- Sat May 16, 2009 6:40 pm
#10484
So...As you may know, I had all my plants potted in 100% sphagnum peat moss. The nursery where i buy supplies had run out of perlite when i got started (and all the department/home stores have is that Miracle Gro poison), so i figured it would be ok. As you also may know, i had to repot a bit when i first got started cause i DID have that Miracle Gro poison initially...then i put my pitcher plant in a clay pot, etc...so they had been through a bit. After reading up a bunch on the subject yesterday i cam to the only conclusion that made sense to me...the 100% sphagnum peat was not gonna fly. Here's why:
1) It would retain too much heat (my plants get a ton of sun here in Zone 8, alot of it is direct as well).
2)It would not provide enough drainage
3)It would not allow enough air to reach the roots
4)It would pack down REALLY tight and choke the roots esentially.
So i went to the nursery who had restocked...and got myself some perlite. I also took about a 5" pot full of long fiber sphagnum and chopped it up super fine. I took all my plants out of their pots and dumped the peat into a big plastic bowl. Then i added the chopped LFS and mixed thoroughly. Then i added perlite until the mix was 50/50 and mixed it up to perfection.
Now EVERYTHING has the right soil, the right water, and the right light. I kept my leaf clippings in the all peat mix for now, once they take and grow a bit i will transplant into a pot with the 50/50 mix.
So what is the point to me telling you all this? Well, i have a pretty good feeling that this might shock the poor little guys a bit, and i bet they won't be too happy for a few days. BUT..once the shock wears off they will be in absolutely sublime growing conditions. They were doing pretty good in the all peat, each plant showing new growth at a fairly rapid rate...but i had the worst feeling that leaving them in all peat just wouldnt be a good idea. So, rather than wait, i figured i would get everything right while they were still probably adjusting to life outside of the store they came from.
My only worry is..Do you think this was TOO much shock for them or do you think they will be just fine? This makes the 3rd time i have had to repot for some, 2nd for the others, within about a month (all fairly close together). As per usual, alot of traps got dirt in them and i accidentally snapped a small new growth or two in the process...but i think that in the long run this was the best decision to make. Let me know your thoughts, hopefully i did the right thing!
1) It would retain too much heat (my plants get a ton of sun here in Zone 8, alot of it is direct as well).
2)It would not provide enough drainage
3)It would not allow enough air to reach the roots
4)It would pack down REALLY tight and choke the roots esentially.
So i went to the nursery who had restocked...and got myself some perlite. I also took about a 5" pot full of long fiber sphagnum and chopped it up super fine. I took all my plants out of their pots and dumped the peat into a big plastic bowl. Then i added the chopped LFS and mixed thoroughly. Then i added perlite until the mix was 50/50 and mixed it up to perfection.
Now EVERYTHING has the right soil, the right water, and the right light. I kept my leaf clippings in the all peat mix for now, once they take and grow a bit i will transplant into a pot with the 50/50 mix.
So what is the point to me telling you all this? Well, i have a pretty good feeling that this might shock the poor little guys a bit, and i bet they won't be too happy for a few days. BUT..once the shock wears off they will be in absolutely sublime growing conditions. They were doing pretty good in the all peat, each plant showing new growth at a fairly rapid rate...but i had the worst feeling that leaving them in all peat just wouldnt be a good idea. So, rather than wait, i figured i would get everything right while they were still probably adjusting to life outside of the store they came from.
My only worry is..Do you think this was TOO much shock for them or do you think they will be just fine? This makes the 3rd time i have had to repot for some, 2nd for the others, within about a month (all fairly close together). As per usual, alot of traps got dirt in them and i accidentally snapped a small new growth or two in the process...but i think that in the long run this was the best decision to make. Let me know your thoughts, hopefully i did the right thing!
"when a warrior learns to stop the internal dialogue, everything becomes possible; the most far-fetched schemes become attainable."