FlyTrapCare Forums

In her video "Giant Venus Flytraps and How to Grow Them with Maggie Chen", she reccommends growing flytraps in a small "sleeve" of dead sphagnum moss inserted into a peat base. She claims that the sphagnum moss provides fungal resistance, greater root aeration, and room to expand while the peat insulates and is more cost effective.

Has anyone tried this method? If so, what were your thoughts on it?

I've never seen the video, but that method actually sounds like a really cost-effective way to grow VFTs woth the same quality that LFSM provides. I'll try it when I get more peat.

That's how I transplant my VFT seedlings into their next pot, except I use live Sphagnum. It works well for me.
Cheers
Steve

Thanks folks. Sounds like it's worth a go. I normally grow in 1:1 peat:sand but will give this a shot.

Any preference on which sphagnum to grow? I've got a bunch of live sphagnum from Wisconsin that I normally use as a top dressing and was going to use that but am wondering if New Zealand sphagnum is worth the extra cost.

Also, how often do you repot plants in sphagnum? One of the guides on this site reccommends every 6 months but that doesn't sound right to me. Wouldn't you want a media that can at least last a full growing season?

davinstewart wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:51 pm Any preference on which sphagnum to grow? I've got a bunch of live sphagnum from Wisconsin that I normally use as a top dressing and was going to use that but am wondering if New Zealand sphagnum is worth the extra cost.

Does your Wisconsin moss hold up well? If so, then it's fine. I like New Zealand moss, but it can be kinda pricey. I've found that Peruvian and Chilean moss are good alternatives.

davinstewart wrote: Also, how often do you repot plants in sphagnum? One of the guides on this site reccommends every 6 months but that doesn't sound right to me. Wouldn't you want a media that can at least last a full growing season?

What guide is that? I'd like to read it myself. 6 months is way too often. If the moss isn't breaking down, then you should be able to get 2 or 3 years out of it, especially if it's a moss plug surrounded by peat/perlite/sand.

The only think I can thing about repotting in sphagnum at 6 months flytraps but that isn't necessary. They seem to get a boost from fresh moss if their roots are handled properly. My routine is flytraps every year to fluff the media (recycling most of the media), sarrs and mini bogs every 2 years. Drosera and pings, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Presently when the pot is too small but they need to go into the rotation. Probably 2 years, maybe more for the Mexican pings.

Panman wrote:My routine is flytraps every year to fluff the media (recycling most of the media), sarrs and mini bogs every 2 years.

Aren't most of the nutrients removed once you recycle the media? For me, I usually give them fresh media to begin the next year.

I repot/fluff my flytraps every 6 months... my VFTs like to burrow under the sphag

CPhunter101 wrote: Aren't most of the nutrients removed once you recycle the media? For me, I usually give them fresh media to begin the next year.

I don't think VFTs need nutrients in the media, nor care about acidity as much as sarrs.

elaineo wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:19 pm I don't think VFTs need nutrients in the media, nor care about acidity as much as sarrs.

When the soil goes "sour", flytraps get very cranky. They only grow tiny leaves, and they produce a ton of divisions. This is how I ended up with so many Grün's last year. I would have preferred fewer, bigger plants. I need to start writing the last repot date on the backs of the tags so I can keep up with them all.

MikeB wrote:
When the soil goes "sour", flytraps get very cranky. They only grow tiny leaves, and they produce a ton of divisions. This is how I ended up with so many Grün's last year. I would have preferred fewer, bigger plants. I need to start writing the last repot date on the backs of the tags so I can keep up with them all.

Oh interesting. By "sour", do you mean the compacted anaerobic conditions that cause soil bacteria to start fermentation? I thought that would cause root rot instead of divisions. Now I wanna try this ...

MikeB wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 5:16 pm

davinstewart wrote: Also, how often do you repot plants in sphagnum? One of the guides on this site reccommends every 6 months but that doesn't sound right to me. Wouldn't you want a media that can at least last a full growing season?

What guide is that? I'd like to read it myself. 6 months is way too often. If the moss isn't breaking down, then you should be able to get 2 or 3 years out of it, especially if it's a moss plug surrounded by peat/perlite/sand.

Hope that helps!

Thanks MikeB. Here's the reference to repotting every 6 months:

Comprehensive Detailed Venus flytrap Care Information

Long-fibered sphagnum moss also needs to be refreshed or re-potted every 6 months or so, whereas peat moss and peat moss mixtures can go longer, 9 months to a year or so.

That is a very good idea. Especially if you're using a tall pot like hydropots. It sounds like she makes every unnecessary space filled with peat. I used them this year and did a 50/50 peat/sand base with sphagnum on the top half. I think something to watch out for is the pots newfound ability to hold moisture :/ I think that was a big problem for me this year.

Also who could afford or has time to replant LFS plants every 6 months I may replace top layers like with my flytraps after this season but the moss underneath is usually still in good shape. Sometimes the first layers get an algae on them that is hard to get away (For me anyway) so I usually remove it or scrape it off when I'm repotting.

i grow mines in 3:2 peat/perlite and a thin layer of sphagnum around the rhizome then top off with sphagnum to prevent rain creating a mess. also a thin layer of sphagnum in the bottom of pot to prevent the soil from leaking out.

3/4 of the pot would be peat/perlite and they have been doing great.

elaineo wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 2:35 am Oh interesting. By "sour", do you mean the compacted anaerobic conditions that cause soil bacteria to start fermentation? I thought that would cause root rot instead of divisions. Now I wanna try this ...

I haven't tested the soil to see what's going on. My flytraps sit in water only occasionally, after a rain. I let the trays go dry before watering them again, from the top, and I stop when I see it draining out of the pots (i.e., I don't flood the trays). When I unpot them, the soil doesn't look or smell bad, but the plants are unhappy with it (maybe the acidity has faded away?). Whatever it is, the plants' growth just sputters and fizzles. After they're in fresh soil, their growth rebounds.