of times the edge tentacles just as you did with the D. burmannii, watch them fold so fast!

[@succulentflytraps]

Wow that's amazing results with all the experimentation you've been doing. Sundews must have pretty strong digestive enzymes if they can disdolve human skin! I unknowingly came across the surprisingly fast movements if my Drosera pygmaea ....it was almost instantaneous. I suppose being so small and having only the end of their leaves with mucilage covered tentacles they need to make the most of any opportunity. Yes I will try the milk on the toothpick test .....can't wait to see the results.....Happy Growing and experimenting!

[@teresashinkansen9402]

@@succulentflytraps Yeah, i was amazed as well, it was a very tiny piece of skin (about 2mm by 1mm and about .5mm thick) basically what i could cut without cutting into live skin at the side of my thumb were the nail ends but still amazing as its quite tough. Some time I hope to get a D. glanduligera i think its the fastest sundew I really like it looks kinda cute, some kind of evil burmannii haha, but it seems its hard to grow and actually so carnivorous that it has to be feed continuously since it is a seedling or else it dies. Well, you have a pretty collection! I wish you as well happy growing and experimenting!

[@PriyaPans]

@@teresashinkansen9402 can I ask what you most often feed your sundews?

[@presentwala4580]

What soil mixture you are using..and also which type of water and fert

[@latishasuarez1366]

I have a question.. I just got my first Carnivorous plants a Spoon-leaved Sundew and Cape Sundew. Both were shipped to me and with no dew on either one of them. Have them for a week now in my care. New leaves coming in, but still no dew on either one of them can I still fertilize them with a fish flask or Maxsea.. ??????

[@970zfinest]

Hi Jerry is a spoon leaf sundew just as easy to care for as the capes? I recently got into the hobby and been inlove with the spoon leafs but nervous about they care of them. Thanks!

[@succulentflytraps]

Hi Nick ....I find that Drosera spatulata is just as easy as Drosera capensis. I've found Drosera spatulata to be pretty easy to look after. Give them plenty of sunlight (minimum of 5 hours), use soft water and use a peat moss based medium and your plants will love you for it.....oh and it wouldn't hurt to feed them now and then .....especially if your growing them indoors.....happy growing to you!

[@970zfinest]

@Succulent Flytraps Cheers!

[@freedow7737]

Hello . Is live moss suitable for flytrap Venus?

[@succulentflytraps]

Live SPAGNUM moss can be used to grow Venus Flytraps in. I normally use peat moss (which is decomposed Spagnum moss) and perlite.

[@paulbland4475]

Can you come feed my sundews, I have too many 😀

[@succulentflytraps]

If only I had the time Paul ......

[@gonefishing4929]

can you use freeze dried blood worms?

[@succulentflytraps]

Yes you can. I actually used to use freeze fried blood worms to feed my plants. The only thing is that they tend to leave a bit of mark on the inside of the traps after they've been digested. I now use frozen blood worms in blister packs. I just thaw them out by placing them in a container and running warm water over the container. The extra moisture in the blood worms as they thaw causes them to better digest. This tends to leave less of a mark on the inside of the traps. Happy growing to you!

[@detailingtoken7938]

Just came across your KZbin account super duper ❤❤❤❤❤ I just started getting into theses plants 🪴 very cool I just follow you Facebook