Hi, Kathyrine: Photos would really help. In lieu of them, here are the questions I always ask and the answers I give if they are affirmative: 1. Did you repot back into the same pots or go up one or two sizes? IMO, overpotting is one of the biggest killers of any plant. With AVs, it is best to stay with the same size pot (or even go down a size). If you went up (especially if you root-pruned), there may not be enough of a root system to absorb the water and the plant drowns. Most recommend 4" as the biggest you should use. The largest pot I use is a 5" Oyama Planter but that's only for my Apache and Wrangler's hybrids which get huge. All my others are in 4" or smaller pots. 2. Are your AVs in straight AV soil? If so, buy perlite (coarse is best but any will "do") and make your mix at least 3 parts perlite to 1 part soil. As Tommy said, they like airy soil. And this mix dries faster and helps prevent rot that straight, heavy AV soild can cause. IMO, if you feel the plants are dying, then remove from current pots, uses the 3:1 mix and do as Loretta said and put in a dome. Just make sure the soil is damp and not wet; I learned the hard way how easy it is to rot any plant you put under a dome if the soil is too wet. I, personally, never remove leaves even when I take off over half a root ball. I haven't had a necky plant in years but when restarting them for friends I leave leaves intact. I've not had any problems. However, cutting leaves is a good idea as you can put them down in damp, straight perlite and put under domes. That way, even if your others don't make it you will have their babies. Cut the stems in an angle. And make sure the cut is to the front of the leaf; that way the babies will spout in front instead of behind the mother leaf. That's another thing I learned the hard way. Good luck, Linda

Holy Guacamole! "Can be fertilized monthly spring through fall if its owner is feeling generous. An alternative is a granular slow release fertilizer if applied annually in the early spring." If your generous enough to kill your plant! Definitely this person has no idea how to grow Cape Sundews! Look at the pic this person is providing! The poor thing! Under developed leaves and stringy stem, obviously due to lack of light! ThatâÂÂs what I mean they give general instructions of how to care for your CPs, like adding potting soil to your mix will definitely kill you plants. Reading, "Use a GOOD rich potting soil" is killing me and it will kill your plant! The true and proven potting mix is 1:1 perlite and sphagnum peat moss (no additives added to it like wetting agents and/or fertilizer). "be careful as it could be acidic", that where these plants grow in, in an acidic media. And only suitable for greenhouse is totally wrong! ThatâÂÂs the reason people get discourage with these silly instructions. I feel like kicking the person on his⦠you know where⦠;^D One thing I don't understand is why it says it doesn't flower yet states cape sundews can be grown from seeds. O_o ?? I clinked the link for Carnivore and they have those silly instructions for Pings, VFT (according to them VFT donâÂÂt flower either), D auriculata (which require media that drains well). This person was coping and pasting the instructions on how to grow these plants. They at least provide better potting mix for the neps.

Hi ET, Sorry, no it's a bad idea. Putting rocks in the bottom actually causes problems, it doesn't help drainage as most folks think. What makes it an AV pot, is it self-watering? AVs & succulents have COMPLETELY different watering needs. This is likely to rot the succulents mighty fast, sorry a bad idea.

I don't use those pots. Oh, I've looked at them, they are cute, but I am too cheap ;-p couldn't buy one for each and every of my way too many plants.... The 'problem' is likely not your pot, but the potting medium you are using. If you search this forum, or google, for 'wick watering', you will probably find a lot of different soil recipes. When I wick water, I use about 2/3 perlite to 1/3 commercial African violet (or seedling) mix. "Nice and fluffy" is the motto here. Coarse perlite is worth getting. I just discovered the promix perlite and it's a better grade than fafard or miracle gro, which I used before. Other recipes include 1/2 perlite, 1/4 vermiculite, 1/4 peat (which I usually use av mix for), plus some "interesting" additives such as lime, molasses, egg shells, worm castings, bat guano etc. - read up in what they do, decide for yourself. I've started using a bit of lime, especially with plants I don't repot as often as I should. The other stuff, well, I am sure the people who use them believe in it.... For a self watering pot, you want to be careful to find perlite and soil that don't have fertilizers added. The constant moisture plays havoc with time release capsules, so quite often it all gets released at once and builds up as a crust on top of the soil. Or even kills the plant. For more general advice on growing African violets, read through this forum, look up "Rachel's reflections" and also check out the "all about African violets" podcasts. The latter actually includes a project where she starts a grocery store African violet in one of those self watering pots, and observes how it does... Good luck! Karin