Food-Gardening Lessons From A Wartime Victory Garden

What Is the Best Mix For Carnivorous Plants?

“Do you have a mix that works with carnivorous plants like the American pitcher plant or venus fly trap?” Question from Doreen of Lander, Wyoming

Answer: North American carnivorous plants, like the Southeast American native Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula, USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8), are largely bog plants. Consequently, peat moss is one of the best growing mediums for them. Peat bogs are nutrient-poor growing environments, which is why the plants adapted to bogs gather needed nutrients from the insects that they catch and digest. I suggest growing yours in Black Gold Peat Moss Plus, which has an all-natural added wetting agent to help the peat remain wettable. Add to the peat moss a little sand at a 1:4 ratio and top it off with a little coarse, unprocessed peat moss. The combo should be perfect for your plant. Refrain from adding fertilizer!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

About JESSIE KEITH

Plants are the lens Jessie views the world through because they’re all-sustaining. (“They feed, clothe, house and heal us. They produce the air we breathe and even make us smell pretty.”) She’s a garden writer and photographer with degrees in both horticulture and plant biology from Purdue and Michigan State Universities. Her degrees were bolstered by internships at Longwood Gardens and the American Horticultural Society. She has since worked for many horticultural institutions and companies and now manages communications for Sun Gro Horticulture, the parent company of Black Gold. Her joy is sharing all things green and lovely with her two daughters.

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