Carnivorous plants differ from conventional houseplants in many ways. This mainly applies to the substrate. Never plant carnivores in regular garden or hardware store soil. This is how plant substrate for carnivorous plants should be.

Carnivorous plants are demanding - also with regard to their substrate

Where can you get substrate for carnivorous plants?

So-called carnivore soil is available in many hardware stores, but also in garden stores. Sometimes it is also offered under the name soil for carnivorous plants.

If the trade does not have a substrate for carnivores in stock, orchid soil can also be used if necessary. However, this should not be fertilized if possible. Mix in some quartz sand (€15.85) to loosen the soil.

Make your own soil for carnivorous plants

Anyone who spends a little more time raising carnivores will quickly switch to mixing the substrate themselves. Some materials are suitable for this:

  • peat (white peat)
  • peat moss
  • quartz sand
  • gravel
  • expanded clay
  • coconut fibers
  • styrofoam balls

It is important that the substrate stores a lot of water, is nice and loose and offers the plants enough support.

The right mix

The basis for carnivore soil is always peat, preferably white peat. Peat is low in nutrients, contains no lime and can store water well. At least half of the substrate should consist of peat.

Peat collapses over the months. That's why it makes sense to mix in quartz sand, small pebbles and some expanded clay (€19.73). These materials keep the soil nice and fluffy.

To avoid the risk of the roots drying out, it is advisable to also use some expanded clay. It stores water particularly well.

Only water with rainwater

Even more important than the substrate is the irrigation water for carnivorous plants. They tolerate no lime, neither in the ground nor in the water.

Therefore, always water carnivores with rainwater. If there is no rainwater at all, you can use still mineral water or distilled water.

Tap water is far too hard almost everywhere and is therefore not suitable for irrigation even if it has been stale or boiled.

tips

If you put together the soil for your carnivores yourself, make sure that you use unfertilized white peat. Often only pre-fertilized varieties are offered in hardware stores. These are not suitable for breeding carnivorous plants.

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Vegetable garden