Dionaea

Sundew family · 1 in this guide

Substrate

Four parts fertiliser-free peat to one part perlite. Repot every 1-3 years, during winter, and choose a tall pot over a wide one.

Pot

Plastic, not terracotta.

Water

Tray method, keeping a few centimetres of distilled, rain or reverse-osmosis water in the tray throughout the growing season — never let it dry out. During winter dormancy the soil may dry slightly between waterings, but never so much that it pulls away from the pot edge.

Location and light

Full sun: outdoors is best, or under grow lights at 15-30 cm with a 10-12 hour photoperiod. A windowsill is possible but harder; a closed terrarium is not recommended because of limited airflow and light. In a hot, dry climate give some afternoon shade or 30% shade cloth.

Temperature

Tolerates -7 to 32 °C, briefly even around 40 °C. Winter dormancy is essential, triggered by 4-16 °C and shorter days: keep the plant in an unheated space, mulch it heavily outdoors, or bare-root it and store it in damp sphagnum in the refrigerator from October to February.

Source: the per-species habitat data elsewhere in this guide, summarised by genus.