Thank you. I think that having bright light on the plant is an important requirement, for what it is worth. In the last few years I have upped my game significantly there with the cheap availability of leds.Very nice, I never got my drosos to survive the transition indoors during the winter. Certainly jealous.
Yes, it's from the pet store. I saw someone else do in year's past and decided to try it. I used white sand last year and that didn't work so well because the tanins from the peat quickly made it look nasty, ha!I'm liking the look of the black sand ? In the tuberous drosera pots ,was it from an aquarium supplier? Makes the plants stand out
I don't doubt that it costs less as the stuff from the pet store is crazy expensive for sand. Do you know what it is composed of?Black Diamond blasting abrasive is basically the same (and probably cheaper than pet store sources if you have a tractor supply store nearby). The occasional bag may need a wash to remove the dust, but it's inert, variably sized and shaped so it doesn't compact, and very dark.
Thanks! You would think it was something like that. Strangely, the mats could achieve the same temperatures but there was something about the way they did it that the plants hated. My guess is that the mats also heated the water the pots were sitting in and that was what didn't work - but that's only a guess. The current heating element just heats the air and the fan blows that heat around, so it's "dry" heat. That's assuming anything in 80% + humidity can be called dry.Nice! So you think those just allow for higher temps which the mats couldn't achieve?
Thanks! I'm glad you like them. I am hoping to have more photos in the not-too-distant future.Those are lovely plants! I'm glad you were able to recover some of these and that your new set-up is sure to be a good home for any replacements. I've always enjoyed seeing your petiolaris pics, and I really appreciate that you've shared what you've tried that hasn't worked and how you've improved the situation. It's these teaching/learning moments that are so helpful for folks that might also want to try their hand at growing these gems!