What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Hi:

I am expecting my first shipments of carnivorous plants this coming week.  Some will be potted already.

I also just won an auction for Mexican pings on ebay.  I will be receiving:

"Ping" cyclosecta Cool purple flowers Pictured below
"Ping" orchidioides nice Orchid colored mauve
"Ping" moctezumae(HUGE PINK FLOWER)
"Ping" moraensis var. roseii vibrant pink flowers
"Ping" esseriana small pink flowers easy grower
"Ping" kondoi
Pinguicula mexicana, Violet flowers.

Here is the grower's advice on growing media:
Mexican "Pings" like an open mix. I use vermiculite, sand, perilite, and peat.


What proportions should I use?  I just tested some "play sand" from a local hardware store.  It DOES NOT fizz in vinegar.  I was told on the pitcher plant forum that this meant the sand is okay for cps. Do you people agree?

I've also read the mexican pings need to dry out and can even grow in a gravelly soil.

I need better instructions on what type of soil to have ready when these plants arrive.  They will be the first "bare root" plants that I've purchased.

Are the newsletters from the former Ping study group available online anywhere? I am trying to learn more about pings than what is found in The Savage Garden
 
I only have experience with p. esseriana. I grow it on the windowsill in 2 parts sand to 1 part peat. In the growing season I keep it in about 1 inch of water. In the winter, I keep the soil damp, but not standing in water. Hope this helps.
 
I have a variety of Mexi-pings and keep them in a mix of sand & peat. Note: the more people that chime in, the more variation of soil mixes and proportion you will read. As with the one directly above me, have them all on window sills, open tray, with more water in the growing season and less in the winter. When attempting to make sense of the variety of guidance being expressed, don't get bogged down with the differences; rather, look for what is in common.

There is a book called, "A World Of Pinguicula".
 
At the website called A World of Pinguicula, I found this all minteral based recipe for mexican pings:

Then, this is my basic medium (in volumetric units) :



2 perlite, 2 vermiculite, 1 pouzzolane (lava rock), 1 aqualite (can be replaced by one more unit of pouzzolane), 1 fine sand, 1 coarse sand, 1 calcareous clay. All well mixed.

Does anyone use an all mineral media for these? If so, would you advise leaving out peat like that website does?
 
I'll add my recipe here.

2:1:1 Peat:perlite:LFS, then top dressed with LFS. The roots on the pings are so small I don't think they make it past the LFS..
When I have vermiculite I'll add that to the mix.

Mine are all grown outside while the weather permits.
 
The calcareous clay is only used in certain mixes, the usual mix posted by Partrat is "I use a 100 % mineral media : 2 perlite, 2 vermiculite, 1 small sand (for aquarium), 1 fine white sand, 1 pouzzolane (volcanic lava), 1 aqualit (expansed ceramic for aquarium). The aqualit can be replaced by 1 of pouzzolane." Peter D's mix works pretty well, but I have also seen people use a simple peat and perlite mix for Mexican Pinguicula. However I don't recommend the peat and perlite mix as I have noticed my plants have a greater tendency to rot away. A new mix I am trying is 2:1:1:1:1 crushed coral, peat, vermiculite, fine sand, and pumice. I think this has been discussed before so you could probably search out some of the old discussions.
 
Among those you mentinned, I grow :
P.moctezumae
P.moranensis
P.esseriana
P.kondoi

They do well in a 1:1:1:1 peat:sand:perlite:vermiculite mix.
But a 1:1 peat:sand or peat:perlite would do just as well, as long as there is some peat in it and it is well aerated.  

I have found mexicans to be quite easy and they haven't fussed about soil, regardless of any combination of the above ingredients I put them in.
 
I believe I was the one that first mentioned using crushed coral as a media. I got the idea from Atlanta Botanical, which uses a 1:1 peat:crushed coral mix.

My media has no peat and is mostly (80-90%) cruched coral with perlite, vermiculite, sand and/or clay pellets added in in whatever rations I happen to have at the time.

Mexi-Pings are pretty robust and can (and do) grow in just about any mix you put them in. I have a number of Mexi-Pings growing in Nep pots just because I set spare leaf cuttings there and forgot about them. For right now I would just suggest you make a mix with what you have on hand (there really is no need to go out and buy more material if you don't need it.) Your aim should be something that is pretty well drained so a good portion of perlite or sand is a good idea. If you have the ingredients the original grower mentioned then start with an equal parts mix of that. If that seems to "compact" then add whatever you feel necessary to loosen it up.

