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Drosera indica


Jiri Vanek

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Hi guys.

Let me share with you first results of my experiment with feeding of D. indica.

In the beginnenig of this year I decided to sow seeds of D. indica in 2 pots and put them to window sill. As soon as they germinated and produced at least 2 leaves I started to feed seedlings in one pot by chips fodder for fish. Seddlings in the second pot are not fed.

In these pictures you can see difference after about 1 month of feeding. Not fed seedlings stopped in about 2mm size and don't grow further. Fed seedlings are after the first month of feeding about 1 cm tall and grow literally before eyes. I don't have to tell you which pot is which I guess :)

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I will keep in observing the situation and bring more pictures in some weeks.

Edited by Jiri Vanek
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Wow! That's brilliant!

I've been doing a smaller scale version with D. filiformis, and even after 2 weeks, you can see a massive difference in size!

Cheers for posting!

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Hi, Jirka,

I never try to feed seedlings (even i knew it can be done with fish-food or drosophila). If this work so significantly good, maybe I'll go and buy some food for my sowings imidietly :smile:. How offten did you fed them? Once a week? I presume, that it is the classic cheap fish food.

Edited by Miloslav Machá�ek
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Hi, Jirka,

I never try to feed seedlings (even i knew it can be done with fish-food or drosophila). If this work so significantly good, maybe I'll go and buy some food for my sowings imidietly :smile:. How offten did you fed them? Once a week? I presume, that it is the classic cheap fish food.

Hi,

yes, it is classic fish food, nothing special. It is hard to say how often I feed them...simply when I have a feeling that there are to many hungry leaves :biggrin: In general it can be about twice a week.

In previous years I had again and again the same problem with D. indica seedlings - in size of about 2-3 mm they stopped growing and after some weeks or a month they died. Now I am quite sure that it was because of the lack of nutrients from prey (=feeding).

I'm not sure if it will work with another species. D. indica is quite known for its food demand and good response to feeding. But you can try it :)

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Hey, great example! I know there are some published reports that CP's do not need to eat in order to survive...

While technically true in some senses, that fact is most carnivorous species do need to eat and will not grow well if they don't get a steady diet of food--prey and/or fertilizer that is made for extra sensitive plants.

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  • 3 months later...

Hi!

I took some pictures of plants after 4 months from the first photos...

Both pots are still at the same place. Both are in absolutely similar condition (temperature, humidity, water) and soil. The biggest plant has about 40 cm from soil to top of the newest leaves now. Note the fast grow of the fed plants (compare pictures from May with these below).

Comparision of hungry and fed plants

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Detail of hungry D. indica:)

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Fed and happy D. indica :)

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Happy grower with happy D. indica :)

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Thanks for comment :smile:

I used to have "bad luck" with D. indica in past. Seeds always germinated very well but seedlings has never grown up and always has died after 5-6 months. They looked absolutely same like that starving little plants above.

Now I know that it wasn't bad luck but they just starved to death. The difference is enormous.

To be honest I have to say that it wasn't my idea to feed D. indica so much but advice of my friend and very experienced grower who I get seeds from.

This white flower clone of D. indica is very big in general. I guess that until fall when it will propably die it could reach about 60 cm.

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H.

D. indica seems to me like an exception - I think there are not many species which would react to feeding like this. There could be many other reasons why your seedlings don't grow well and I would guess that feeding is not the right one. But you can try it.

I would recomend you to try it just slightly. Some species don't like to be fed much and could react negatively.

Good luck!

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Almost every Drosera or any CP will benefit from feeding, some more than others, some actually require feeding and will go into decline and die if they are starved, which includes D. burmanii, D. glandigularia, and many other Dros, and including Aldrovanda!

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Almost every Drosera or any CP will benefit from feeding, some more than others, some actually require feeding and will go into decline and die if they are starved, which includes D. burmanii, D. glandigularia, and many other Dros, and including Aldrovanda!

Yes, I agree. Occasional feeding will be helpful for most CPs. But I think that not many species will react like this. I tried to feed D. filiformis, D. scoriopides, D. capensis and some other ordinary droseras but I haven't noticed any obviously change - positive or negative. But yes - there are some species that require to be fed for good growth. It can be also very useful for tuberous sundews.

On the other hand there can be quite serious problems with mould - undigested rests of fodder quickly go mouldly in higher air humidity or when fodder fall to soil. I had to repot my D. indica twice because of an extreme mould on soil (from dropped fodder) which stroke some plants too.

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