FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Does anyone have tips for sowing D Filiformis Florida Red that is different from how you would treat D capensis (surface planting, humidity dome, etc)?

With my D Capensis seeds, hundreds germinated, but what I believe to be slime mold/algae killed them after several weeks. I have included a picture for confirmation.

All were sowed in 100% LFSM from FTS, which does not require rinsing. I was going to plant the D filiformis in the other FTS potting mix (sphagnum peat moss, pure 12-grit silica sand, and perlite), which has been sitting outside in a pot for months. i am hoping the rain over that time has sufficiently rinsed the media, but was going to check the runoff with my TDS meter. What number should i aim for to avoid algae? Is there anything else I can do to prevent or kill the algae? I'm afraid there is way too much in the pictured pot to just scrape it off and I'll probably have to trash the whole thing. The density of seedlings that used to be there also prevented any spot treatment until they died and it was too late anyway.

I appreciate your input - thanks in advance!

I realize my post may be kind of wordy so let me simplify my questions

1) does anyone have tips for growing d filiformis from seed?

2) how can i prevent slime mold/algae? i keep reading to rinse the media really well but I thought this LFSM was already free of minerals/nutrients?

1: Just like any other Drosera. Sow on top of moist soil. Keep humidity high and warm temps.
2:The LFS from this site still needs to be rinsed. Rinse it and check the runoff. I usually rinse until it is under 15 PPM. You can boil it, microwave it, or bake it in the oven to sterilize it and that will help keep down mold/algae.

Ah, thank you so much! I emailed FTS when i bought it and they said no rinsing required, but I suppose the mineral level could be too low to harm established plants but still enough to support algae. I will follow the steps you suggested. I've lost so many babies already I don't want to lose any more.

Can I also boil/bake/microwave the FTS potting mix?