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Carnivorous Plants/Help! Wrong soil used
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Question
Hi Jeff. I am putting in a big bog garden. It is 16 to 18 inches deep on the side I have a problem with. It is filled with 50/50 peat/perlite for most of it and the last 5 or 6 inches using 50/50 peat/sand.
My problem is that 1/2 bale of Natures Compost with 2 bags of sand were mixed and spread out on the top layer on one side of the bog late yesterday afternoon, nothing has been added since. The contents on the bag says it is a mix of sphagnum peat moss, age fir bark, and forest products compost.
My question: Is the bog now ruined for sarracenia, flytraps, and sundews? This happened yesterday late afternoon and it rained a little last night. Even if I take off the top layer that was the compost mix, I am afraid the compost may have leached through that. Will this compost kill whatever I put in there, or is there anything you can suggest short of starting over? This is a huge bog, 20" deep one one side and there are 12 bales of peat moss mixed with 50% perlite and sand, so a big project that was almost complete.
Desperately need advice of what to do. Thank you
Hi Joni,
I don't think all is lost. Just shovel out the compost, and take a little of the peat mix too. Next, put your garden hose in the bog, leave the water on low, and let it flood for overnight. Essentially you want to leach out any nutrients that got in there. Be careful not to have the water on too much as to wash out soil media.
The Sarracenia will not miss a beat. They'll be fine. Since sundews are fairly shallow rooted, they will probably ok also. You might hold off on flytraps for a while, however. They seem the most sensitive to fertilizer. Let mother nature rain on the bog for a couple weeks, then you should be fine.
If my raised garden bed is any indicator, the rain should leach it out just fine. Last March I put about 10 bags of steer manure on my raised garden bed in March. In June I tested the soil and the nitrogen didn't even register. I might as well have had pitcher plants in there as opposed to tomatoes!
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
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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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