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media.

upper

Capensis Killer
peat moss, silica sand and pumice or peat moss, and perlite.

this is what i want to plant
dente
cape sundew
and s.Flava, or maybe oreophela


are both the soil the same? one better than the other? pros and cons?
 
Doesn't matter to be honest. All of the above will grow in pretty much anything. Some people will give you their personal preference... but then their plants won't be better than the next person's with a completely different media. Pure LFS... pure peat... peat and sand, peat and perlite, peat and bark and sand and perlite... I've even got some plants growing in peat/lfs/sand/packing peanuts/bark/charcoal/APS and God knows what else. I just threw some crap I had laying around into a tub and they're loving it. Everyone has their own mix.

I've seen very nice S. flava growing in clay in the wild. It was literally like sculpters clay. It was a fabulous plant. I wouldn't recommend adding clay to your media, however. Clays vary.
 
Peat and perlite is one of the better mixes. It provides an acid media with drainage. One problem with it is that the perlite floats which can surface over time compacting the bottom media. I have not found this to be a big problem unless you are using it as a soil for a bog. Also, your mix is lighter than if you used sand.

Anything with sand in it has the potential to leach harmful salts into the media. Of course you could sit there and wash the sand again and again, checking it by dropping a spoonful into a glass of vinegar as you went along and watch for bubbles, but that is a serious pain; not to mention unnecessary. Remember, sand is heavy too!

Pumice is something I haven't had any experience with. It would provide good drainage as well as have pores to hold in air and moisture. I know some people use pumice in Nepenthes mixes but other than that I am at a loss. Watch out for the size of the pumice stones as well, they can be pretty large. It may leach minerals but probably not so you could use it. I would still recommend the peat and perlite mix.

Hope it helps,
-J.P.



Beat me to it JLAP ;)
 
well its because there's this vendor that i'm not allowed to name, that only sells peat moss, silica sand and pumice and not peat,perlite. and i dont have any experience with these soil because i only use the one with fertilizer, and since i cant use it anymore, sand seems pretty nutrition free to me
 
Peat, perlite, silica sand, long-fibered sphagnum...all are good in varying combinations. Everyone develops their preferences over time. I hate perlite myself. Mostly I use sand/peat or LFS, depending on the plant.
 
I have tried peat & perlite..didnt like it, as was said, perlite" floats" and it looks really bad IMO.

I have tried peat & sand..hated it..it turned super-dense..I felt like my plants were growing in concrete.

im done experimenting! ;)

For small pots, I like pure LFS..stays airy and open, but holds water.

For my larger mini-bogs, I fill them 90% with straight peat, nothing mixed in, then a top-dressing of LFS about 1-inch thick, for looks and to keep rain from splashing the peat around.

thats probably what I will go with for the rest of my life..

Scot
 
If you don't like perlite (totally understandable!) try aquatic plant soil. It's a more attractive brown, is inert, and doesn't float. It's a little heavier but still very light. 10 pounds is only like 6 bucks, too.
 
JLAP- Aquatic plant soil? I have seen varying brands at places like Lowe's but they seem to contain fertilizer. Do you use a specific brand?

Thanks!
-J.P.
 
Here in Georgia, I've only ever seen one brand at the big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot. Schultz's Profile. I think they sell it in much larger quantities as a yard amendment and call it Turface.

It's dusty. Profoundly so. So wash wash wash, then when you're about to pass out, wash it some more.
 
  • #10
long fiber sphagnums? can you even do that? 100% lfs in a pot o_o.... sounds... crispy and gooey..
 
  • #11
long fiber sphagnums? can you even do that? 100% lfs in a pot o_o.... sounds... crispy and gooey..

its pretty much the single most common CP media ever..
yes, you can do that! ;)

it is not crispy or gooey..
im not sure what you are thinking of, but if its crispy or gooey, it is not LFS..

Scot
 
  • #12
well, i think i had LFS before... it dried up and turned white yellowish and when i touched it it was crispy and it comes out like chicken pieces. and when i washed it it turned spongy gooeyish
 
  • #13
sounds like it started to break down... just keep it moist, it might come back to life, then its really cool looking.
 
  • #14
well, i think i had LFS before... it dried up and turned white yellowish and when i touched it it was crispy and it comes out like chicken pieces. and when i washed it it turned spongy gooeyish

Sounds like it was dry. When used with CP's it should never dry up. It will always be at least a little damp and therefor soft. Not sure why it turned gooeyish.

xvart.
 
  • #15
Today i saw this seeding mix, and i have no idea if i can use that.
its 4$ and its HUGE. its 48-52% sphagnums peat moss, and 48-52% vermiculite and lime for PH.
i also bought water that says processed by ozone ,advance filtration, and reverse osmosis technology. dont know if i can use those stuff or not.
and i found perlite.... the bag just says perlite.... its just a bunch of super light white rock thing, kinda crispy.... dont know if it has anything in it.
i also got a free SUPERTHRIVE, but i dont know what to use it for, i remember reading somewhere about superthrive for CP, but i dont know anything.
all i remember is that Peter D'Amato or somewhere around that uses it.
 
  • #17
lol i thought they liked acid?
Edit.nevermind, i forgot lime has all those vitamin and mineral stuff in it
 
  • #18
and what about superthrive? famous people use it.. i want to know what its use for
 
  • #19
Today i saw this seeding mix, and i have no idea if i can use that.
its 4$ and its HUGE. its 48-52% sphagnums peat moss, and 48-52% vermiculite and lime for PH.

no.

i also bought water that says processed by ozone ,advance filtration, and reverse osmosis technology. dont know if i can use those stuff or not.

maybe..but I wouldnt risk it..sounds like they are over-compensating..sounds like some kind of fancy drinking water..just get regular distilled water...any supermarket should sell it for about $1 a gallon.

and i found perlite.... the bag just says perlite.... its just a bunch of super light white rock thing, kinda crispy.... dont know if it has anything in it.

dont bother..you dont need it.

i also got a free SUPERTHRIVE, but i dont know what to use it for, i remember reading somewhere about superthrive for CP, but i dont know anything.
all i remember is that Peter D'Amato or somewhere around that uses it.

dont bother, you dont need it..

IMO, you making this much harder than it needs to be! ;)

1. pure peat or pure LFS
2. pure water.
3. bright sun outdoors.

thats it.

put your plants in pure peat or pure LFS..dont need anything else.
give them pure water..(distilled, rain, or RO water..if its just plain RO water it should just say that..not all this extra "ozone ,advance filtration" etc stuff..)
the jug should say distilled or "steam distilled"..nothing else.
or "reverse osmosis"..nothng else.
or collect rain water.

dont need perlite, dont need sand, dont need superthrive, dont need ozone, dont need extra humidity, dont need grow lights, dont need fancy water...

sure, its fine to experiment with all this stuff..if you like.
but IMO its a waste of time and money, and your plants wont care.
they will probably be happier if you dont bother..

Scot
 
  • #20
its not over compensating. it just says processed by ozonation,advance filtration, and reverse osmosis technologies. i bought it for 1$ a gallon and its by kroger
 
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