FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Does the media my plants are growing in make a difference in the watering method I use?

For instance, I have plants in LFSM, LFSM/perlite, peat/perlite, and peat/sand. Do some of these lend themselves better to either top watering or the tray method? Or if they are being bottom watered, would some of these media types need to have more time with the tray dry than others?

The pot size and conditions has much more influence on how long it takes to dry rather than media type. That being said, lfs is going to dry out faster than a peat based media regardless of method. Once the tray dries, you would have to keep a close eye on the moss and to a lesser extent, the peat. I haven't used the tray method in a very long time and have both lfs and peat medias. They are outside in 90+ degree temps all day and do fine. Just take into consideration your pot size.

I use a little LFSM on the pot bottom to keep the peat mix from flushing out, then fill the pot with the perlite/sand/peat mix. A shallow top layer of LFSM keeps the peat mix from splashing everywhere when it rains. Keeping the top LFSM moist helps keep the whole pot from drying out.

If your pots get really dry, watering from the bottom sometimes doesn't work because the dried peat doesn't wick the water upward as efficiently.

Adding — a tall pot with a small surface area will stay moist the longest.

Consider getting tall opaque plastic tumblers (~ 24oz) from your local big-box store, and drilling a few drainage holes in the bottoms.

schmeg wrote: ↑Mon Jul 15, 2024 7:26 pm Consider getting tall opaque plastic tumblers (~ 24oz) from your local big-box store, and drilling a few drainage holes in the bottoms.

One note: These cups are designed to sit flat. If you have them in a flat tray (as opposed to a ribbed tray) or in saucers, then holes in the bottom of the cups won't drain well. You actually want to drill the holes in the sides of the cups, just above the base. Then they'll drain correctly no matter what.

The thick, sturdy, stadium cups make great plant pots, with the addition of a few drain holes (not sure if this is what you were talking about): A bunch of my plants are sitting in big, yellow cups that say "Dickey's Barbeque".