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Carnivorous Plants/sundew planting medium

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Expert: - 7/15/2007


Question
Can I replant my sundew in sphagnum moss or should I use peat moss with perlite?

Answer
Hello Leslie,

Either works fine. Sphagnum moss is the living moss in peat bogs and tends to be used as top dressing by some carnivorous plant enthusiasts or as entire potting medium. Also long fiber sphagnum is just dead sphagnum moss and can be used. The Sphagnum peat moss is the dead granulated or broken down moss that accumulates under the live moss in the bogs and is also useable if it is mixed with silica sand or perlite to add some drainage. The difference will be price as live sphagnum moss is expensive and you will have to clip it back when growing smaller plants in it or it will choke them back rather quickly. Personally, I just use 50/50 dead sphagnum peat moss with perlite (you might still see sprigs of moss growing from it as spores remain after it is gathered). Just make sure none of the soil ingredients you use have any fertilizers or chemical additives. The better dry bales of sphagnum peat usually are Canadian brands with words like premium on the bale and will be plastic wrapped squares. Dont buy the bags of moss as those are often fertilized.

Happy replanting,

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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