Carnivorous plant soil recommendations

stevebradford

stevebradford

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- Carnivorous plant soil recommendations -
Carnivorous Bromeliads
- Peat 50%, perlite 50%
- Bark chips 33%, Perlite 33%, Silica sand 33%
- Except Catopsis berteroniana (see note below)
Cephalotus follicularis (Australian Pitcher)
- silica sand 75%, peat or perlite 25%
Darlingtonia (western North America Pitcher)
- peat 50%, silica sand or perlite 50%
- live Sphagnum moss 100%
- Use terracotta pots
Dionaea muscipula (fly trap)
- peat 50%, silica sand or perlite 50%
Drosera Pygmy (sundew)
- peat 33%, silica sand 66% (silica sand is recommended over perlite due to the small size of gemmae)
Drosera Subtropical (sundew)
- peat 50%, silica sand 50%
- peat 50%, perlite 50%
Drosera Temperate (sundew)
- peat 50%, silica sand 50%
- peat 50%, perlite 50%
Drosera Tuberous (sundew)
- peat 33%, silica sand 66%
Drosera highland (sundew)
- 50% peat 50% silica sand or perlite
Heliamphora (South American pitcher)
- Live Sphagnum moss 100% (recommended)
- Dried Sphagnum moss 50%, perlite 50%
Nepenthes lowland and hybrid (Pitcher plant)
- Live Sphagnum moss
- Dried Sphagnum moss 50% perlite 50%
Steve’s mix
- Small Bark chips 50%, Perlite 50% topped with a bit of live Sphagnum moss
Nepenthes Highland (Pitcher plant)
- Live Sphagnum moss
John Yates
- Akadama 50% and perlite 50%
Pinguicula Latin America (butterwort)
H2O’s mix (for humid environments)
- 50% Turface 50% perlite.
Jeff’s mix
- cat litter 50%, river sand 12.5%, pouzzolane 12.5%, limestone oolithe sand 12.5%, vermiculite 12.5%
Willy’s mix
- peat 33%, perlite 66% or even more.
Smilodonichthys mix
- 75% fine pumice with 25% silica sand for species that have long flower scape to leaf rosette size when flowering as these tend to lever out the rosette from the media when dry without the silica weight.
Steve’s mix, equal parts:
Diatomaceous earth (Floor dry, some kitty litter) 33%, Corse river sand 33%, Perlite 33%
Pinguicula warm temperate (butterwort)
- jeff’s Mix peat 30% river sand 70%
pinguicula Temperate (butterwort)
H2O’s mix
- 50% Turface 50% perlite.
Smilodonichthys mix
- Right on tufa or pumice rock
Sarracenia (eastern North America pitcher)
- peat 50%, silica sand or perlite 50%
Mike King
- 50% small bark chips, 25% Silica sand, 25% Perlite
Utricularia Aquatic (bladderwort)
- rain or distilled water 100%
- real wet long fibre sphagnum
Utricularia Terrestrial (bladderwort)
- Live sphagnum moss
- peat 25%, silica sand or perlite 75%

For more information on mixing soil check out: Mixing carnivorous plant soil
 
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Let’s hear your recipes, what has worked well for you post it up, I might add it in.

Some other common carnivorous plant species that fall outside those recommendations.

- Drosera anglica use peat mixes does not grow in Sphagnum moss

-

- Catopsis berteroniana is epiphytic and needs to grow on wood, it will fade and die on peat mixes.
 
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for the mexican ping my mix is just for the calcareous (the majority of the genus) for the others ( but also the subtropical US) you can use peat 30% river sand 70%


for heliamphora I use just blond peat 100%
 
This is a great resource for soil mixes! I’m a bit stumped with the Pings, though, and will need to have something made up very soon. If I just keep the mix roughly a third peat, and two thirds drainage material, will that work for most? I just am a bit confuse because the Pings are prevalent in a variety of climates and I have purchased a hybrid I’m not sure where it fits in...
 
jeff said:
for the mexican ping my mix is just for the calcareous (the majority of the genus) for the others ( but also the subtropical US) you can use peat 30% river sand 70%


for heliamphora I use just blond peat 100%
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I probably should have noticed this before I posted my question, lol
 
for the temperate ping many substrate :
for the calcareous species ,the majority, same substrate as Mexican
for the others peat 100% or peat/river sand 30/70 or just sphagnum
 
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For Nepenthes, Heliamphora and Cephalotus I use long fibre Sphagnum (the dried stuff) and perlite pretty much exclusively. How much perlite I add depends on the species, but I’ll usually use around a 50/50 mix. I just eyeball it. Nothing fancy. It works for my conditions.

If a species likes it a bit “drier” (like argentii, truncata) I’ll add more perlite, and if they like it more wet and mossy (hamata) I’ll add a bit more Sphagnum.

Top dressing with live Sphagnum can be very helpful. Sphagnum has antiseptic qualities and is a good indicator of water quality. If the Sphagnum is dying or discolouring at the tips you know there’s a problem that should be addressed. Happy Sphagnum = happy plants. Sphagnum won’t grow with too many minerals in the water, so I use low or 0ppm water only. The higher the water quality, the less often you’ll have to repot as well because the media won’t break down as quickly.
 
Sorry i missed your response.

I haven’t used the Golfgreen peat yet myself but I know of other very trusted growers that say it’s good. I been using the Sunshine brand but have heard others say it’s been hard to find lately.

When buying unfamiliar peat check for an ingredients list on the bag, should say something like contains 100% Canadian peat. Good peat should be mostly free of fertilizer, sticks and other plant material but it should still have small short fibres from compressed partially decomposed Sphagnum moss.
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stevebradford said:
Sorry i missed your response.

I haven’t used the Golfgreen peat yet myself but I know of other very trusted growers that say it’s good. I been using the Sunshine brand but have heard others say it’s been hard to find lately.

When buying unfamiliar peat check for an ingredients list on the bag, should say something like contains 100% Canadian peat. Good peat should be mostly free of fertilizer, sticks and other plant material but it should still have small short fibres from compressed partially decomposed Sphagnum moss.
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Awesome. Lol thank you. This is great info.
I will need to get more this summer, and will locate the Sunshine brand.
 
Hey, was wondering how I know if my Peat Moss has gone bad and started to sour? The bag is about 4 or 5 years old and has been opened in a shed. I would hate to use it and it kill my plants.
 
not necessarily forever, especially if it is infected with sciarids.

if the blond peat is often in the water it can also rot (it smells) it then goes from anaerobic to aerobic, for my part I change it every 3 years
 
I meant the dry peat. I keep the bag in my garage where it seems unchanged after many years. After unpotting, I put the used peat in the garden. Even then it seems fine. In minibogs, the peat about a foot down does smell anaerobic like H2S but the plants don't seem to mind. Various invertebrates do get into the wet peat but again seem harmless.
 
Unfortunately I don’t know of anyone having it in store here in Victoria either.
Turface is just a brand name, this product has other names. Calcined Clay, if you’re Japanese, Hard Akadama. Also recommended for Nepenthes by one of the most talented growers I know of!

 
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