FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi everyone, I was wondering what type of airator do you add to your soil mix. I personally use propergating sand because it is cheap and readily avaliable.

Thanks for any repiles, Pat

Hi Pat, I have always used propagating sand - as you said, it's cheap and easy to get hold of. The only drawback is that it needs to be washed thoroughly first to remove clay and fine minerals, I usually wash it in a bucket on the back lawn - you can see a photo of this on my blog and just look at the colour of the water in the photo...remember this was supposed to be "washed" propagating sand!

I've always used perlite because it seems to be easier to find that propagating sand here in the US. Or perhaps I just don't know where to look for sand.

I liked your blog post Linton that showed how you wash your sand. It's funny that it's supposed to be already washed. It looks like mud that's coming out of the bucket the sand is so dirty.

Hi Pat,
I would recommend using Silica Sand as oposed to propergating sand as an airator because Silica Sand does not need to be washed and does not contain minerals or salts. Of course there is always a big debate about using Sand or Perlite as an additive to your growing medium. I think using sand is a good idea because it tends to keep the growing medium dryer during winter dormancy.

I hope this helps!



Giovanni

I use sand but do not clean it. I water from the top and let the water catcher on the bottom part of the pot overflow. After a while, all the salts and minerals have been rinsed out. During that time the VFTs didn't suffer at all.

Adam,

I understand what you are doing and it is a great idea but it may not get all the salts and calcium out of the sand you are using. Although you may not see it at first, the salts and calcium will eventually build up in the growing medium killing your plants. If you re-pot once a year, then you may be able to get away with it but I think it is better to play it safe and use Silica Sand or Perlite if Silica Sand is not available.

I hope this helps!

Giovanni

Agreed. Better safe than sorry. I don't just water, I flush from top down. There was no bottom filling. So anything that was crystalizing was dissolved and washed away. Maybe this is why I got my plants to split so many times in a year? If it needed to grow new offshoots due to the current root system not being ideal... this may be why...