I received my first batch of pygmy drosera gemmae in a trade a little over a month ago. While I am always up for trying something new, I really didn’t expect them to be so rewarding, fun, and ridiculously easy!

The gemmae I received were omissa x pulchella. As I mentioned briefly in my sundew post, pygmy sundews have their growing season the winter and are dormant in the summer. You can prevent them from going dormant by keeping them cool and wet. Omissa x pulchella is pretty tolerant of high temperatures, so I will be keeping it shaded in the summer.

I started the gemmae in my space bucket and they seemed to love the LED light! They germinated and began putting out carnivorous leaves within a week! The awesome thing about starting pygmy drosera from gemmae is that they germinate and grow so quickly! It’s just like having seeds but without the need for patience!

Gemmae do have an extremely short shelf-life though. They can be kept in a refrigerator for a few weeks after being harvested from the mother plant, but lose viability with each passing day! Ideally they should sown immediately.

But the absolute best thing about pygmy drosera is simply how tiny and adorable they are! I love looking at them probably a bit too much. I wish I had experienced the joy of growing them years ago.



This pot is now outside in the greenhouse, enjoying the cool temperatures and slowly increasing hours of sunlight!

Those rocks on the surface are actually grains of sand! I still need to get pretty close to take decent pictures. In a couple more months, they will spread out across the surface of the pot like a jeweled carpet!

Naturally, I need more and can’t get enough! But I am running into space issues. In order to make room, some Dionaea and Sarracenia will be up for grabs soon!

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