FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I recently had a pest problem with my butterwort, and I decided to go full sand or gravel instead of mixing peat moss. There is a aquarium gravel I found cheap, but I have some questions on it. I asked manufacturer about it's detail. They said this gravel is made of calcite, calcium carbonate maintaining a high pH around 8. Would it be ok to use this gravels on my P.gigantea?

Only thing I can get in here NJ is perlite and peatmoss. If pH does matter to butterwort.. I'm screwed. Other sands or gravel costs 30 bucks and I'm not paying that much just for a soil. Gnats lay their eggs on peatmoss right? I don't know what I should do about this.

Which Pinguicula is it? I use a combination of peat, quartz sand, perlite and pumice and haven’t really had problems. Gypsicola supposedly likes some gypsum in the mix but I haven’t done that and things are doing well. I know people who use just a peat and perlite mix and don’t have problems. Many of them do grow on limestone rock faces but it’s not generally bare limestone; it often has a coating of mosses and other life on it, so it doesn’t necessarily follow that the environment is extremely alkaline. If you want to up the pH, you could probably get some dolomite gravel from a good aquarium store. The place I used to work sold it in bulk. I know some people use that.


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Bob Beer wrote:Which Pinguicula is it? I use a combination of peat, quartz sand, perlite and pumice and haven’t really had problems. Gypsicola supposedly likes some gypsum in the mix but I haven’t done that and things are doing well. I know people who use just a peat and perlite mix and don’t have problems. Many of them do grow on limestone rock faces but it’s not generally bare limestone; it often has a coating of mosses and other life on it, so it doesn’t necessarily follow that the environment is extremely alkaline. If you want to up the pH, you could probably get some dolomite gravel from a good aquarium store. The place I used to work sold it in bulk. I know some people use that.

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It's Pinguicula Gigantea and Gigantea x Pilosa. I have a gnat problem and I heard gnats lay their eggs on peat moss a lot. I also heard gnat larvas eat Pinguicula's leaf and roots. That's why I can't use peat moss. It shouldn't be so much problem if my plant is big, but due to pest problem before they are smaller as a pinky now. So that's why I decided to go full sand or gravel. My question is, is the calcite, calcium carbonate maintaining a high pH around 8 is ok for a Pinguicula Gigantea?. I guess I could just ask is pH around 8 is ok for Pinguicula. Aquarium sand and gravel was cheapest I could find and all of them have same pH level. About a limestone, I never heard of it and I don't know anything about it.

Nearly all Mexican Pinguicula naturally grow in calcareous soils, so the pH is fine.

Thanks. So pinguicula can live in high pH condition.

Bonjour

no problem for P.gigantea all mine are in calcareous substrat .

in situ three or even 4 kind of soil
-calcareous, gypsum
-acid soil
-indifferentiated (both in limestone or acid soil)
-pure sphagnum

the great majority rather in soil ph: 7-8.

jeff

Thank you so much for help. I can be assured now.

jeff wrote: in situ three or even 4 kind of soil
-calcareous, gypsum
-acid soil
-indifferentiated (both in limestone or acid soil)
-pure sphagnum

the great majority rather in soil ph: 7-8.

This info is valid for all types of ping: temperate (boreale, austral), subtropicalUS, caribbean, andean, mexican.

I tested these same P.gigantea just in rock wool (or glass) it also seems to suit them

jeff