Drosera madagascariensis

[Rob-Rah]

I have a D madagascariensis (or something masquerading as one - weren't there some ID issues a few years ago?). It has gone dormant - as I expected.

Easy question:

Do I keep it wet, moist or dry for the winter?

Cheers.

[Guest Sheila]

Is D. madagascariensis supposed to go dormant? Mine is in a heated propogater. It is still growing very well, and is very sticky. This is how it was looking yesterday, it would be a shame to have to put it into dormancy.

[Guest]

Heh, mine is flowering.. if this is supposed to go dormant I think I'm in trouble

[Rob-Rah]

I was under the impression that it died down to the roots in colder conditions and then reshoots in spring......??

[CP2k]

I am not sure how this plant will respond to cold temperatures, but it grows year-round for me.

[vic brown]

Some of the best grown and tallest D madagascariensis I've ever seen, were in the collection of Paul McKeown, at his open day in the summer. He told me that he cut them all down at soil level each winter and they came back bigger and stronger each year. They were growing in a greenhouse along with Sarras, so presumably it gets pretty cool in there (frost free though).

I've only got a young plant (5cm tall), so I don't think I'll risk it this year, but it is worth considering.

Vic

[Siggi_Hartmeyer]

D. madagascariensis is growing well beside my Nepenthes at our heated greenhouse since many years without any dormancy. I would be careful to put it beside the Sarras during winter. In fact, if it is cutted back, the roots will survive protected by the soil. I cut them only, if they grow too high, loosing the lower traps and thus looking poor. If you cut it, just stick the top into the soil and it will soon develop new roots. This Sundew is very easy to propagate.

During summer 2003 with temperatures around 45 centigrade (inside the greenhouse) for many weeks, the plant was lovely flowering and produced seeds. Obviously it loves high temperatures.

[pwilson]

I have grown this species for several years now. I keep it in an unheated greenhouse, though it probably rarely freezes due to the size of the greenhouse and the relatively mild winters we get here. The plant dies back each autumn and reapears in the spring. I keep the soil damp while it is dormant.

I would imagine you could keep the plant growing constantly by keeping it tropical. Like a lot of Drosera this one is a bit of an opportunist and will adapt according to the conditions it is kept in.

However, this plant will grow quite tall and usually flops over by the end of the growing season from its own weight. I would imagine that with a few years in constant growth the plant would get pretty straggly unless it naturally regrows from the base and dies off from the top anyway.

Phil

[Ellis]

I just received some seeds of this species from a friend in Belgium! What soil and humidity shall I sew them in?

[pond boy]

I don`t believe they go dormant.

[sundewmatt]

D.madagascariensis grows throughout Africa so plants from different collection locations respond differently. One of my tropical African contacts tells me that, in habitat, some plants go dormant during the winter and some plants don't. The ones which remain wettest usually don't, even in the cold. In cultivation, cutting your plants back is a great idea as I've found that plants with long stems tend to crap out, eventually dying and putting up newer, stronger plants on their own. If you cut your plants, they'll do this sooner.

[pwilson]

I've been experimenting this year growing my plants with a native Restio (a South African reed-like species).

The results are quite impressive. The plants successfully climb through the Restio and the flower scapes even appear to be slightly prehensile (twisting around the Restio).

I will probably chop the Restios down to ground level as as far as I can remember, they don't go dormant, even when frozen.

I'll post a picture here when I get the chance.

Phil

[JanW]

I'll post a picture here when I get the chance.

Phil, I would love to see that one!

Jan

[wilnadon]

Another gambit to increase the plants is allowing the main stem to cascade down the side of the pot, putting the apical meristem below the level of the pot rim . I did this and got 4 or 5 shoots which came up in the same pot, without having to cut back the main stem.

I did the same thing with mine though involuntarily as the plant became too tall and fell over on it's own. Since then the plant has sent up two new plants from the root system with the main stem still in tact and scrambling along the bottom of the terrarium just fine. I've always read this plant doesn't require a dormancy but will survive just fine through one. Mine hasn't gone dormant yet but I've only been growing it for a year.