FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Has anyone used expanded clay as a growing media for mineral-tolerant species like pings or darlingtonia? It looks like it would provide good aeration without floating away as easily as perlite.

I've used just crushed pumice for pings and that works.

I don't know about expanded clay, but I followed a tip from a few years ago I found on here and grabbed a $8/40lb bag of Safe T Sorb from TSC as a turface (calcined clay) substitute to use in a mix for some new pings I got a few weeks ago and they've done perfectly fine in it so far. Turface/pumice/lava rock/etc are just way too expensive or hard to find where I am, so the possibility of $8 for a lifetime supply of the stuff seemed like a no-brainer. I think my mix ended up being somewhere around 3:2:1 STS/sand/peat, but I never measure my mixes super closely. I actually thought about tossing some in when I was repotting my darlingtonia a couple days ago but ended up deciding to wait on trying that for now, but if I ever end up with spares I'm sure I'll still have plenty laying around to try it with.
ETA: I did rinse it 3-4 times or so before using it though since it was pretty dusty and the grain size wasn't that uniform, didn't break out the tds meter to test it or anything but figured I'd do it to be safe.

Darlingtonia grow in serpentine soil in the wild. Which is great, because I can go on a nearby hike, and grab a few pieces of it. Then I'll come home and crush it up with a sledge hammer. . Truthfully, that serpentine stuff is everywhere. Maybe see if there's any serpentine around you?

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Sat Mar 05, 2022 8:40 pm Darlingtonia grow in serpentine soil in the wild. Which is great, because I can go on a nearby hike, and grab a few pieces of it. Then I'll come home and crush it up with a sledge hammer. . Truthfully, that serpentine stuff is everywhere. Maybe see if there's any serpentine around you?

Can you post a photo of your setup? Do you mix the serpentine with anything else, or is it pure serpentine?

See this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK9oGEw5qLM&t=119s
A mix of 1:2 peat moss to perlite also works. I substitute serpentine for perlite.

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:05 pm See this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK9oGEw5qLM&t=119s
A mix of 1:2 peat moss to perlite also works. I substitute serpentine for perlite.

That video shows lava rock and orchid bark. Can you post a photo of your setup? I would like to see what your serpentine mix looks like.

Sorry for the delayed response. There is a skunk running around my garden. It hides underneath the garden shed. Apparently during the spring, skunks come out during the day.

Serpentine - greenish bluish rock

I've definitely used turface as an ingredient in ping mixes and I've had no trouble with it at all. I know some people use akadama for Drosera Regia. Seems like overall, clay is a viable option for the more mineral tolerant carnivores. I couldn't say how they'd fare with a typical drosera though

Apollyon wrote: ↑Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:52 pm I've definitely used turface as an ingredient in ping mixes and I've had no trouble with it at all. I know some people use akadama for Drosera Regia. Seems like overall, clay is a viable option for the more mineral tolerant carnivores. I couldn't say how they'd fare with a typical drosera though

Good to know that. I'm somewhat new to pings and darlingtonia. I already have expanded clay pebbles so I'd like to avoid buying more things

@thepitchergrower, the rocks are pretty but I'm not sure they add much aeration to the soil mix. But if your plants are growing well, you must be doing something right

Apollyon wrote: ↑Sat Mar 05, 2022 10:52 pm I couldn't say how they'd fare with a typical drosera though

Dros do fine. I use Turface and hydroton quite regularly. Hydroton I use as part of my media with my orchids and with Sarr & Neps. Turface I use with pings and dews. Do be careful what Turface substitutes you use. Not all are created equal. For example, I know folks who have tried the clay-based kitty litters only to find that the material breaks down quickly into mush.

DragonsEye wrote: ↑Sun Mar 06, 2022 2:56 am Dros do fine. I use Turface and hydroton quite regularly. Hydroton I use as part of my media with my orchids and with Sarr & Neps. Turface I use with pings and dews.

Wait, really??? Do you use Hydroton + peat for sarrs & neps? This is so cool. I will be very happy if I can stop buying perlite. Turface is just like hydroton, but with smaller particle size, right?

Yeah, same. If I could find a good source for crushed pumice, I would drop perlite like a bad habit