FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

You may have a point, elaineo, I dunno. Would the grass stems and pieces of wood release any nutrients as it decomposed? The other thing are those matted-up pieces of...??? They might be good at holding water but roots that grow in them would be permanently in them...a tough fibrous wad of roots(?) or...??? Even after I cleaned the big stuff out of it the plants just didn't seem to do well, though it very well could have been my newbie self!

We had an appointment close to #2 TAC today so I did a slow “drive-by” to case the joint out. They had both Premier *and* SunGro Black Gold!!! Left with two bags!!!!

I too don't pay any attention to what's in the peat, apart from any over-large bits. In theory, the peat being acidic, prevents organic matter from breaking down, which is possibly why the lumps are there in the first place. Any organic matter in the peat, and indeed the peat itself, will only start to break down, as the acidity levels lower, in pots this is normally due to watering washing the acidity out.
Once you reach that point, the organic matter will start to break down and start releasing nutrients, including the peat itself breaking down. Although if you water frequently from the top you can wash the nutrients out, so long as you empty the tray occasionally before they cause problems, and eventually, the medium will reach a PH neutral (ish) point, so you can get some extra growing time out of the medium. Not recommended though as it isn't acidic enough to give the plants what they want and once broken down the medium has a much smaller particulate size reducing oxygen to the roots. But I have some plants that have been in the same medium for five years or more and are doing OK.
Cheers
Steve

Steve, I have strong preference for rainwater. Things just "seem" to do better with it...a purely anecdotal observation. Being acidic, do you think rainwater helps to slow down decomposition of the peat more so than distilled or RO water does?

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 4:15 pm I don't know how it is over your way, but the TSCs around here have the large bags and bales sitting out beside the pen where the gate panels, implements, etc., are kept. You can do a quick "drive-by" to see what they've got.

Thanks for the Info I wish my TSC wasn't 51 miles away from me but might be worth stopping by to see if they have the good brand because I did notice the premier I bought does have alot of sticks and trash in comparison to the sunshine brand. The upside I found was that it was relatively cleaner TDS wise when I was washing read about 60 TDS.

It sounds like your TSC might be in a large metro area. Check the other obvious places, too…Home Depot and Lowes. Their inventory varies. Another place that I’ve SunGro advertised at on occasion is Ace Hardware.

I see Ace hardware also carries the sun gro brand might be worth a shot stopping by and seeing if that's true since it's much closer then TSC.

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 12:04 am It sounds like your TSC might be in a large metro area. Check the other obvious places, too…Home Depot and Lowes. Their inventory varies. Another place that I’ve SunGro advertised at on occasion is Ace Hardware.

Haha I'm a slower typer you beat me to it yea I did find that Ace hardware has some in stock so I'm going to stop by.

I can't seem to locate any SunGro products near me.

Don't sweat it if you can't find SunGro. It's a good producer whose brands are usually very good. There are others. The couple of bags that I bought the other day are the first ones for me and I have even opened them yet to see what it's like. I've been using Majestic Earth that seems to be pretty good itself. The often-found Premier seems to get good remarks, also. Just be sure and stay away from Greensmix, if it is *anything* like the bale I got it is pure junk.

Just thinking...did you go by the places for an "eyeballing" or did you just check online? These places' inventories are not that accurate in regards to bags or brand.

Intheswamp wrote:Steve, I have strong preference for rainwater. Things just "seem" to do better with it...a purely anecdotal observation. Being acidic, do you think rainwater helps to slow down decomposition of the peat more so than distilled or RO water does?

Hi ITS
Yes definitely, and as far as I am concerned you are right in your observations. I have in-ground bogs that I drain in winter and leave them draining all through the winter, so over here they get flushed at a good rate, but the medium is generally remains at about 6.0 on the PH, not acidic enough really, but easy to compensate for with some pine, sulphur, or other acidic additives. The neutral water does tend to strip the acidity quicker and further.
Cheers
Steve

Thanks for the feedback! So my brain isn't completely off its tracks!

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 4:44 am Just thinking...did you go by the places for an "eyeballing" or did you just check online? These places' inventories are not that accurate in regards to bags or brand.

No. I am lazy and on disability so I rarely leave the house. We have a farm supply place a few miles away that I might go by to see if they have any. In looking on Amazon they have Black Gold but it is not SunGro. Pretty sure it is not suitable for CP's but I might purchase a small bag to see if there is a difference or not.