How to Grow Drosera Spatulata

Commonly called spoon-leaf sundew, Drosera spatulata is a species of carnivorous plant sometimes cultivated in terrariums and container gardens for its unusual, coral-pink foliage. It is a tiny species, growing to less than 1.5 inches in width, with a rosette growth habit of spathulate leaves covered in sticky, hairlike protrusions used to ensnare insects. Drosera spatulata grows readily from seeds and leaf cuttings; it often sends up a cluster of baby plants around its base, so propagation through division is also possible.

Things You'll Need

• 2-inch plastic pots
• Milled sphagnum moss
• 4-inch-deep tray
• Plastic wrap
• Spray bottle
• Utility knife or scalpel
• Baby food jar

Instructions

Growing From Seeds

1. Harvest seeds from a Drosera spatula plant after flowering, or acquire seed from a reputable exotic plant dealer. Handle the seeds carefully since they are tiny and easily blow away with even the gentlest draft.

2. Prepare rooting pots for the Drosera spatulata seeds. Fill 2-inch plastic pots with well rinsed, milled sphagnum moss. Set the pots in a 4-inch-deep tray. Pour water over the pots and into the tray until the water level stands 1/4 inch up the sides of the pots.

3. Place the Drosera spatulata seed on a sheet of white paper so you can more easily see it. A seed looks like a smudge of black dust on the paper. Fold the paper in half lengthwise to make a pouring funnel.

4. Gently shake a small quantity of Drosera spatulata seed into each 2-inch pot. Aim for having no more than a scant pinch of seeds in each pot. Do not cover the seeds.

5. Stretch a length of plastic wrap over the 4-inch-deep tray to keep the warmth and humidity close to the Drosera spatulata seeds.

6. Replace the water inside the tray if it develops algae or evaporates too much. Keep 1/4 inch of water in the tray at all times.

7. Place the tray where it receives bright, indirect light with a temperature around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not place the tray in direct sunlight.

8. Watch for germination starting in seven days. Thin the Drosera spatulata seedlings to one or two per pot. Transplant the other seedlings into other 2-inch plastic pots, if desired.

9. Transplant the Drosera spatulata plants into a terrarium or other permanent container once they develop mature foliage.

Growing From Leaf Cuttings

1. Take one or two leaf cuttings from a healthy, mature Drosera spatulata plant in early summer. Sever the leaves as close to the base of the plant as possible using a utility knife or scalpel.

2. Place the leaf cuttings in a clean baby food jar filled with filtered water. Lean the tips of the leaves against the lip of the jar, with the severed end in the water.

3. Set the leaf cutting on a bright windowsill with no direct sunlight. Watch for rooting beginning in two weeks.

4. Transplant the rooted Drosera spatulata leaf cuttings into a 2-inch plastic pot filled with thoroughly moistened, milled sphagnum moss. Make a shallow depression in the moss. Insert the rooted end of the leaf cutting into the depression and cover it with more moss.

5. Place the potted Drosera spatulata leaf cutting inside a 4-inch-deep tray with a small amount of water in the bottom. Cover the top of the tray with plastic wrap.

6. Transplant the Drosera spatulata leaf cutting into a permanent container or terrarium in four to six weeks.

Growing From Divisions

1. Take divisions from a mature and prolific Drosera spatulata plant in late spring or early summer. Locate one or two small, well-developed pups or offshoots near the base of the mother plant.

2. Slip the blade of a utility knife or scalpel into the soil underneath the Drosera spatulata offshoots. Pry them up gently.

3. Pot the Drosera spatulata offshoots in 2-inch plastic pots filled with rinsed, milled sphagnum moss. Nestle the roots into the sphagnum by gently pressing the moss in around the base of the division.

4. Place the potted division inside a 4-inch-deep tray with a small amount of water in the bottom. Cover the tray with plastic wrap.

5. Keep the Drosera spatulata divisions in the tray for four to six weeks before transplanting them into a terrarium or other appropriate container.

References

• International Carnivorous Plants Society: Growing the Drosera Spatulata Species Group
• GrowSundews.com: Drosera Spatulata, The Spoon-Leaf Sundew