Expert: Christopher Littrell - 5/16/2009

Question
QUESTION:  Hi I have dirt for a S. purpurea and I was wondering if I could use that dirt on my Nepenthes x 'judith finn' "just bought" without killing it or it being stuned for when it gets bigger. would it work???

ANSWER: Hello Blake,

When you say you have "dirt" what kind of soil is it? Most carnivorous plants require acidic sphagnum peat moss mixed with about 50% silica sand or perlite.

Nepenthes like more drainage in their soil. They can live in the regular 50/50 mix that your Sarracenia lives in, but you would have to be especially cautious about overwatering. Better yet would be to mix or buy Nepenthes soil that is in a ratio of 1 part sphagnum peat, 1 part orchid bark, and 1 part coconut husk. That mix works well and it is what I have mine in. Nepenthes need a lot of drainage as they sometimes die from root rot in soil that remains too wet. Never leave standing water in a tray under them for more than a day at a time, and never more than a fraction of an inch. You can buy premixed Nepenthes soil at cobraplant.com.

Christopher

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I bought the soil from a prof. site many yers ago and I truly cant rember what site it is, the bag says "Standard Soil Mix potting soil for Flytraps, Sarracenia and Drosera species. Moisten thoroughly with warter before using" Ime not sure if this will help you any with answering my question. thanks for telling me what to mix to make the soil, I was just trying to save some mony rather then go out and buy some perfect soil for it

Thanks alot
         Blake

Answer
Hello Blake,

That mix would be O. K. in the short run, but you really need more drainage for long term potting of a Nepenthes. A Nepenthes requires a more balanced mix of water, light, and temperature than other carnivorous plants. Moderation would be the watch word for Nepenthes in the case of water. If you use the Sarracenia mix, try to mix a handful of perlite to it for every two handfuls of Sarracenia mix to give it more drainage and just water the plant like a house plant every three or four days, allowing a little water to drain out the bottom before stopping, and just let what little water drains out to evaporate from the tray over the next day. Make sure the perlite is not fertilized as many companies sell it with all kinds of additives that should not be used with carnivorous plants. In the case of carnivorous plants, getting the soil perfect, or as close as possible, is often the difference between a live plant and a dead one.

Christopher