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!

need help asap

  • #21
Yeah, Clint's right. When you said grower I was thinking another CPer. Unless you're 100% sure there is no fertilizer in the mixes don't use them. Plus what kind of sand? Horticultural or pure silica should be okay. Anything else, no good.

Hint! Hint! - you can plant them in 100% live Sphagnum moss or LFS or a mixture of the two.
 
  • #22
NO! Don't buy premade mixes again! That's like bottling tap water and selling it! Sphagnum peat and sand are cheap as crap and are available in bulk quantities! I think I still have a third of a bale left in the garage.


roger that, jlap. won't buy any premade mixes at all anymore. i just wasnt too confident with my own supply of sphag + perlite. i kept thinking that im gonna end up killing the plants.
 
  • #23
If you're buying from a reputable CP seller/nursery their premix should be just fine. They buy the stuff in bulk too for their own plants and just put some aside to sell. It tends to be pretty pricey for what you get - the shipping charges were probably more than the bag of mix.

In a pinch you gotta do what you gotta do.
 
  • #24
so while i was taking the plants out of the pot, i felt the media and it was really mushy and a slimy. is this due to overwatering? how could i not overwater though? its always windy and sunny where i live. so the wind and the sun pretty much dries out the surface of the media. can i vfts and sarrs live in a dried surface media just as long as the roots are moist?
 
  • #25
What were they planted in that you just took it out of? Pure peat moss retains water really well and when wet can have a texture like mud.

VFTs I usually keep in about 1" of water at the most, pots are about 3.5" tall. If they're in pure peat I let the tray dry out before topping it back up to 1". Tray watering with top watering maybe once a month.

Sarrs I top water constantly, normally keep the level at 2" for the 4 inch pots and 3-4" for the 6 inch pots. I let the trays dry out once every two weeks or so.
 
  • #26
they were potted in a 4 inch plastic pot. i watered them everyday even when there was water sitting in the tray.

so is it bad that ive been top watering my plants everday until the tray has enough water in it?
 
  • #27
I don't think it's necessarily bad to top water VFTs. I just don't like all the crap that floats into the growing point (peat, sand, perlite). Plus the tops of the pots doesn't get as yucky with slime or moss as quickly. Top watering helps to oxygenate the roots and flush mineral build up.
 
  • #28
what an alternate way of watering? just put the water in the tray, keep the media moist by spraying distilled water and top water once a month?
 
  • #29
Just add water to the tray. The moisture will wick up through the media from capillary action and evaporation. Top water as you feel comfortable. There's no hard schedule as the pots dry out at different rates day to day. More by feel I guess. The main thing is not to let the pots dry out.

If you have your VFTs in the same tray as the Sarrs just top water the Sarrs and then bring the tray water level up after they drain. Top water the VFTs once in a while.

I usually mist heavily every other week or so, but I live near the ocean and I get some salt spray now and then.
 
  • #30
VFT's and Sarracenias require similar, but slightly different water conditions. VFT's like good drainage and less standng in water than Sarracenias, which can practically be water-logged. if i have the two sitting in a 'tray', I would lean the pots so that the Sarracenias get more water.
 
Back
Top