FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Can I use diatomaceous Earth (DE) in my peat/perlite or other soil mixes for carnivorous plants? I use it in mixes for my other plants and works great as a pest preventative. I did search the forum about DE but didn’t get a definitive answer so I thought I’d ask. I appreciate any response. Thank you guys/gals

Every once and awhile I’ll see a fungus gnat. I use grow tents for sowing seeds, propagating and growing cps in general. I like to have as much of a controlled environment as I can. I use oscillating fans for air circulation but my tents are warm and humid so I’d like to use DE as a preventative if it doesn’t harm carnivorous plants. That’s it. Thanks

The biggest flaw with DE is that it needs to be dry to work to control pests. Carnivorous plant media is, with rare exceptions, always damp if not swimming.
If you use it around your pots/trays, that would work. If you were to top dress your pots with sand, then top dress with DE, and only water from the bottom, that might work for a while.
I've always found that if I have some little flying turds bothering my plants, laying eggs in my media, the best solution is more carnivorous plants! Pinguicula and Cape sundews.

If you're getting fungus gnats buy a package of "Mosquito dunks" at the garden center. It is BT. Put one quarter of one in your watering can or a small chunk in the water tray. This will kill the larvae in the soil and stop future generations. It is all natural and safe. But give it some time to work. Use sticky traps and manually kill the adults.