Carnivorous Plants/washed sand

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Expert: Steve Doonan at FlytrapStore.com - 2/3/2012


Question
Steve,

Thank you for answering my question regarding watering flytraps! I had a follow-up question regarding washed sand. I am currently using Black Gold Washed Sand. Have you ever used this particular brand or known it to be harmful to flytraps or other CP's?

Answer
No, I've never used that brand of sand. If it's just sand composed of naturally or artificially crushed black obsidian or some other kind of colored silica rock (quartz or silicon dioxide with metal oxide or mineral colorants) then it would be fine, because the minerals are bound up inside insoluble silica.

Best wishes,
Steve

Carnivorous Plants

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Steve Doonan at FlytrapStore.com

Expertise

Venus Flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) are my primary interest and area of expertise, and I am happy to answer questions about how to grow healthy and robust Venus Flytraps and control common pests. I can also answer some questions about other carnivorous plants such as Sarracenia, Drosera, Darlingtonia and Cephalotus, or questions about carnivorous plants in general.

Experience

I've grown Venus Flytraps since I was 8 years old in 1960, and also grow or have grown most other common and some uncommon carnivorous plants. My business partner, Matt Miller, and I run two websites: FlytrapStore.com and FlytrapCare.com, a comprehensive site for information about the Venus Flytrap and other carnivorous plants as well as a lively international forum of carnivorous plant growers and enthusiasts, the FlytrapCare Forum.

Organizations
International Carnivorous Plant Society

Education/Credentials
I have received a standard education with some college and trade school, as well as a lot of self-education on various subjects including of course carnivorous plants.

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