Expert: Christopher Littrell - 7/22/2011

Question
QUESTION: My Sundews have arrived in the mail from BugBitingPlants today. In the bag of soil they shipped, there is white/light grey colored small rocks/pebbles. Is this perlite?

Also, instructions weren't included as to how I should mix these components of the soil. Do I mix the small rocks all throughout the Sundew soil they sent in a 1:1 ratio? Or do I put all the small rocks at the bottom of the 4" plastic pots, and then put the soil on top? I heard this is good for drainage.

I received 6 individual Sundews and I am intending on planting each plant in its own separate 4" plastic pot. I got 1 Drosera Binata, 2 Drosera Capensis, 1 Drosera Nitidula x Ericks, 1 Drosera Spat, and 1 Drosera Pretty. Those were the names written of the bags.

I am currently waiting until you respond before I plant my Sundews, as I don't wish to do anything that would harm them. Thanks for your time in reading and responding to my question!

ANSWER: Hello Devon,

I would not know if the material they shipped is perlite, but if they sent it as a component of soil specific to the Sundews they sent you I would hope that it is.

If the material is perlite, you may be able to tell if it seems like a very light volcanic rock type texture and weight, then yes, it would best be mixed 1:1 ratio with the sphagnum peat moss. Carnivorous plants tend to like their driange mixed in with the moss as that adds air spaces and breaks the soil up a bit.

Whan placing the soil in pots, you can just mix mineral free or very soft (not salt softened) water below 50 parts per million in mineral solids with the soil for a few minutes so it absorbs enough water to be about the consistency or clay. When squeezed, the the soil mix should yeild a trickle of water if enough has been added to it. Let it set a few minutes, then put enough into a pot to fill it up to about 1/4 inch from the top of the pot. Do not squeeze the soil down tightly as that will remove a lot of the water and air spaces and suffocate the roots. Just allow the soil to fall in the pot and settle with minimal tamping. When you press your finger on the surface down a fraction of an inch, the soil mix should rebound somewhat sponge like.

Just press a hole in the center of the pot with your finger down far enough to feed the sundew roots in and gently drop soil in around the roots, firming gently as you go until the sundew is standing up well anchored in the pot. If the sundew, particularly the low lying round leaf sundews, get soil on the tentacles, just spray then off lightly with a spray bottle of water and
pick off pieces with tweezers or a toothpick if you like. It is not a big deal and the Sundews generally grow so quickly that new leaves overlie the leaves with soil stuck to them. This happens almost every time when repotting sundews. Once repotted, just place them where they can get plenty of light all day and let them recover. Leaving them alone for a few days is a good idea, but just look them over for signs of new growth and health issues. As long as new leaves are growing in from the center of the Sundew, it should be fine. You can place them in a bright window where morning sun shines in and they get good light all day or place them under 12000 lumens of artifial florescent lights. If you place them outside, make sure they are slightly protected from direct sun at first in case they lost some ultraviolet protection in their leaves. Move them to more direct sun each week for about two to three weeks until they are in a full sun spot, perhaps shaded slightly in the middle of the day if it is very hot and blistering over 90-100 degrees where you live.

Drosera Binata and Drosera capensis grow extensive roots and are larger than most other Sundews, so they might need to be repotted in a few months or next spring and graded up to a 5 inch pot.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: I forgot to ask in my previous question (I'm forever forgetting tiny bits of what I originally wanted to ask), but what does the 1:1 ratio mean exactly? 1 scoop of the small stone/pebbles and then 1 scoop of sphagnum peat moss? I have noticed everybody uses this type of language when talking about soil mixtures and such, and I have no idea what that exactly means.

Thanks for your time and advice once more!

Answer
Yes, a ratio merely means whatever measure of one material to the same measure of another material. One scoop, handful, cup, etc. of moss to one scoop, handful, or cup of perlite is what to use when mixing. I just pick up a handful of moss, then a handful of perlite, then mix them, then moisten them and mix in the water.