Hope that helps
 
Thank you. I found some silica sand this morning. Hopefully, my son will have time to take me to pick it up. I'll play a bit with the mixture as various people have suggested. I think starting 50:50 is best for now.
 
  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (cockatielmother @ July 04 2005,3:35)]At the website called A World of Pinguicula, I found this all minteral based recipe for mexican pings:

Then, this is my basic medium (in volumetric units) :

 

2 perlite, 2 vermiculite, 1 pouzzolane (lava rock), 1 aqualite (can be replaced by one more unit of pouzzolane), 1 fine sand, 1 coarse sand, 1 calcareous clay. All well mixed.  

Does anyone use an all mineral media for these?  If so, would you advise leaving out peat like that website does?
If I was you I would trust that grower, he is a world expert in Pinguicula and I believe he discovered some new species aswell

BTW for my mexican Pings I use: 1:1:1:1 peat, sand, perlite, vermiculite
When I used 1:1 peat sand, my pings roots rotted
smile_h_32.gif
 
  • #11
Hi,

The "orchidioides" and "mexicana" should be relabeled as moranensis var. orchioides and moranensis var. mexicana.

Unfortunately, the International Pinguicula Study Group no longer exists...
 
  • #12
Would you believe I actually sent Partrat a thank you note for that website yesterday?

I can't find the aqualite stuff he is talking about but I got the message to keep this a high mineral media.

I am LEARNING SO MUCH here.  I have an associate in horticulture but they over simplify too much stuff and didn't even cover cps that I remember.  It's always a nice new challenge learning to grow different plants.
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] (CP2k @ July 05 2005,3:32)]Unfortunately, the International Pinguicula Study Group no longer exists...
There WAS one?
smile_k_ani_32.gif
What happened to it?
smile_h_32.gif
 
  • #14
In the past few months since I have started cultivating Mexican Pinguicula, I have found that they will grow and even thrive and bloom in a wide variety of conditions and potting mediums.  That said, I think the lighter the potting medium, the happier the plant.  Those plants I have growing in mixes with the least amount of peat seem to do the best in my conditions.

I have also found that most forms of P. moranensis propagate as easily as dandelions and are just as hardy and unkillable.
 
  • #15
Cockatiel,

Don't worry about not being able to find aqualite, it is a European product so odds are no one this side of the pond can get a hold of it. Perlite works fine as a substitute. Basic grey kitty litter (no perfumes or any of that junk added) is equivalent to the clay Eric uses too I have been told. Clay pellets are a good substitute too though the small ones (3-5mm) are really hard to come by. Try hydroponics sources. For crushed coral the best bet is a PetCo or Petsmart but any salt water fish dealer should have it.
 
  • #16
Ok Pyro:

I even have some pumice available (just 5 lbs but that is more than enough to pot up 7 plants!). I'll pick up a bag of perlite and spaghum peat tomorrow. I can get the hydrocorn (fired shale) from a local hydroponics store IF they will order me the smaller size.

I'm not worrying about the silica sand until I create my outdoor containerized bog gardens. By then I am sure my son will have found time to take me to pick up a couple of 50 pound bags from our local pool supply store.

I am getting excited about seeing the plants.
 
  • #17
Pyro,

So your the one who used the crushed coral in your mix. I could not remember where I had read about the crushed coral. It is working out really well so thanks for mentioning it before.
 
  • #18
I tried crushed coral as well but I didn't have good success. Perhaps it wasn't crushed finely enough. I thought my plants had a hard time getting their roots through it. I switched to an airier mix of a little peat, vermiculite, sand and perlite.

By the way, it is my understanding (from a note by Fernando on Bobz's site) that plants labeled P. kondoi are actually P. reticulata. He says P. kondoi is not currently in cultivation. I don't know if that's old information or still holds true. But I changed my label to P. reticulata.

Cockatielmother...I think I bought a similar set of plants on eBay.
smile.gif
 
  • #19
I have found, that for just about every cp, all do well when potted into strait long fiber sphagnum. It isn't too hard to find, it absorbs water much faster than peat, it allows for some air movement, and it's just perfect. I dont think there is a single terrestrial cp that cant be grown in this.
 
  • #20
I use 1:1:1 peat:sand:perlite for my pings growing under fluros and they've been doing well. I switched from 1:1 peat:sand because this resulted in rotting. Good luck.
 
Back
Top