FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I just ordered 2 kinds of Ping seeds (P. Ibbarae & P.Moctezumae),
and I wanted to know if they would enjoy some Vermiculite in their soil mix
the mix I had in mind was 1part Vermiculite ,1part Perlite, 1part peat and 1part coconut husk fibers(which I found with this mix helps the soil drain really fast)
would this work? bare in mind there's no way for me to get silica-sand anywhere in my country(even though we make it )
thanks!

Vermiculite would be fine for Mexican pinguicula soil however it has been known to break down rather rapidly, perlite would be better and safer.

I'm also apprehensive about the coconut husk fibres. Did you wash it thoroughly? It usually has an insane amount of dissolved mineral content and it takes a large amount of pure water and a lot of time to make it safe for carnivorous plants.

Pinguicula are generally more forgiving with regards to dissolved minerals but unwashed coconut fibre is asking for it really.

First of all thanks for the very informative reply.
And now for some more talk
Like I said I plan to use perlite as well as Vermiculite in the mix to maybe balance it out, and the coconut-husk is not really coconut-husk...
what it is actually is fibers from our Date-tree in the yard that I picked, cut and washed in the rain about 7-8 times, TDS is around the low 20's and the PH is 6.2 I think. would that work?
and I used about equal parts of all those materials (Perlite, Vermiculite, Fibers,Peat-moss)
I'm also looking for some fine volcanic rock as well to add to the party
thanks for the info, and also tell me if you think I'm trying to hard, I don't have a lot of experience with Pings so I would love any criticism

I've heard a lot of bad things about vermiculite to be honest. I personally wouldn't use it and would prefer more perlite, but the choice is yours

Do you know the fibres' decomposition rate? I don't honestly think it would be wise to use anything you aren't sure of in a potting mix.

Volcanic rock should be fine as long as it's soaked for a while. It works ok for me. You're doing fine It's good to ask questions! I look forward to hearing how things go.

Well from what I know those fibers don't break down to fast, older layers of fiber (from at least 10 years ago{been living in this house all my life}) can still be found pretty much intact.
I'll try to double the perlite and peat in proportion to the Vermiculite and fibers and add some V-rocks, I think it should work.
would adding very very fine silica-sand (the kind used to clean graffiti)help? that's the only kind you can find here in Israel.

Unfortunately I know next to nothing about silica sand and wouldn't feel comfortable giving you advice on it. I know larger grain sizes are better and that it should be 99.99% silica but otherwise am completely unsure.

Yeah I don't trust the guy when he tells me it's pure silica...
anyway I'll stick to what I said before and just keep an eye on the soil.
thanks for the help and I'll try to keep you posted on the progression