I've never used perlite, but I've used both pure peat moss and pure long-fiber sphagnum to grow VFTs, and in my experience they do okay in either material, but long-fiber sphagnum gives substantially more vigorous plants and bigger traps.
-Don

Mix sand and peat and add LFS... but put VFT's outside. They won't do well in the long run unless they have direct sunligt

thanks for getting back to me. I did add perlite to the peatmoss.

Petiolaris my vfts that i grew 5 years ago did great in a tank. I pumped co2 into the tank and use allot of lighting. In arizona they don't seem to do well out side of a tank or in the direct sunlight. It's like many of the plants we get in where I work(home depot) they come from CAL and are marked full sun. But many can't live in arizona full sun.

Anyways thanks :)

I do part tome cashiering at Home Depot. The pots themselves do not provide accurate growing instructions at all. I know of several hobbyists in the Phoenix area. Their plants are outside. They just water more often and their plants have more developed root systems. To compensate for that Desert Southwest climate, one can keep the plants at an eastern exposure. The thing about VFT's is that they require a dormancy, a seasonal change, so they can renew their strength. This is how they adapted. if not given the dormancy they weaken. It's like humans going on lack of sleep. They need all the elements - sunlight, drainage, air circulation, cold, dry,...

Hi mjb,

Petiolaris is right. I live in Phoenix AZ and have been growing cps for a year. This is my first summer with cps outside. For others reading this post the humidity here has been in the single digits for about a month now and we hit record breaking heat yesterday of 110, and today of 108. My Sarrs and VFTs are outside.

A large Judith Hindle that over wintered outside has put up lots of pitchers. I was having a problem with a little dryness on the edges of the lids and the media being to warm. I have been monitoring the media temperatures. I repotted that one into a large insulated pot and its much happier. A smaller Sarr, possibly JH or Dana's Delight that I purchased in December is growing fine with no problems what so ever. I have several VFTs outside with the Sarrs. Two of the VFTs I also had outside all winter, they are growing beautifully to. Other VFTs that I placed outside this spring are struggling a bit but surviving and growing new traps. I can definitely see the difference in the plants that were allowed to go dormant and wintered outside. They are stronger and color is much more brilliant.

I have a lot of old growth trees forming a type of canopy over my home and property. Thus, the plants only receive full sun for about 4 - 5 hrs a day. Shade/sun screen protects them from about noon on until they are in complete shade. I top water them generously and mist them with bottled water as soon as they are in complete shade so as not to burn them. The last 2 days, due to the extreme heat, I have place small ice cubes made from bottled water on the media and in the trays of water to help keep them cool. Don't know if the ice is helping or just making me feel better. LOL. If you live in Phoenix you know our water is just horrible here so be sure to use RO or distilled. If you get water from one of the self-serve dispenser machines check the ppm first, some are very high. Watermill Express guarantees only 50 ppm and machines are checked daily.

My ping, sundews and nep are all grown inside under florescent lights. I think the drop in humidity the last month is the cause of 3 large pots of Drosera adelea to lose their dew and the leaves to look dry. I cut them back and repotted them, the tiny new leaves all have dew. I started some Drosera capensis seeds in January, they are doing great, have lots of dew and are wrapping caught bugs.

I don't know if I will leave the Sarrs and VFTs out all summer, I guess it will depend on the heat and how they do. This is a learning year for me with cps. One thing for sure though, they will be outside in the fall for dormancy.

If you decide you would like to try growing them outside I would suggest moving them out of the tank for the summer and putting them outside in the fall. I have one new VFT and a new Sarr I am holding back on putting outside till fall.

There are a lot of friendly, knowledgeable people on this forum, they have been a godsend to...

petiolaris :) i'm a cashier for home depot as well. they keep me in garden 100% of the time at my store because they know i'm good with plants. I use to own a 17 foot green house a few years back and sold lots of sundews and other plants out of it I didn't however try flytraps in the greenhouse. I guess I should have. I know they need a cold season. I will pop them in the frig when that time comes. Last time I grew vfts I put them out side after the summer was over and pretty much forgot about them until they died. They did super well back then in a tank. I guess I some how just got lucky. I pumped co2 into the tank and use allot of lighting. I also used a pc fan to bring in fresh air.

nycti yeah yesterday was a hot one. I work at home depot and had to stay out side all day in it. :) I had no idea that people could really grow cps here out side without a greenhouse. I always thought the dry az weather would kill them. Right now i'm living in an apartment and fear if I put them outside some one would take my plants. Also I get off late 7:30 so growing them inside is a + in that I can see them when i get off work. I know what you mean about our city water As a kid I use to kill the cps every time using our city water. Now it's 100% distilled water.

Tonight I got another light to add to my tank. It's a high powered cfl 42 watt 4,410 lumens 6500k light. I added that to the 27 watt 5500k cfl and the 2 -18watt cfls 6400k

so far I have around 7000 lumens . Do you think that's good? It's also getting some light off an aero garden that suppose to be giving me tomatoes in a few months. I just got done growing herbs with it and it did a great job.

Back then my set up was a fishtank light . A cfl that was = to 150watts and two shoplights 4 tubes in all.

Cheers :-) Thanks for replying

You can't just pop a 70 F plant into a 40 F fridge, though. They need a gradual change.