FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I'm confused. If you're not measuring TDS in parts-per-million then what is the measurement reading in? The number that comes up is the meters interpretation of parts-per-million of total dissolved solids (TDS). Getting coir's drain water below 100ppm would probably be ok for grown plants, but I'd want it on down below 50ppm for starting seeds...which might take a lot of rinsing. I think I would just start with some peat moss and save the coir for some flowers or something. For me, it can be tricky enough getting these tiny seeds germinating and growing after germination without throwing a possible problem in the pot to start with.

Garden_Nymph wrote:I am about to start some CP seeds and I am going to either use peat (https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Sphagnum ... =8-54&th=1)

Or I have about 30 large coco Coir compressed disks that I could desalinate. I was reading the info on growing mediums and saw this:
Steve_D wrote:
As Veronis mentioned, coir (coconut husk pith) is usually very high in soluble mineral salts that can easily damage or kill Venus Flytraps. The coir needs to be repeatedly soaked for 8-12 hours at a time, and drained between each soak, perhaps 10 or more times in total to bring the TDS (total dissolved solids) in the water drained from the coir down to below 50 ppm (parts per million).

I use Zero water for my CPs. I use the TDS meter it comes with to measure the TDS in the water before using, however it doesnt measure PPM so what TDS would I need to test to before using? Also is the zero water and tester good for CPs? or do I need something different?

What you're seeing on the meter is actually "TDS PPM". In other words, the "parts per million" of "total dissolved solids". You're seeing what you're supposed to see, I believe. The TDS needs to be 50ppm or below...fifty parts per million of total dissolved solids. So yes, 50 or below would be good.

If you don't have a large amount to do put the peat in a gallon ziplock bag, add some water, and knead it really good. Saturate it good and let it sit for a while. Then squeeze every bit of water that you can out of it and repeat the process. Doing this over a couple or three days so the peat can soak good (maybe add a little extra water) would help even more. But, you're limited to roughly a half-gallon of peat in a gallon bag...gotta have room for the water and to be able to squish it around.

Another way is to go by Lowe's and pick up some paint-strainer bags. They're fine mesh bags that will fit around a 5-gallon bucket with elastic in the edge to hold it (fairly) secure. Dump your peat into the bag that's sitting in the bucket and tie it off with some cord. Then you can dunk it and roll it and general smush water all into it. When you're ready to squeeze the water out the bag is big enough you can grab handfuls through the fabric and squeeze it. Go kinda easy on the bag as they're not *real* tough, but you can mash them well enough. The bag makes for a neater rinsing.

Of course, you can just dump some peat in a bucket or pan, add water, and go to squeezing and mixing. You'll find the best way for you.

It might take several rinsings to get the TDS of the drain water below 50ppm. What I've done is make a regular mix of 50:50 peat to perlite and for the top 1/4" or so I'll use 100% peat moss that I've rinsed extra good...the better washed stuff is where the seeds are germinating and sending down roots. I don't know if it really helps or not as I'm somewhat of a newbie myself, but I figure it'll give them a little extra "cleanliness" when they first start out.

There are lots of people that don't go to the trouble of washing their medium and seem to do pretty good, too. I'm a bit OCD about things, though.

Good luck with it all...have fun!!!

In my short CP hobby life, I think I've had issues with peat moss being unhealthy for some plants. It was a bale of crappy peat moss that I got at Tractor Supply. I got two bales, actually...one is unopened (may yet go back) and the other about half-used up. That stuff had tons of trash in it...sticks and pieces of wood, presumably pieces of large stalks of "something". Plants just didn't seem to do well in it. Since then I've gotten a bale of Majestic Earth peat moss and the plants that have been planted in it seem to be doing much better. I've got some D. filiformis Florida Giant x Tracyi leaf cuttings that are an inch or more tall growing in live sphagnum moss layered over dried LFSM. They're doing good and I'm hesitant to move them to a peat/perlite mix but that is my plan. It will be interesting to see how they do. For now, though, I'm going to just try to help them survive this multi-day freeze we're having down here...this weather is highly abnormal for us.

Which peat moss did you order online?