Hi all,

I am planning on growing a venus fly trap. I've been doing some research,
and I understand I need to use canadian sphagnum peat moss for soil.

I also understand it needs to be constantly damp. I am wondering if I can
use soil moist granules to this end?
(http://www.soilmoist.com/soilhome.html) Would these be harmful to the fly
trap?

Also, I have read that silica sand should be about 25% of the soil.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find any around here. Is this an
absolute requirement, or can it be 100% peat moss? Or is there a substitute
that can be used?

Thanks for any info!

Apple wrote:

Hi all,

I am planning on growing a venus fly trap. I've been doing some research,
and I understand I need to use canadian sphagnum peat moss for soil.

I also understand it needs to be constantly damp. I am wondering if I can
use soil moist granules to this end?
(http://www.soilmoist.com/soilhome.html) Would these be harmful to the fly
trap?

Also, I have read that silica sand should be about 25% of the soil.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find any around here. Is this an
absolute requirement, or can it be 100% peat moss? Or is there a substitute
that can be used?

Thanks for any info!

Personally, I wouldn't recommend the granules. The best way to
keep a flytrap moist is to set the pot in a bowl of water and keep
the bowl filled at all times.

I'm sure you can find a bag of sand at a local hardware store...just
mix that with a peaty soil mix and you should be good to go.

BTW, the hardest part about cultivating these plants well is their
need for strong light. These are NOT good windowsill growers. Instead,
they need strong sunlight, preferably full sun to very light shading
for most of the day. Without this, they quickly languish and die.

---Prem

Thank you for the info!

One more question - is it ok to feed it ants?

Thanks

"prem_s" wrote in message
...
Apple wrote:

Hi all,

I am planning on growing a venus fly trap. I've been doing some
research,
and I understand I need to use canadian sphagnum peat moss for soil.

I also understand it needs to be constantly damp. I am wondering if I
can
use soil moist granules to this end?
(http://www.soilmoist.com/soilhome.html) Would these be harmful to the
fly
trap?

Also, I have read that silica sand should be about 25% of the soil.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find any around here. Is this an
absolute requirement, or can it be 100% peat moss? Or is there a
substitute
that can be used?

Thanks for any info!

Personally, I wouldn't recommend the granules. The best way to
keep a flytrap moist is to set the pot in a bowl of water and keep
the bowl filled at all times.

I'm sure you can find a bag of sand at a local hardware store...just
mix that with a peaty soil mix and you should be good to go.

BTW, the hardest part about cultivating these plants well is their
need for strong light. These are NOT good windowsill growers. Instead,
they need strong sunlight, preferably full sun to very light shading
for most of the day. Without this, they quickly languish and die.

---Prem

On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 06:50:45 GMT, "Apple" wrote:

Hi all,

I am planning on growing a venus fly trap. I've been doing some research,
and I understand I need to use canadian sphagnum peat moss for soil.

I also understand it needs to be constantly damp. I am wondering if I can
use soil moist granules to this end?
(http://www.soilmoist.com/soilhome.html) Would these be harmful to the fly
trap?

Also, I have read that silica sand should be about 25% of the soil.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find any around here. Is this an
absolute requirement, or can it be 100% peat moss? Or is there a substitute
that can be used?

Thanks for any info!



Venus Flytrap is native to S.Carolina--very similar climate to my
location. They like sun, damp peat moss with high humidity. Do not
tease the traps. Do not fertilize. I have not tried the granules,
but if you try it and it works well after some months, I'd appreciate
an update on your situation. One plus should be that this medium is
sterile. Use rain water or distilled water. You could purchase
regular "Play Sand." Swirl a cup of sand in a bucket of warm water,
allow this to settle 5 minutes, slowly pour off the water, and refill
the bucket this 2 more times and repeat--this procedure should remove
any harmful salts.