FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

This might seem like an obvious question, but after giving some thought I’m a bit puzzled. We repot most plants because of nutrient depletion of the soil (the plant has absorbed most of the nutrients). But peat moss is very low in nutrients so it doesn’t make sense to repot for this reason. And I cant imagine the actual integrity of the peat mixture diminishing substantially in a reasonable time frame. One thing I can think of is the perlite floating to the surface and maybe the peat mixture being a bit packed down and slightly anaerobic. Is this really why we repot? And if so could I just remix the peat mixture, “fluff it up”, and use it again?

peat is acidic and as such, in a small pot, will lose its acidity as more water washes through it, this rise in PH allows decomposition and the release of nutrients, the decomposition makes the peat grains smaller and allows compaction which reduces oxygen to the roots. The repotting is to redress the balance and provide more premium growing conditons.

I do in fact (in my bogs) 'fluff it up' and reuse it as I cant afford the mammoth amounts of peat required to replace it. I mix into the bogs at all levels, sulphur chips, pine bark and a bit of peat, this increases the acidity, adds tannins, opens up the substrate to allow passage of oxygen. etc. Ive never tried any experiments with pots but I have no reason to believe it won't work.
Cheers
Steve

Good response. Thanks for the information!

Depending on the size of the pot, after 1-4 years, the soil goes "sour" for lack of a better description. In the spring, the flytraps produce few leaves, and they're very small. Even with plenty of sun and low-mineral water, the plants refuse to grow like they normally would.

I've had this happen with my own plants, when I lose track of the last time they were repotted. Last year, my Grün and Red Dragon flytraps did this. When I unpotted them, I found that the plants had produced lots of offshoots instead of new leaves. They were planted in a 3:1:1 mix of peat moss, perlite, and coarse sand, in average-sized pots (about 4 inches / 10 cm in diameter) with drainage. They rarely sat in water (only after rainstorms); instead, I thoroughly top-watered them every other day. The trays were always dry by the next watering. I repotted them in early summer, and by the end of the season, they were looking much better.

Curious how many folks change the soil around their traps when they are in bogs. Assume you just dig it out and replace about an inch or two around?


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It depends really, I have had bogs for 25 years or more and as they age the substrate degrades, gets smaller and compacts, thereby reducing oxygen to the roots. I use sulfur to reduce the PH and pine bark and shavings for the replacement of tannins and the like with a bit of fresh peat. The deeper you dig and incorporate new material the better, it opens up the texture.
Cheers
Steve

Panman wrote:I have small, 15 gallon bogs. I replace the media every couple of years when I divide the plants. By that time they are getting crowded.

Great. Thanks


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