FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

So the same day I told myself that I would stop buying carnivorous plants, I needed to buy more moss for my pitcher plants. This led to an adventure to the Home Depot Garden Center. It was there, hidden in front of flowers towards the left corner, that a small collection of healthy Venus Flytraps were on display. Naturally, I bought only four and brought them home with me along with my moss.
I am telling you to buy these plants because they are only $6.00 typicals. I thought it was a bit pricey until I started to divide and trim each plant.
Out of the four pots, I gathered:
10 Small
5 Medium
5 Large

Based on this, you are guaranteed to acquire two small, one medium, and one large flytrap with each purchase.

I would stay away from the Mosser Lee brand sphagnum. It's more trouble than it's worth! A better choice is the Better Grow orchid moss. It's a higher quality sphagnum

I was about to say the same, having used both and you can get it at Home Depot as well

With any plant, even non-CP, I try to look for how I might divide up the plant, including choosing one with long stems and branches that might be able to become cuttings.

I found some sundews at a local nursery this year, and while each was a bit pricey at $11-12, I bought them because it was the first time that I had seen sundews on sale nearby.

The bonus is that each little pot had 2-5 smaller sundews growing in the pot also, so I used that the justify the cost.

I look at VFTs the same way. Even if it's a cultivar I have already, if I find a pot with several clearly identified plants growing in it, I still may purchase it. It's just too tempting for about $5.

Yes I agree avoid the Mosser Lee spagnum moss. It's pretty low grade quality and you are better off using the Better-Gro Orchid moss. They sell that brand at both HD and Lowe's. Nice job at getting all those flytraps however!

cdelavan wrote:Yes I agree avoid the Mosser Lee spagnum moss. It's pretty low grade quality and you are better off using the Better-Gro Orchid moss. They sell that brand at both HD and Lowe's. Nice job at getting all those flytraps however!

Morpheus wrote:I would stay away from the Mosser Lee brand sphagnum. It's more trouble than it's worth! A better choice is the Better Grownorchid moss. It's a higher quality sphagnum

Handrail Pete wrote:I was about to say the same, having used both and you can get it at Home Depot as well

Cool, thanks for the info! I'll go buy some on my next outdoor collection!

omnipercp15 wrote:With any plant, even non-CP, I try to look for how I might divide up the plant, including choosing one with long stems and branches that might be able to become cuttings.

I found some sundews at a local nursery this year, and while each was a bit pricey at $11-12, I bought them because it was the first time that I had seen sundews on sale nearby.

The bonus is that each little pot had 2-5 smaller sundews growing in the pot also, so I used that the justify the cost.

I look at VFTs the same way. Even if it's a cultivar I have already, if I find a pot with several clearly identified plants, I still may purchase it. It's just too tempting for about $5.

Smart investments, smart spending

Nice catch!

I do have something to say in regards to the moss. Mosser Lee gives you twice as much moss as the Better Gro for less money, so if you need to pot a lot of plants, I'd recommend going for the Mosser Lee just for the savings. In small amounts, though, I'd get the Better Gro 'cause it looks nicer, is cleaner, and doesn't grow as much algae.

If you get to the point where you're potting a lot of plants but want good moss, you can buy New Zealend LFS online in large, 50-80 liter bales.

I use the Mosser Lee in the bottom of my pots to hold the soil mix from coming out of the holes. Then I use the better stuff for top dressing.

treez wrote:I use the Mosser Lee in the bottom of my pots to hold the soil mix from coming out of the holes. Then I use the better stuff for top dressing.

That's what I've been doing after I discovered how much junk is in Mosser Lee and read about how low quality it is. I even found a foot long branch from a bush with some leaves still attached in my bag.