FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey all,

I bought a bunch of pygmy sundew gemmae online from a fellow enthusiast and tossed a few in an existing pot where only 1 pygmy sundew grew up, and made a second pot and tossed in a bunch of gemmae in there.

The gemmae in the old pot are doing great and are turning into sundews, but the ones in the other pot are a bit tiny and I think some of them might have "vanished" (died I guess).

Is it common to lose gemmae when trying to grow them? like some of them just don't make it?

All growing indoors in a mix of 50/50 peat moss perlite under Yescom225s about 10 inches away. I only bottom water the pots with distilled water.

Successful pygmy sundew in the older pot:


Second pot pygmy sundews:

Growing from a tiny scrap of material into an entire plant is a difficult process. Whether seeds or gemmae, some just don't make it. You'll generally lose them over time- some won't sprout at all, some will die as tiny babies. Usually not a high percentage unless something has gone wrong with the culture environment or the seeds/gemmae themselves.

In total I have purchased 5 species of Pygmy Sundews Gemmae on eBay. First 3 from one buyer, second 2 from another. The first 3 sprouted after about a month and are now past ready to be transplanted to new homes. The second 2 have been in media for for close to a month and a half and neither have sprouted yet. Not sure what the second seller did to his but I am certain it has nothing to do with the care they were given when trying to germinate. I would say more so it has to do with how it was harvested and how long they sit around, etc. than anything else.

They are currently in the little plastic seed starters. The plan is to let the soil dry just a bit then cut, using a very sharp exacto knife, the plastic off and drop in to holes in the new pots. Would this be a logical way to accomplish this? I do not know of much of a safer way but if you or anyone else have one I am all ears. Thank you

andynorth wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 10:31 am They are currently in the little plastic seed starters. The plan is to let the soil dry just a bit then cut, using a very sharp exacto knife, the plastic off and drop in to holes in the new pots. Would this be a logical way to accomplish this? I do not know of much of a safer way but if you or anyone else have one I am all ears. Thank you

That will still be a risk. Being that they typically have the one thin root, it’s very easy for it to get snapped. Also, they don’t respond to drying out very well. That’s why pygmies are typically planted in a forever pot as Gemmae. However, your plan is probably your best shot if you really are going to try to transplant them.

I started some in a 2 inch pot before I knew better. I decided I would be better off leaving it in the pot than trying to transplant it. When I lifter the pot out of the water tray, the hair thin tap root was growing out of the drain holes and snapped off. It took it about a week to die.

Interesting. Maybe I will leave them in the plastic trays and just cut each section and plant in new large pots. I pulled them out once and the roots were not yet showing. I guess if I kill them I will get more and plant in large pots to start.

I honestly don't remember if I put a gemmae in the direct center of the pot or not, or if like some airflow in the room blew one in the middle over somewhere else in the pot, or if it rotted away. I don't see any rotted out little circles, and I can see some of the gemmae are growing into little plants now though, so at least some of them made it!

So weird that algae is growing in this pot, when none of the nearby pots have algae.

It's important to let gemmae root after the initial planting. You could do this by providing higher humidity and light. It's possible that your gemmae just failed because the conditions weren't optimal.

I've tried to transplant pygmy sundews in a similar way, removing the entire vertical section of substrate they were in. Those were adults. About half of them died, half of them lived for awhile but then died the instant the substrate got a little drier than usual.

They're best planted directly into the pot they'll stay in for good.

Okay, I'm getting ready to rescue some of the D. Roseana that was getting a little long-in-the-tooth in the seed bank and Chef (hopefully) cleared them all out. What I'm understanding is to plant these in their "forever" pots, like you would dewy pine seeds. No transplanting, etc.,.

Now, my question(s) ...

* No mention has been made of the depth of the pot that works well for these. They are tiny plants but much emphasis has been placed on the thin, threadlike taproot...and its "delicate" nature. Panman mentioned one dying that had a root coming out a drain hole and was broken off when the pot was moved. So, what would be a decent depth for the pot? 4 inches? 6 inches? Deeper?

*The second question is in regards to using peat pots to germinate them in. Could the gemmae be started like dewy pines in peat pots that have savagely had holes poked all in them? Maybe even knock the bottom out, or cut a "window" in the bottom? Then simply plant the peat pot in a larger pot? I really don't see why you would want to do this though (after thinking about it for 3 seconds...the limit of my attention span! ). Why not just put it in its forever pot to begin with, eh?

Okay, so the main question is.... How deep of a pot would be best for these? ...and, thanky very kindly for your very valuable input/feedback/donations of gold bullion/etc.,.

One more question (for now ).

Since I suppose these will grow in a colony, of sorts, would it be better to be sure and have plenty of room around the gemmae and concentrate them toward the center of the pot so the colony will have room to expand outwards? Do I seem confident that these are gonna grow good for me?

I'm just hoping that "the envelope" doesn't arrived tomorrow because I'll be out of town most of the day, my luck it will. But, that's why I painted (creatively, I might add!) my mailbox white. I'm thinking about putting a vent in the upper rear wall...a hole cut into the wall, a pvc 90-degree elbow, and some bug screen. "OCD-Me" strikes again!!!!!! (Hmm, might need some vents in the floor, too.)

And maybe a computer cooling fan and a small solar panel...

I have found a 6 inch deep pot to be adequately deep. I "sowed" the gemmae about 1/4 and inch apart and they filled in nicely. I wouldn't try them in peat pots like the dewy pines. Too much to go wrong, and they are tiny.