Insects Unwrapped

QUESTION:
Hi. I'm growing many tropical species of Sundews in a terrarium indoors. They are all growing well mostly due to your e-Book which is absolutely great by the way. And I was just wondering if Lance Leaf Sundews (Drosera adelae), like Cape Sundews (Drosera capensis), are supposed to have their leaves curl around their prey. It's not mentioned anywhere that I see on your site or e-Book, but one of mine did it, while one of the others did not. They are all recently purchased plants so they're just about done regenerating all their dew and things.

ANSWER:
In general Lance Leaf Sundews don't wrap their their leaves around prey. We have witnessed the tentacles move, and sometimes the end of a leaf bends in, but the whole leaf usually stays stationary. This is also true for the Fork Leaf Sundews (Drosera binata) and Dewthreads (Drosera filiformis).

Stick with Plastic Pots in Winter

QUESTION:
I have your e-Book (It's great!), and I plan to use technique #4 (storage bin & perilite) to winterize my plants since I live in zone 5. I was curious, is it OK to re-use the perilite afterwards or do I have to discarde it after I'm done winterizing?

Also, I have my venus flytraps & a hooded pitcher plant in African Violet Pots. Is it OK to have these types of carnivorous plants in these types of pots? If it is, then when I winterize them using technique #4 should I only put the inner unglazed portion of the pot in the bin w/the perilite or should I transfer them to plastic pots that have drainage holes?

ANSWER:
It's fine to use your perlite since it is a relatively sterile media anyway. As for your pots, repot them in regular plastic pots. If you do get a stretch of very cold weather, the African violet pots stand a good chance of breaking. You could transfer them back in the spring. That would be a good time to give them fresh soil anyway.

Is Fungus a Problem with an Outdoor Bog?

QUESTION:
Is fungus less of a problem on plants planted in a bog garden? Here in central Maryland in zone 7 we are just getting into the 40's at night and 60-70 daytime. Should I treat the plants prior to winter. As I intend to leave them out all winter protected with pine needle mulch.

ANSWER:
Fungus is definitely less of a problem in an outdoor bog. It doesn't hurt to spray them with a fungicide prior to mulching. Pine needles are a superb mulch since they allow the plants to breath some, and they tend to inhibit some fungal growth due to their high acidity. As long as water isn't standing on the soil surface your plants should be fine.