FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi all,
New here but had some questions.
Peat/Perlite obviously works well but I know I can't be the only one that hates to use perlite. It always floats to the top and is generally just a right pain.
When I am growing anything else I always use a DE product - usually NAPA 8822 or Turface. Has anyone ever had long term success with either product to replace perlite? I'm soaking a jar of NAPA 8822 in RO water at home and so far the TDS meter has shown it less than 50 ppm. I'll leave it soaking a bit longer to see if it spikes or stays stable (I have a feeling it will drop when I change the water).

Alternatively, has anyone had long term success with pumice/peat?

I plan on running some trials starting in the next few weeks but I figured I'd ask and see what the experiences so far have been.

Thanks!

I use pumice peat sand and the pumice works fine. I like pumice better than perlite

megan why and what brand of pumice do you use? I am beginning to not like how perlite floats to the top and covers up the rhizomes and new plants

Well I have heard theories that perlite is more advertised because of how light it is leading to lesser shipping costs in comparison to pumice. Perlite is also very dusty and if you work with it a lot and inhale that dust it can lead to respiratory issues.
I just buy the 5 dollar bag of pumice at the garden store and rinse it. I can't remember the brand I'm pretty sure most nurseries like armstrong and Walter Anderson carry the same stuff as far as I can tell.
And yes it was really frustrating when I had a mealybugs outbreak in my sarrs last year trying to tell the perlite stuck in the roots from mealybugs. So I decided pumice is the best option haha

That's great to know! I'll try to run some tests and share results if anyone is interested. I figure I'll let them run all spring and summer and see which ones thrive.

You don't need to use perlite. It may be better, but it is not necessary. 5:5 (peat/silica sand) should suffice.

I use a 5:3:2 (peat/silica sand/perlite) ratio based on suggestions by this website and it works great for my plants. The biggest complaint is all the perlite floating to the top after a heavy rain, especially with a 1:1 (peat/perlite) ratio. But I have noticed with a higher ratio of silica sand the perlite doesn't float to the top after a rain nearly as bad.