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Carnivorous Plants/soil
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Question
I have a sundew, pitcher, and venus fly trap and i re-
potted them using the methods illustrated in your podcast.
I am using canadian orgaic sphagnum peatmoss. my question
is..the only perelite i can find in stores (im still
looking) is miracle grow..and it has a little plant food
added in somehow..should i buy this or should i just go
with the s. peatmoss? (is the perelite REALLY needed)
Hello Matthew,
I think you have me mixed up with someone else as I do not have a podcast. In any event, never use fertilized products with carnivorous plants.
You can order unfertilized and premixed soil from cobraplant.com if you are unable to obtain unfertilized perlite. Perlite provides drainage and redcuces the chances of water retention causing root rot in plants.
You can try to find silica sand with no additives at nurseries as well and just mix that with the sphagnum moss in a 1/1 ratio.
The idea is just to find a neutral substance that has no minerals (calcium, salt, and magnesium mainly) or additives that would harm carnivorous plants.
Christopher
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Answers by Expert:
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.
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