Recently, we have had considerable interest in our insect-eating sundew plants. These carnivorous plants are not only handy to fight pests around the farm, but are also a great educational tool.
A few months ago, we were able to harvest seeds from our sundews to grow future pest-fighting plants, though we also mentioned that there were other ways to propagate (or cultivate) sundews.
We decided to conduct a small experiment on sundew propagation through leaf and stem cuttings. We did this by cutting a few mature, green sundew leaves from the main plant and placing the cuttings in a container of distilled water. After that, all we had to do was cap the container and wait!
Within a few weeks, signs of growth started to show on different areas of the leaf cuttings (see pics). Propagating from leaf cuttings has a few advantages:
- It is faster than seed propagation
- The new plants are identical clones of the original plant
Though not edible, these plants play a part in ensuring that our food stays fresh and pest-free for our food bank clients!