FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

The #1 thing that you need is patience.

These threads should give you some ideas on planting seeds. But, I must ask...what kind of seeds are you planting? My main interest is in sundews but have started a few flytraps and have some small purple flytraps I'm trying to "grow up" (thanks MikeB!!!). So, I can't say much about growing flytraps from seed.

With sundews you definitely want a *very* humid environment for germination and then a pretty high humidity level until the seedlings get a little size on them. Some sundews require stratification, lots don't. A 1;1 peat moss to perlite mix is usually recommended...but there are other ratios and a coarse sand is used for some mixes....some sundews do well in most any kind of growing medium while other sundews do better in a more sandy mix...or maybe one with more perlite...or more peat moss. It varies.

Naturally only use rain water or distilled water. I prefer distilled water for germination so that you don't introduce mold or algae spores that might grow faster than the tiny seedlings. Once the seedlings get a little size on them I go to rain water.

Here's a few threads that you might can glean some info from...

A thread on some containers: CUPS, TRAYS, BAGS, AND OTHER "WHAT-HAVE-YOU" CONTAINERS<GRIN>...

This question was for planting sundews. Flytraps can probably start out in 3-4 inch deep pots but will need to go to 6" or deeper ones as they mature. Sundews apparently can handle shallower containers... ARE THESE PLANTERS TOO SHALLOW?

My own deer-in-the-headlights seed planting thread... JUST GOT TWO ENVELOPES OF SEEDS...NOW I'M FREAKIN'OUT!!!!!!!!!

Hope some of that helps!!!

The patience part is true, though. Growing from seed is time consuming. Faster results can be had with leaf cuttings and leaf pullings. Do a search here on the forum for those methods of propagation. Leaf cuttings can produce larger seedlings, faster. The trick is...you've gotta have a plant to take the cuttings from. But, one plant can produce lots of new plants. For example, a 1-1/2" segment of a filiformis leaf could produce 1-3 "strikes"...or plantlets. A filiformis leaf is a long, grass-like sundew so you could have a leaf 12 inches long divided into short sections...you can see how that single leaf could start *several* small plantlets. Smaller plants may only start one or two new plants per leaf...but, they will start out larger and grow faster than seedlings will grow. But, sometimes you get nothing from leaf cuttings...but sometimes you do the same with seeds. Nothings perfect, but I think starting from leaf-cuttings is really worth the effort. The plants started with leaf-cuttings are also identical clones of the parent plant. Plants started from seed can have variances in them. If you get an adult sundew I highly suggest you try leaf-cuttings at least once...you'll see what I'm talking about. I bought some d. tracyii seeds a while back...I would have been *much* better off buying a plant and taking leaf cuttings from it....I'm learning.

I just saw where you're sending in some cape seeds to the seed bank. Your plant would be a good donor for doing leaf cuttings.

Mike, how long do you leave sundews started in those plastic containers before up-potting them to deeper ones?