FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

hi again!! alright, being that I'm not sure my current Ping is gonna make it, I ordered 2 more: another P. Primuliflora and a P. Sethos. the Primuliflora is coming potted (was the only option still in stock, hopefully the potting mix is Ping-appropriate) and the Sethos is being shipped bare root. since the Sethos is a Mexican Ping, what would be the best mix for it? like 1:2 peat/perlite...or possibly straight perlite? I don't have access to any silica sand; for some odd reason no one sells it here in MN (guess no one has pools? lol) I just don't want a repeat of my current situation

and has anyone on the forum used straight perlite for Pings? would be interesting to hear how that did. and does anyone have any other advice on growing these? should they be kept inside or would outside in a mini greenhouse in the shade be fine, etc. any help would be appreciated...so happy to have found a forum with a whole section devoted to Pings

thanks in advance!!!

here's is an awesome ping guide made by one of our members

http://www.rnssg.com/mexican-pinguicula.html

Thanks that was actually very informative!!! I think for my Mexican ping I might try the straight perlite (but how would that stay damp?) Or maybe the 1:2 ratio of peat/perlite. And then no sitting in water for either (I was instructed to keep my current one WET like I was trying to cause root rot...guess it hasn't ended well) I think that is what caused my rot problem; too much water and not enough light (they were in shade outside. It was doing fine till I put it in water 24/7. Then it started declining). Hopefully I can get it right this time and not kill these new ones

I am using pure sphagnum moss and pings seem to like it.

I have a small tray of Mexican Pinguicula growing purely in perlite and apart from it drying out pretty readily it's worked well... the only reason the tray dries out quickly is because it is extremely shallow, if I potted things in deeper containers it wouldn't dry out as much. The plants are doing OK, I've kept leaf pullings on sphagnum which is placed on top of the perlite for a little extra moisture but even this dries out quickly.

A deeper pot will help with keeping the perlite at the right moisture level, but it doesn't matter if it dries out a bit between waterings while you develop a routine. Popping a bit of peat or sphagnum in the bottom of the container beneath the perlite should help act as a wick, and keep the perlite a little moister than it would be on its own.

P. 'Sethos' is pretty adaptable so a number of different mixes should work for it. I prefer an inorganic APS based mix since I can sit the pots in water without worrying about rot.

As for P. primuliflora, 1:1 sand:peat (maybe more sand) seems to work nicely for mine.

thanks everyone! the P. Primuliflora will already be potted, so hopefully I won't have to do anything with that one. I was just worried about the Mexican Ping lol...I figured on putting it into a 3" pot; should I still keep it in water if I do the perlite method?

If you're going 100% perlite (or some other inorganic mix) you can generally keep it sitting in water without problems, provided you have sufficient light.

okay, so if I'm gonna do straight perlite and keep it sitting in water, would a shaded area be too dark? I have one of those portable 4-shelf greenhouses that I currently have my Nep seedlings in. I do have an indoor windowsill on our North-facing picture window. even though it's facing North it gets alot of bright light coming through there lol. but if it's gonna be in the shade should I maybe mix some peat in there and go with the 1:2 peat/perlite mix and leave it out of water? sorry for all the questions lol

My pinguiculas grow well in low light(without much sunlight) as monsoon has started here.
So morning sunlight will be enough for them.

so, I set up a 4" pot with straight perlite in it with a layer of LFS at the bottom (as recommended by Grey) to see how it would do. and it worked beautifully!! the perlite at the top is moist but not overly wet. so I think it'll be fine in that. plus it sounded like Rice Crispies as the perlite moistened lol!! I leave the pot in water correct...to keep the perlite hydrated?

Great job with the repot! You shouldn't need to keep it sat in water if you have a layer of sphagnum in the bottom as it retains water really well (the sphagnum acts like a "reservoir"). The perlite can dry out a little between waterings, that won't be a problem.

Grey wrote:Great job with the repot! You shouldn't need to keep it sat in water if you have a layer of sphagnum in the bottom as it retains water really well (the sphagnum acts like a "reservoir"). The perlite can dry out a little between waterings, that won't be a problem.

now I just have to receive the plant lol...hopefully it gets shipped this week; either today or tomorrow. if not this week then next week...I guess I'll do like the flytraps and judge when it needs water by weight, except with my flytraps I let the top 1/2" to an 1" dry before I water again lol...

*just checked and it's shipped!!! yipee *

I hope it arrives soon, always exciting knowing a new plant is on the way!

it says they'll be here Saturday!! I have to work that day at 9:30am; I hope they'll be okay till I get home about 7pm :-/