If you like unusual plants, you'll want to add Sundew Plant to your collection. Its other-worldly foliage and strange eating habits make it a fascinating carnivorous plant for the collector.
Sundew features long leaves that grow in a rosette. Round, disk-like leaves are covered with red glandular hairs -- or tentacles -- that secrete a sticky juice, luring flies and other insects. Fooled into mistaking that glistening liquid for nectar, bugs are attracted to them. As soon as the bugs land, they're stuck. Then the action starts: As the insect struggles, the leaf seems to gobble it, holding the bug with its tentacles and smothering it. Sundews produce a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein from the insect so that it can be absorbed by the plant. You can expect small, white flowers to appear in summer, rising above the rosette on tall stems. Each flower is short-lived, but you'll get dozens of blooms from healthy plants during the growing season. Wait for flowers to dry and you can collect their seeds - they're viable and ready to sow for more Sundews.
Don't fertilize because it will burn the roots and may kill the plant. Since sundews are unlikely to catch insects in the house, you can feed it dead flies spring through fall. Don't use flies that have been exposed to insecticide because it will damage the plant.
Cool to average room temperatures 60-75°F/16-24°C; In winter, a cold rest is needed 32-50°F/1-10°C. It will tolerate a little frost. High heat may cause dormancy, so it's best to maintain normal room temps for it.
