Drosera adelae Potted

This is the ideal plant for a windowsill that doesn't get quite enough light for other carnivorous plants! This sundew comes from shaded, mossy stream-sides in Queensland, Australia. If grown in bright light, the plants are smaller leaved and bronzy-red in color.  When grown in lower light the plants are green and can grow up to 5 inches across!

This is a true tropical species and prefers temps in the 70-90's with high humidity. A bell jar or cloche can help keep humidity high. Mature plants have striking little red star-shaped flowers. It forms clumps from the roots quickly. This is an ideal plant for a terrarium as it loves increased humidity and can thrive in lower light. 

The plants we are shipping are about 2-3” tall.

Please note: shipping can be hard on the sticky dew covering the leaves so your plant may arrive without dew. It can take a few weeks for the plant to produce more dew, if after four weeks it has not produced dew, you may need to increase light.

Care Instructions

Growth Habit: Drosera adelae forms lance-shaped leaves up to six inches long. They have long black roots, and new plants can grow from them. Older leaves will turn brown and die back but new leaves will grow in. Can be propagated easily from leaf or root cuttings. These plants readily flower and do not generally self pollinate. 

Sun: Full to part sun. Grow on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse or in a terrarium. These plants are very forgiving and can tolerate as little as three hours of light or part sun conditions. They can also be grown under grow lights on a 10-12 hour day length. Grow them to the side of the grow light or 10-12” from the light but be sure to increase humidity if directly under the lights. If your plant does not produce dew, it may need more light or more humidity. 

Water & Humidity: Always sitting in at least two inches of distilled, reverse osmosis or rain water. Keep humidity high, over 70% preferably, increase humidity when temperatures are higher. We grow under domes, cloches or in terrariums to increase humidity. 

Temperature & Dormancy: 50 degrees - 90 degrees, prefers high humidity. Does not have a winter dormancy but may grow more slowly in winter if exposed to cooler temps and shorter photo periods. This is a tropical plant and can not tolerate cold temperatures. Never expose to anything below 50 degrees. They will be happiest if grown always between 70-90 degrees, always increase humidity when temperatures increase. 

Soil & Repotting: We prefer a mix of four-part fertilizer-free peat moss to one-part perlite. You can add our pre-made mix to your order here. These can also be grown in a long fibered New Zealand sphagnum moss mix like a Nepenthes mix. You do not need to repot your plant when you receive it from us for at least a year, and we recommend against it during the spring-summer months. Repot Drosera every 1-3 years. Avoid placing in excessively large pots; size up only a few inches at a time although tall pots are appreciated. Soil can also develop a swampy smell, especially right after shipping, when the plant is wrapped in plastic and sealed. This is normal; these plants grow naturally in bogs and swampy conditions, and peat moss can develop a bit of an anaerobic smell, but this does not indicate a problem with the soil. 

Feeding and Fertilizer: Drosera will catch plenty of food when grown outdoors. When grown indoors, they will significantly benefit from a foliar fertilizer. Plants grown outdoors will appreciate a foliar feed as well. Apply MaxSea fertilizer once or twice per month to the foliage. Dilute 1/4 teaspoon of MaxSea into one gallon of water and then apply to the leaves with a mister bottle or a watering can.

More Information: For further information on dormancy, repotting, dividing, and more, check out our website or our YouTube channel.