FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

So im a newbie in keeping flytraps did my research and bought some peat moss. though when i opened the container it said there was lime and fertiliser in the peat. i cant return this since i already opened it anybody know how to remove the lime and fertiliser in this? i dont wanna go and buy peat moss again from a market that's 2 hours away.

Welcome to the forum, Joaquinric!

Where are you located...Philippines? If you're not needing a large bale could you order online?

I'm confused... Were the ingredients hidden inside the bag???? If so and it was advertised as 100% peat moss then opened or not it seems you have the right to return it.

Whatever the case, you *could* try rinsing it but you will need to get some test equipment to see how your *repeated* rinsings are working. A TDS meter ($15 on Amazon) and possibly a pH test kit. Neither of these should be very expensive. Also, you will need LOTS of rainwater or distilled water to rinse with unless you are fortunate and have faucet/tap water that you know has a low TDS level (you need the meter and it will be handy for years to come). Unfortunately, few people have tap-water that is safe for carnivorous plants.

For peat moss with no fertilizer or lime added I still rinse it, lots of people don't, though, and have good results. The peat moss I use has no additives. When I rinse my 100% peat moss I'm attempting to lower the TDS of the peat moss and also rinse away possible algae and moss spores/seeds/whatever. I use paint strainer bags that fit inside 5-gallon buckets. I fill the bag up to about 3/4 full, tie the top off, put it in a bucket and pour good water in on it. Then I'll squeeze and dunk and mash and stomp and squeeze some more as the black/brown "dust" gets washed out into the water. Then I remove the bag and start squeezing and mashing and stomping for many times as I try to get the water in the peat to drain out (along with the black/brown dust stuff). I repeat this probably three times per bag, each time with fresh water. It indeed lowers the TDS in the subsequent measurements of the water draining from the bags and most of the time it gets me down into the 50-75ppm range. It is kind of a chore for my worn out self, but doable. It uses a good bit of water. BUT...my peat moss was not intentionally infused or whatever with fertilizer and lime...I would think that it will take much, much more rigorous washing (and lots of safe water) to make the TS3 safe to use.

Information that I've found says that the TS3 peat moss had enough lime added to raise the pH to 5.5-6.0 (too high for carnivorous plants). As for fertilizer, I've found this written about it..."Then add the compound fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium in addition to trace elements at the rate of 1 gram per liter of this Peat moss . The quantity becomes 210 grams compound fertilizer per bag of Peat moss, which is enough for small seedlings for 15 days without fertilization in the nursery."

You're investing in plants that you will hopefully have for years to come. Save the TS3 for your tomato seedlings. I would be afraid to use this for carnivorous plants.

Hello. thanks for the welcome and yes i do live in the philippines. after reading your reply ive decided to give the klasmann ts3 to my mother who loves planting vegetables. went to a different market and got my hands on a 100% pure and organic peat moss i will still be washing it though just to make sure. it was also my mistake on how i got the ts3 in the first place sorry. turns out i didnt read the its label and it clearly said it had added lime and fertilizer.

You made a very good decision to get a different peat moss and to pass on the other to your mother!!! As for rinsing your new peat moss, it will help in lowering the TDS of the peat moss but also helps rinse out algae and moss seeds/spores thus reducing the amount of algae and unwanted moss that grows on the surface of your grow mix.

I don’t think I mentioned it before, but you should check out the seed bank here on the forum. Lots of different seeds to choose from for the cost of envelopes and postage!!!