This guide is based on my experience with Drosera leaf cuttings, I'm sure other growers have different methods but the method described here works well for me.  The information on how to propagate Drosera by leaf cutting was gained from several threads on the excellent CPUK forum and lots of experimentation; this article is intended to pull this information into one place.

Step 1: Take the cuttings.
For plants with longs leaves such as D. capensis or D. filiformis I cut the leaf into roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) sections with a pair of scissors.

For plants with shorter leaves such as D. rotundifolia, D. intermedia and D. collinsiae, I tend to tug at the leaf until it comes away from the stem with its petiole.

You should select a mature leaf, but not one that is already dying. I also try to choose a leaf with as few insects on as possible.

Step 2: Place the cuttings in water.
Simply place the cuttings in a clear container with at least 1 inch of water in the bottom. In my experience adding any sugar to the water just caused fungus to grow, I really can't recommend it.

The container for this part could be a jam jar, Chinese takeaway tub or such like. The container I use is a clear food storage container bought from a supermarket. It is 8.5 cm wide and 6.5 cm tall and has an airtight lid:

A lid is not important but it does stop anything such as fungal spores getting into the container and sending the water off.

The water must be suitable for CPs and not tap water. At first I used rainwater that had been boiled and allowed to cool, although this worked okay, I found I had to change it often as it would turn green with algae after a week or three. I then switched to using ‘Deionised Water’ from Halfords, this never seems to develop algae and so does not need to be changed.  I would expect distilled water and RO filtered water to be similar to ‘Deionised Water’ in resisting algae.

If you do see any sign of algae, change the water.

Step 3: Leave the container in a bright place for the cuttings to develop plantlets.
I store my containers on an east facing window that gets a few hours of sunshine in the morning. The bottom shelf of a greenhouse has also been suggested as a suitable place to store the containers.

It should be remembered that not all cuttings will work, and some will just rot. You should remove any leaves that begin to rot to prevent it spreading to any good leaves.

When the plantlets start to develop they should look something like this:

These are some D. binata var. multifida cuttings after 3 weeks. There are not always so many plantlets; sometimes only one will develop.

The time it takes the plantlets to start developing can vary a lot, do not give up on a cutting unless the leaf shows signs of rotting.

Step 4: When the plantlets are large enough, transfer the cuttings to a pot.
When to transfer the cutting to a pot is not an exact science, the cuttings can survive for quite a while in the water. The longer the growth points are, the easier and less fiddly the process of transferring the cutting to a pot is.

This photo shows the cuttings at the point I decided to transfer them from the water into a pot.

I plant my cuttings is 100% sphagnum moss peat, though others use LFS or Supersphag.
My method is to mostly fill a pot up with peat, and then use a sieve to put a layer of very fine peat at the top of the pot. I then use my fingers to gently compress this fine peat so the surface is firm.

I then place the cuttings onto the surface, with the new growing points upwards. Next a layer of fine peat is sieved onto the surface until the cuttings are just covered. I then use a mister/sprayer to gently spray the surface of the pot with rainwater until the growing points of the cuttings are exposed. The aim of all this is to end up with the new growing points above the surface of the peat and the main leaf below the surface.

Once done the pot will look something like this pot with 3 cuttings in it:

Step 5: Keep the pot standing in water in a bright place.
In the cooler months I put the pot into a terrarium for this stage, thus ensuring the plantlets get enough warmth and light. In the warmer months I just put the pot on a bright (south facing) windowsill. The plantlets seem to have no problem coping with full sunshine so long as they are kept very wet for the first 2 or 3 weeks while they establish roots.

After a few weeks the plantlets should become established. This photo shows the binata cutting after two weeks in the pot:

This photo shows the same plants after five weeks in the pot. They have been kept outside in full sun for the last two weeks:

At some point the plantlets need to be separated into individual pots, and then the job is complete. 

Step 6: Divide up the plants into individual pots.
If the plantlets are crowded in the pot, then they will need to be separated into individual pots once they have become established.  This can be done any time from about 8 weeks to 1 year after potting.

To separate the plants, carefully remove from the soil and gently tease the plants’ tangled roots apart.  The original leaf cutting should have rotted away by this time, but if it is still connecting the plants it can be cut so long as each plant has its own root system.  The separated plants should then be potted into their individual pots.

After being potted for about 6 months, the cuttings used in this example were separated into over 20 pots.  This final photo shows one of the pots one year after the original cuttings were taken.

by Chris Garry