FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I've had trouble finding an exact or even remote answer to storing rinsed media. So I figured to throw the question out there hoping someone with more experience to give me some advice.

I recently rinsed peat moss, perlite, silica sand, and some NZ LFS so that I may have it ready for potting when the time comes.

The silica sand has dried since, but the peat moss and perlite is still moist. Is there any risk in keeping it moist or should I have it dry out? It's pretty simple to wring out LFS and peat moss, but if it would be better to have some moisture I don't mind leaving it that way.

Again I wouldn't have asked, but I couldn't find anything about storing media after rinsing.

Thank you in advance!

I have mine in a big Tupperware container. it is outside in the rain but I let the water run out a hole I drilled in the bottom. it shouldn't matter if you are going to use it eventually.

perlite and sand don't mildew that I know of. And natural peat moss, like Premier Peat, doesnt have to be rinsed. I leave my peat moss in the bag. Id leave the sphag moss dry til ready to use it.

Depends on where you live if keeping it wet encourages mold and mildew.

sand needs to be rinsed.

anybody feel free to correct me

Don't store peat or LFS wet. Eventually you'll end up with anaerobic bacteria growth which will ruin it. I just dump my peat bales into a big plastic garbage can and rinse it as I use it. If you need to dry it out for storage, dump it out into a wheelbarrow, leave it in the sun, and stir it regularly until it's no longer a darker color under the surface when you stir.

I appreciate the replies Fly Trap Hunter and Nimbulan!

Fly Trap Hunter wrote:Id leave the sphag moss dry til ready to use it.

Depends on where you live if keeping it wet encourages mold and mildew.

sand needs to be rinsed.

I only rinsed a small amount of the LFS, I found that only hydrating enough when needed worked well. I just over shot slightly how much I needed when I sowed my D. capensis seeds this past week.

It's pretty dry where I live; Mtn. View, CA. The conditions don't really encourage mildew. At least not that I'm aware of. Lol.

Also, I did rinse the sand. It just dried in the plastic container that I stored it in so nature helped me with that. The remaining 47 lbs is still in the original package.

nimbulan wrote:Don't store peat or LFS wet. Eventually you'll end up with anaerobic bacteria growth which will ruin it. I just dump my peat bales into a big plastic garbage can and rinse it as I use it. If you need to dry it out for storage, dump it out into a wheelbarrow, leave it in the sun, and stir it regularly until it's no longer a darker color under the surface when you stir.

That was something I was afraid of since I noticed it was still pretty moist when I put it aside. Per your suggestion I ended up spreading my peat out in 3 rectangular plastic containers since I don't own a wheelbarrow.

Thank you both again for the input. I'm still learning the tricks of the trade and every little bit helps!

lol and I live along the North Carolina coast where its hot, humid and grows mold and mildew like mad. and rinsing sand is just weird. it seems to never come clean.

Like how do I clean a pile of sand?

the sphag moss is all I would be concerned about. And some people recommend boiling the sphag moss first to kill bacteria. I boiled my first batch and none after. I don't know if necessary. for me I guess it will be learn as I go.

the venus fly traps seem to like the sphag moss the best. Even the seedlings like the moss the best.

Personally, I think boiling LFS is a huge waste of time and may even be counterproductive due to the heat breaking down the media. Good quality LFS is already practically sterile anyway.

Rinsing sand can certainly be tricky. I just dump some in a bucket, blast it with water and pour off as much of the water as I can. Repeat until it's clean enough. If you have a fine enough screen you can pour the sand out onto it and just run water through which should be a lot quicker.