Expert: Christopher Littrell - 3/27/2011

Question
QUESTION: im new to nepenthes with the nepenthes sanguinea going to be my first purchase. i am wanting to order it soon. but am not sure about the soil mixture. so far i have perlite, sphagnum moss, and coconut husks. I've read that i can make a good mix out of this for nepenthes. is this true? what is you opinion on soil for nepenthes, and your favorite recipe?

thank you,

Austin.

ANSWER: Hello Austin,

Nepenthes are generally tolerant of a wide range of soil mixtures so long as a few main considerations are met.

1. Low fertilizer content. Even though Nepenthes can tolerate some small amount of fertilizer added to their soil, less is always more when growing carnivorous plants. Ensure that the perlite and moss are not the fertilized brands in small bags, like Miracle-Gro. Use only dry bales from nurseries or go to carnivorous plant specialist sites that sell unfertilized mixtures (like cobraplant.com).

2. Acidic soil. Sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum long fiber or live sphagnum moss all provide that consideration.

3. Aeration. Chunks of organic and inorganic and low mineral content materials (like perlite and coconut husk or orchid bark) take care of this consideration. Make sure the coconut husk you have is not cocopeat. Cocopeat is the fiber around the shell of the coconut that is often sold as a sphagnum moss substitute and sometimes has salt mixed in for some reason. That salt would be a bad idea in carnivorous plant soil. If you use coconut husk, make sure it is the shell or fiber that does not have any additives.

4. Water content. The soil mix must be able to hold in some water, taken care of by the moss once again, yet provide a great deal of drainage, provided by the larger chunks of material, like perlite and bark or coconut shell. Nepenthes love water, but they need less of it than bog dwelling plants like Venus Flytraps in general. They do not like to sit in a tray of water and prefer watering every couple of days just enough to keep their soil moist, but not waterlogged. If their roots are kept constantly in water, like what happens with large trays under bog plants, Nepenthes tend to rot out and die.

It really does not matter too much what combination of materials you use. Nepenthes will do well so long as about 1/3 of the material is acidic moss, 1/3 is small particles of matter like perlite, and 1/3 is large particles like orchid bark or coconut shell chunks.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: thanks! my only question now is this, My coconut material is much like Bed A Beast, just a different brand. exo terra if i remember correctly. do you know anything about this? i threw away the wrapper days ago. my soil will consist of 1/3 orchid bark, 1/3 sphagnum moss (long fiber), and 1/3 coconut husk. does this sound good?

Answer
Hello Austin,

If the coconut material if fibrous, be wary of using it due to the possibility of salt added to it. The shell or husk of the coconut , without salt, would be fine for use, so long as you are sure what is actually in it. You may need to contact the product provider and ask what, if any, additives they put in their product just to be on the safe side.

If it is not loaded with additives, it will be fine to use on Nepenthes.

Christopher