Alice's Sundew (Alice sundew) care

Light

Alice's Sundew needs sun on the leaves, not just bright ambient room light. Wants the brightest spot you can offer: a sunny south- or west-facing windowsill, or a grow light running a 13-16 hour photoperiod. Strong light turns the leaves and tentacles deep red and keeps the rosette tight; in dim light it stays flat green, stretches, and stops producing dew. A south or west-facing windowsill in the northern hemisphere is the default; anywhere else, expect the plant to stretch and pale out within a season.

Watering

Water alice's sundew keep soil constantly damp; tray topped up year-round, easing off slightly in winter. The actual day count varies with pot size, light, and season — the finger test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) is more reliable than a fixed calendar. Empty any drainage saucer afterwards so the pot isn't sitting in water. Use only rain, distilled, or reverse-osmosis water (TDS under 50 ppm) — tap-water minerals will kill it. Stand the pot in a 1-2 cm tray of water (the tray method) and refill before it runs dry. Alice's sundew tolerates a little more dryness than most sundews but never let the media fully dry out.

Soil and pot

Alice's Sundew grows best in nutrient-free carnivorous mix — never standard potting compost or fertilised soil. A 1:1 blend of sphagnum peat and silica sand (or peat and perlite), or 100% long-fibred sphagnum moss. Use a tall pot — its few roots run long. Any compost, lime, or added nutrients will burn the roots and kill the plant. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Alice's Sundew sits happiest at around 50-60% humidity and 10-32°C (50-90°F). Appreciates moderate humidity around 50-60% to keep the dewy mucilage glistening, but it is more forgiving than tropical sundews and copes with average household air. If tentacles stop being sticky, raise local humidity with a tray or a more enclosed spot rather than soaking the leaves. If you keep the room above 10 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed alice's sundew sparingly. Never add fertiliser to the soil — it will scorch the roots. The plant feeds itself by catching gnats and other small insects on its sticky tentacles. Indoors where prey is scarce, you can occasionally offer a tiny insect, rehydrated bloodworm, or fish-food flake to a few leaves, no more than two to four times a month; overfeeding rots the leaves. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on alice's sundew in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Tentacles lose their dew / not sticky — Usually too little light, low humidity, or a recently moved plant. Increase light to a bright sunny window or grow light, keep it in one stable spot, and raise local humidity; never mist the dew off.
• Browning leaves or sudden dieback — Most often mineral damage from tap or bottled mineral water, or fertiliser in the soil. Switch to rain/distilled water (under 50 ppm TDS) and repot into a nutrient-free peat-sand mix.
• Soft, mouldy crown or rotting leaves — Fungal rot from stagnant, waterlogged conditions and poor airflow. Improve ventilation, avoid letting the tray stay flooded constantly, and remove dead leaves and any aphid-infested flower stalks promptly.
• Distorted or stunted new growth — Aphids, mealybugs, or thrips attacking the crown. Remove by hand or use a diluted, carnivorous-safe insecticide — never soap-based products, which sundews tolerate poorly.
• Flat, pale green, stretching rosette — Not enough light. Healthy plants are tight and red-tinged; a sprawling green rosette means it needs a much brighter position or supplemental grow lighting on a 13-16 hour day.
• Plant shrivels to its roots in winter — A cold-stress response rather than death. Alice's sundew has no true dormancy but can die back if chilled; keep it frost-free and it typically regrows from the roots in spring.

Propagation

Easiest by leaf cuttings — lay a healthy leaf on damp sphagnum or float it on mineral-free water in bright light and plantlets form within weeks. It also divides readily when clumps crowd the pot, and flower-stalk cuttings or seed both work (seed needs no cold stratification, though seedlings are slow). Self-pollinating flowers often set viable seed unaided. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Alice's Sundew is mildly toxic to pets. The ASPCA does not individually list Drosera aliciae, and no sundew or Drosera species appears anywhere in its toxic or non-toxic plant database, so a clean pet-safe status cannot be confirmed. As a precaution treat it as mildly toxic — ingestion of any plant matter can cause mild stomach upset or vomiting — and verify with your vet before allowing pet access. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Alice's Sundew deep-dive guides

Every aspect of alice's sundew care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Alice's Sundew watering schedule
• Alice's Sundew light requirements
• Best soil mix for alice's sundew
• Alice's Sundew fertilizing guide
• When to repot alice's sundew
• How to propagate alice's sundew
• Alice's Sundew growth rate & size
• Alice's Sundew cold hardiness
• Alice's Sundew temperature & humidity
• Is alice's sundew toxic to cats & dogs?

Related guides

Alice's Sundew is also known as Alice's sundew, Alice sundew, and Alice's flytrap.

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