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Another soil mixture question :)

I have a D. adelae, D. capensis, D. aliciae, and D. capillaris "Giant Form" on the way. As far as soil mixture goes.....do they all like 50/50 peat/sand mix? I mixed one of those up for my VFT with silica sand/peat and planted another VFT in pure peat, and it seems like the one in pure peat is a little happier. They have only been in there about two weeks, so maybe it will start looking better soon. I did wash the peat and the sand before planting them too, and also microwaved them to make sure there was no living things in there. I only rinsed it once or twice though, maybe the sand needed more rinsing.

But I was wondering if they would be happy in pure peat too, or if sand is a good thing to mix in with them. I might add some LFS into the mix as well. Thanks!

- Joel
 
No doubt everybody has their own favorite soil combinations. I don't think anything you have is going to be detrimental. Certainly, washing everything well, frist, will get them on a great start. I try to think about what is happening in their natural state. What little I know is that the top layer of substrate tends to be live sphagnum, followed by a layer of the dead sphagnum (peat). I'm not sure where or how deep they encounter sand or if they do in nature - except for the pigmy dews - but sand DOES help with drainage. I like to mix sand and peat and then top it with a layer of LFS. That seems to do a good job of retaining moisture and allowing drainage.
 
I grow D. adelae in live LFS, all the others in 50/50 peat sand. VFt's get 40/30/30 peat/sand/lfs. I will be trying to get more specific with D. capillaris, since the best example I have ever seen was grown in its native podzol, which is mostly sand.
 
i grow everything is a 2/1 sand/peat mix. it drains very well and is loose and airy. everything flourishes.
 
Firewired,

I am guessing you have the same sand problem as me: The sand is very fine. I buy silica sand around here in 50# bags at the home improvement places, and it's about as fine as granulated surgar or maybe salt. The mix seems to compact more becasue it's so fine. If you can somehow find a more suitable, courser sand, that would work. I have been trying what Tamlin mentioned-adding milled LF sphag to a peat/sand mix.
I would go ith long fiber sphagnum for D. adelae.

Cheers,

Joe
 
I've got d. capalariss growing very well in about 60/40 peat sand. so well in fact that both of my new (one month old, from when I got them) plants are flowering.
 
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