How to Germinate Drosera Regias

Drosera regia is commonly known as the king sundew. It is a carnivorous plant that can be grown outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 and above. In zone 8, it must be brought indoors before the first hard frost. They have thin green leaves up to 18 inches long. The plant produces clusters of purple flowers, and when two or more flowers are open at the same time, they can produce seeds. King sundews are most easily propagated from root cuttings; however, the seeds will germinate and grow into seedlings under the right conditions.

Polypropylene cloth weed block
Sharp scissors
Sharp utility knife
3 ½-inch-wide by 3 ½-inch-tall plastic containers with drain holes
Long fiber sphagnum moss
5-gallon buckets
Distilled or RO purified water
#12 sand-blasting sand
Garden hose with spray nozzle
Sharp kitchen knife
Spoon
Spray bottle
Small zipper-lock plastic bags
Fluorescent light fixture
Slow-release 19-6-12 plant fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Use scissors or a sharp utility knife to cut 3 ½-inch by 3 ½-inch squares of cloth weed block. Place one square of weed block in the bottom of each container.
- 2
  Place up to 2 ½ gallons of sphagnum moss into a 5-gallon bucket. Fill the bucket with water until it covers the sphagnum moss or until the bucket is three-quarters full. Stir the water around by hand to wash the sphagnum moss. Pick the wet sphagnum moss up by hand. Squeeze the water out and put the moss into an empty bucket. Fill the bucket with the rinsed sphagnum moss to one-half to three-quarters full with distilled or RO water. Stir the water and sphagnum moss by hand. Remove the rinsed sphagnum moss from the water. Squeeze the water out and place it in a clean bucket.
- 3
  Pour sand into a bucket until it is up to half full. Take the bucket of sand outdoors. Use a hose with a spray nozzle to wash the sand. Use a strong spray to loosen dust and impurities from the sand. Tip the bucket to empty the water when it is full, being careful not to dump the sand. Repeat the process at least ten times or until the rinse water looks clear. Pour distilled or RO water into the bucket until the sand is covered. Stir the sand by hand to remove salts and impurities that may be left from the tap water. Pour the water off carefully and repeat the rinse twice.
- 4
  Chop the rinsed sphagnum moss into fine pieces with a sharp kitchen knife. Chop enough to fill the containers to ½-inch from the top. Pour equal parts chopped sphagnum moss and clean sand into a bucket. Mix it thoroughly by hand or with a large spoon.
- 5
  Fill the containers with the sand-sphagnum moss mix to ½-inch from the top. Smooth and lightly firm the mixture with the back of a spoon. Spread the seeds over the top of the mix. Use a spray bottle set to a fine mist spray to gently mist the seeds with purified water.
- 6
  Place each planted container into a zipper-lock plastic bag. Pour ½ inch of purified water into the bottom of each bag and seal it.
- 7
  Set up a fluorescent light fixture with four 40-watt cool or warm white bulbs. Place the containers beneath the light fixture. Set the lights 1 foot above the plastic bags and leave them on. Add more purified water to the bags as necessary to maintain a depth of ½ inch. The seeds should germinate in three to four weeks but may take longer. Place five slow-release 19-6-12 plant food pellets in each container after the seedlings have grown four leaves.

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