Do The Dew . . . SUNDEW!

Aliens

Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings
Kathy Lawler — Guest Blogger
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Sounds like something warm and fuzzy… right?  Sundews.  Conjures up a happy day with sunshine and light with the promise of morning dew.  Not so much! 
 
Sundews are part of a family of carnivorous plants and there are over 194 species of them.  These plants attract insects to their dewy stems.  Sundews are perennial, and we have been growing both Sundews and Venus Flytraps indoors for the last two years. 
 
We originally bought our Sundews to photograph and the size of this red part in photo is about only a 1/4 of an inch!
 
Then we discovered another thing they were really great for…
 
Turns out that these plants have been our best defense in trying to combat those natty little files that live in the soil around your indoor plants.  We had tried several other solutions, including placing sand around the top of the pot but nothing seems to work as well as having a few Sundews in the room with the plants.  Needless to say our problem was solved, and in a way that didn’t involve any chemicals or sprays.
 
Sundews have tentacles that are covered with a sticky secretion that is sweet to attract insects and is gooey to ensnare them.  Small insects are attracted to the secretions and upon touching them, become stuck to the plant and are not able to escape.  The enzymes in the secretions dissolve the insects.  Gross right?
 
Your kids and grandkids will love these!  We've found Sundews and Venus flytraps these days everywhere – at our local nursery, hardware store, and even in the gift shop of a local science museum.
 
There are some things you need to do to grow these in your home.  Ours are sitting in a tray of water to keep the plants moist and you should never let them dry out. We also use distilled water to eliminate the excess minerals in water.  We also have them in a very sunny location with 6 or more hours of light per day. 
 
And we keep them happy by supplying the bugs!
 
Thank you for visiting!
Kathy
 
P.s.       Have you used any natural method to combat pests?  Have you ever grown carnivorous plants?  Share your stories with us; let's compare notes.

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