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Carnivorous Plants/nepenthes question
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Question
I am thinking about getting a nepenthe,but i am not sure if I can use "Eco-earth" or coconut fibers from the pet-store.My local nurseries only carry peat moss in bulk and it is expensive.The coco fibers come in a brick form and need to be soaked in a bucket of water and the water in Las Vegas NV in about 300ppm.
Hi Hughes,
We've used coconut products on and off with Nepenthes. If you can find the chips that is the better product. We used to use half coco chips with half long-fiber sphagnum moss. The ground up product, also known as coir, is much less desireable.
See if you can find long-fiber sphagnum moss. This mixed with some perlite makes a great planting medium for Nepenthes. We actually buy ours at Home Depot or Lowes for a reasonable price.
If you end up using coco chips, and need to soak them, do it with distilled water or water purified by reverse osmosis. Las Vegas water is way too hard even for Nepenthes. I'm surprised it was only 300ppm. I once took my TDS meter with me when I was in town for a conference and tested the water at the Palace Station. It was 650ppm! It was the hardest water I've every seen.
You can also order pre-mixed Nepenthes media from us or any number of online carnivorous plant nurseries.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
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Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
Just the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate
thousands of carnivorous plants each year.
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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION: We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?). Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?) For general plant care, please read our care sheets on our main website: http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets For business questions: http://www.cobraplant.com/contact |
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