FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Jade wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2024 9:51 pm So I’m pretty hooked on these plants, and I’d love to get more, but I recognize that getting some of the tools of the trade and perhaps some media would be wise before or alongside buying more plants.

I basically only have a few pots of different sizes, bottom trays for each, a very large bag of peat, and a small bag of perlite. So what else do I need?
Some more perlite to balance out a 1:1 ratio of peat:perlite mix. But, if you have enough perlite for now, this can wait. As for pots...recycle, recycle, recycle...empty sour cream containers, yogurt containers, other tall "pot like" containers are free!

I have been using a colander with a paper towel covering the holes to try to rinse medium, and I wonder if there’s a better way?
They make mesh bags for filtering paint in 5-gallon cans. These are very good for rinsing peat (and perlite!) in. Click this sentence for Lowe's link to paint bucket filters. Get the largest 5-gallon ones...they'll fit smaller buckets, too, plus...you want enough empty space in the bag to move the peat moss around in. Put them over a bucket, fill about halfway, dunk up and down a lot, empty water, squeeze peat moss (or sling the bag around in circles for perlite), place bag back in bucket, rinse (literally) and repeat.

What are some recommendations for some rain buckets that won’t leech anything into the water? <snip>
Most any white (some other colors, too) plastic bucket will do. Lowe's has "food grade" buckets and I believe those sold at Walmart might be food grade, too. Seriously, if a bucket hasn't contained something toxic that can't be washed out a recycled it should do okay.

I was reading a thread about using those little lab vials for leaf pullings and cuttings. So what kind is good?
Those little round food "condiment" cups with the lids work pretty well for leaf cuttings and such. They're maybe not as glamorous as test tubes, but they work...as do any other small container that you might have...if you don't have a lid that fits then plastic food wrap (and a rubberband if needed) works.

I have enough space at the moment for a few more small indoor plants, so I’m probably just getting one more double Sansi light, but I’m hoping to eventually have enough to keep a small bar top growing spot in my basement so I need to know good hanging lights, and maybe a good greenhouse if they make them that small but aren’t custom cuz those custom things are expensive shoo!
Here are a couple of threads for you to look at regarding lights...
yescom-altrnatives-t59640.html
grow-lights-t59611.html

I should probably get one of those water meters just to check if I’m ever in dire straits and have to use tap water. Although now that I’m thinking about it, iodine tablets are usually a good thing to put in go bags, do they work for taking minerals out of tapwater for CPs too or just so us humans can drink it?
Forget the iodine tablets. I would say that getting a TDS meter (water meter)would be a great investment! Very handy to check your tap water, rain water, bottled water, filtered water, water water<grin>. You will find that if you're catching water off your roof that the initial run-off will have a higher TDS measurement than what comes off the roof after it's been rinsed for a short while...yep, stuff settles on the roofs from being windblown. A TDS meter takes a lot of guessing out of your water sources. Link to the TDS meter that I use (it's been a good one): TDS Meter on Amazon .

Is there an overall fungicide, insecticide, and whatever other icide I might need on standby to get? Any thoughts on which are good brandwise? Also I read about peroxide water being a form of fungicide and maybe insecticide, true or not? If true can I use either ouchie peroxide or food grade and mix with how many parts water to get the proper effect?
"Captain Jack's Dead Bug" and "BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Spray" are usually recommended. I don't know what to tell you about H2O2, though I've read of people using it to calm down algae and mold on soil surfaces. Alcohol on a piece of cloth used *lightly* can be used to "wipe up" aphids and such, though it can't get down into the cracks and crevices.

I feel like I should have like mini spades or something but maybe not?
Old forks and spoons work nicely. As do segments of chopsticks/dowels.

I’m definitely getting a repotting pad because I’m messy, and I keep getting peat all over the thing my sister uses to fold clothes. I clean it up of course, but it would just be one less thing to worry about when repotting and whatnot.
The lid off of a plastic tote might work to contain spilled ingredients. Even a garbage bag laid down on the surface.

Oh I also saw these little things that go in the bottom of pots so your medium doesn’t go out the holes. Any reason I shouldn’t get that? They’re like plastic mesh.
I vote "No" on these. I've used weed barrier fabric in the bottom of pots. They hold the soil in fine and still allow the pots to drain, BUT... I also found that when a plant grows its roots will simply circle the bottom of the pots, not letting you know it needs repotting by sending roots out the bottom. I've since stopped using the fabric (really cheap for several lifetimes of use) and have been using a layer of Better-Gro LFSM in the very bottom of the pots to keep the peat and perlite from coming out the drain holes...and it works great!

What else…Ooh I’ve seen people talking about heating pads, do I need those? The air conditioner will be running a lot in the summer so I don’t wanna freeze my indoor plants out.
They're more useful for starting seeds, in my opinion. But, they can promote more growth in older plants...if needed. I would say this would be nice to have, but not necessary.
Which plants are you considering keeping inside during the summer?

I feel like I’m forgetting stuff. In fact, I’m sure I am, but let’s start here. If there’s anything obvious I’ve forgotten please feel free to suggest it.
There'll always be "something" that might be attractive to have but that you might have in a drawer or can "make". Different Pots, water trays, light, water (containers), grow-mix ingredients, and a TDS meter would be in my basic tool chest. Chemicals would probably come last. If I was going to get into serious seed-starting I might follow with a heat mat. I actually already have a heat mat from starting vegetable seeds for the garden (mostly tomato and pepper). Something I always have around indoor plants is a thermometer/hygrometer...I use some little "Govee bluetooth thermometers"...they connect to my iPhone via Bluetooth with a historical graph but also have a good display on the unit itself. Those are a few things to think about...KISS is still king, so don't get too wound up in the all the doodads and trappings.

I probably need to know where online to get good long fiber sphagnum moss. I’ve checked the stores around here and so far only seen Mosser Lee which I was warned about.
Order it online from Lowe's...a link is above in another remark of mine.

Also I haven’t found any vermiculite at all anywhere. A lot of the combos I’ve seen call for it.
I don't use vermiculite.

And silica sand. Keep seeing that pop up but no dice with finding that either. I’m not close enough to a big city in Ohio to be able to find an actual like CP greenhouse. Or even just CP friendly it’s frustrating.
Don't kill yourself looking for nice, coarse sand...it's like unicorns and chicken with teeth...basically non-existent without paying an arm and a leg for a small bag (at least from what I've seen). Layer hen and "grower" granite chicken grit has been mentioned as an option...just be sure that it doesn't have any additives in it...lots of it is coming with "probiotics".<sigh> As for actual "coarse sand", look for "horticultural sand"...maybe at large plant nursery(?).

And I understand Turface is popular, but I don’t have storage space for 50lbs of anything just ftr. Also like dang that’s a lot of money isn’t it? Rhetorical.
I've seen it mentioned, checked it out, but no nothing about it.
So yeah anything else y’all want to recommend for a newbie that’s addicted and also very OCD about doing things the most proper way possible. Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the world of "OCD-Me"!!!!!!

Panman wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2024 2:01 pm #1 tool - TDS meter