Carnivorous Plants/potting media

Advertisement

Expert: - 12/15/2008


Question
Hello there,  i've got approx 20 north american pitcher plants and VFT's, all in pots ranging from 8 inches to 16 inch.   when it comes time to repot them, do they all require spag peat moss and perlite?  or can i mix some fresh spag peat moss (or just spag moss) and perlite in with my potting media from last year?  seems like a waste if i just throw all that away.  please advise.

Answer
Hello Darren,

Eventually your old potting medium will go sour. Old sphagnum peat moss and perlite break down slowly and begin to lose their quality. Fresher sphagnum peat moss contains more iodine and keeps bacterial growth at bay longer. It also is spongier and airier so that plant roots can breathe more easily. Perlite breaks down after a year or so and begins to release chemicals that can sicken some species of carnivorous plants like Nepenthes. About the longest such soil should be used is two years. If you are going to mix some new soil in with some of the better looking old soil you could go with a 50% new and 50% old mix and totally replace it every two years. If you were getting some odd growth or slowing in growth in your plants you would want to totally replace the soil with new to ensure that nothing harmful remains near your plant. Any chemicals or minerals would be picked up and might build up in that soil over time, altering the Ph gradually.

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.