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sphagnum peat moss and...

MrFus

Do you like that...
I have a simple question, well no really too simple because I know how much discussion on soil mixes exist, but well I go to the point...

Im going to repot one of my plants this weekend, and Im thinking to try a new mix, on a trip to Lowes I get a premix of vermiculite and sphagnum peat moss that I'm thinking to use as base for my mix (I'm going to add more vermiculite, some orchid bark...), well this mix have acording to the pack arround 1% of lime...

Do you think this element will represent a problem on the mix for the nepenthes?
 
its not too great nepenthes don't need vermiculite and it also attracts algae but pings seem to enjoy it.
but hey perlite would be good or just that bark.
 
its not too great
There's nothing wrong w/ vermiculite. I've been using it for years with absolutely zero adverse effects. "The vermiculite scare" as I like to call it - for neps, is complete and utter nonsense. Most neps grow in ultramafic/serpentine soils. Do you have any idea what vermiculite is?

it also attracts algae
Do you have any support whatsoever for that? Vermiculite doesn't "attract" algae, nor does it create algae, or any other permutation of that sort of idea...period.

Mr. Fus,
For lowlanders, I use 5:2:2 peat/perlite/vermiculite with no problems...ever.
I don't think 1% lime would be a problem. 1% is pretty low, and peat is decently acidic. Most neps like acidic soil, but sphagnum moss is more or less neutral, and I haven't seen any evidence that there is a pH problem when pure sphagnum is used.
 
yeah I read about serpentinic soils darlingtonia grow in them and serpentine is toxic to most plants I am not saying vermiculite cannot be used I am saying its not needed as most likely the nepenthes will just tolerate it in its soil mix and it will not benefit any from it and as for it attracting algae that is what I have heard from other growers.
and WELCOME BACK PK!!!
 
Why Im thinking to use vermiculite instead of perlite is becuase I have not being able to found perlite locally, the only one is the Miracle Gro one, I use it on one of my nepenthes and flush really good the plant always four times at less per day to avoid problems with the damn add of the Miracle Gro® liquid plant food...

If I cant get it locally I will end geting it online to be sure I get one with no plant food or any other chemical add-on to the product.
 
I think there is less than one percent of miracle gro in that perlite they probably added a minute amount of it just so they can put miracle gro on the packacking.
Remember cp's grow in nutrient poor soil not nutrient free and some people fertilize there nepenthes growing media,I doubt the miracle gro stuff will harm your nepenthes check the back of the packaging to see if it says how much miracle gro it contains.
 
You can find normal perlite at Lowe's for $4 or something like that. 4x a day is probably too much to be flushing your nep pots, especially after a couple days. The miracle-gro won't replenish itself or anything, so once you've flushed it out, it's gone.
 
jijiji... well I'm just overprotective sometimes...

I have check on lowe's but at less my lowe's is kind of crapy and it donth have too much on selection on the garden center... and I check online and the only result that give the search tool is the Miracle Gro.

I guess i can use the miracle gro mixed with the mix of sphagnum peat moss and vermiculite that I have and some orchid bark...
 
  • #10
Looks fine to me.
 
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