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Soil question

I have ordered several pitcher plants,and I was wondering what type of soil would work best and help the plant grow the fastest?
 
I use 2:1 sphagnum peat to perlite, as do a lot of people I know.
 
Roughly 50/50 peat & pumice. Pumice may not be available where you are though.
 
hmm you use pumice? seems to work quite well, maybe I should try it, as of now some of my soil is 2:1:1 peat white sand, perlite, some is pure peat
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Kirkscoastalcarnivores @ Feb. 04 2005,5:06)]hmm you use pumice? seems to work quite well, maybe I should try it, as of now some of my soil is 2:1:1 peat white sand, perlite, some is pure peat
Kirk - the pumice seems to work well. I actually get it delivered from a landscape supply company but you can check at your local nursery. The ones here in Portland all sell it. I see either "Black Gold" or "Whitney Farms" brand here if that helps. Also, I did have a few plants in pure peat and they seemed to stay too wet. Seemed like the water couldn't flow through the pots.
 
I do the same as Alvin. Works pretty well.
 
I have absolutely no idea what I use. I am pretty sure that I do about a 2:1:1/2 mix of peat, perlite, and LFS. LOL It has always worked well for me.
 
Here are my comments from an earlier thread ( Repotting)

"Since you are repotting, one thing I have noticed with my many many sarrs is that the ones planted in LFS or a LFS-Perlite mix grow much faster and larger than their counterparts in the peat-sand mix. If I want to remove old soil, I set the unpotted plant in a big bowl of water with a few drops of Superthrive added and gently wash the old away, then let it sit maybe a 1/2 hour or so in the bowl. I mainly do this if I am going to ship the plant.

Last spring I repotted a S. purp that had been in a 5 inch pot too long. I put it in a 1.5 gallon sized, deep pot and BAM!, it sent up 3 flowers and the plant about doubled in size by the end of summer.

Good luck with it.

Bill "
__

"Mike -

The LFS was true with all of mine, especially the S. leucos. I had planted a bunch of S leucos, flavas, and purps from seed a few years ago and decided to try it.

Last year in spring, the NECPS had a great grow contest where participants got flasks of genetically identical material S. alata. I tried four diferent mixes:

A: 50:50 sand/peat
B: LFS (Long Fiber Sphagnum) with Perlite
C: LFS
D: Live LFS

I had 2 deflasked plants in each mix, grown in tall dixie cups that sat outside in the same tray. Not enough for a true scientific study but my observations were that while most remained small - the ones in live LFS were more than double the size of the rest by October. Our members had the conetest plants on display on one table at the annual NECPS Show last year. Of course Jeff's ( the 'cephmaster' ) grew the largest. He said he kept his deflasked plants indoors at first for a month or so before setting outside. Not sure if he grew them in his greenhouse or not.

A new thing I am trying is when I have a multiplanting/mini container bog is to use sand/peat mix for most but leave large pockets of LFS for the sarrs. I'd put a soda bottle or tall cup in place as I pack the sand/peat. Then I remove the bottle and fill the pocket with moist LFS.

In late summer I sometimes have to stake my tall S. leucos, not from the wind, but because they get all floppy from the amount bugs they catch.

Bill "
 
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