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Soil question for people in ASIA

Hi all,

Heres the deal, i live in Hong Kong and trying to work out what soil is most appropriate for my VFT's is proving a little tricky, as a lot of the shops don't really know what i'm talking about since i don't know the proper names of certain materials like sphagnum moss in Chinese...

Anyway, i've heard from SOME people that "科學泥" or science/scientific soil will work for carnivorous plants as its porous and (supposedly) contains no minerals or nutrients? is this true?

Also, i'm planning on MAYBE putting these plants into my paludarium i'm building atm, what would be the best way i could mix my VFT's etc with normal plants...

Would i be able to do so if i get a acrylic box made with holes ONLY on the bottom to let excess water run out? while the rest of the soil around the box is nutrient rich soil or would this still effect my plants in a bad way?

Sorry for all the questions, but just don't want to kill my plants off from silly mistakes... thanks...
 
Okay, i just realized i happened to have a small bag of potting soil left over from when i was repotting other plants so heres a picture of what it says on the back...

"An ideal mixture formulated for all types of plants helps to build strong root systems. It contains well selected ingredients including peat moss, coconut dust, pearlite and vermiculite which ensure well drainage and excellent aeration. The mixture is also porous, light and easy to use."

5491966932_05754d0ff2_z.jpg


So the question i have is, would this be suitable for use to grow VFT or CP's in general? any input would be much appreciated...
 
Thanks for the link, that did help a fair bit even though it was a China wiki page, and i'm in Hong Kong... :bigthumpup:
 
You asked about proper names in chinese, not hongkongese ;)
 
Ghost,

The ingredients you mention that the bag says are all suitable for VFT's.
Just make sure there is no fertilizer in the mix, and I would recommend wetting it and
letting it soak in water overnight, then pouring off the water...
in case there are any salts or other nasties in it.
Then I would say, give it a try.
That's my opinion.

Good luck.
 
You asked about proper names in chinese, not hongkongese ;)

No problems, i am thankful for any and all help :beer:

Ghost,

The ingredients you mention that the bag says are all suitable for VFT's.
Just make sure there is no fertilizer in the mix, and I would recommend wetting it and
letting it soak in water overnight, then pouring off the water...
in case there are any salts or other nasties in it.
Then I would say, give it a try.
That's my opinion.

Good luck.

Cool, thanks for that, in that case i may just give it a try and see what happens...
 
"An ideal mixture formulated for all types of plants helps to build strong root systems. It contains well selected ingredients including peat moss, coconut dust, pearlite and vermiculite which ensure well drainage and excellent aeration. The mixture is also porous, light and easy to use."
If it's nutrient free then it might be ok. I would be a little concerned with the vermiculite though, as it turns alkaline as it degrades.
 
^ Thanks for that heads up... today i'm heading out to the flower market to see if i can get some peat moss or not, since it seems to be one of the substrates that isn't all that commonly seen here?

IF i can't find any peat moss then i may just try using the potting mix i have and try soaking it in water over night in distilled water to see what happens?
 
  • #10
IF i can't find any peat moss then i may just try using the potting mix i have and try soaking it in water over night in distilled water to see what happens?
You could perhaps skim the vermiculite off the surface of the water if you do this.
 
  • #11
^ Hmmmm... good point... i could always try that too...
 
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