I know there are a couple of people who grow CPs on here, and they do it very well. Lately, my plants have struggled tremendously. I lost one temperate Pinguicula and a Sarracenia psittacina. Both of these were plants I got this year, but all of my collection seems to be struggling. The Sarracenia put out new pitchers, but they tops turn brown and never fully develop or struggle to develop.
I grow them in various sized pots sitting in saucers of water that always hold some water. I only use rainwater, but it is collected off the roof.
I can't seem to figure out what's causing this to even come up with a solution. Here are a few of my theories, but I've adjusted my conditions in an attempt to correct these things with no success as of yet.
1) Contaminated rainwater- I collect my water in 5 gallon buckets placed under the downspouts draining the roof. We have a metal roof. Could the metal be leaching some kind of ions into the water? I've used this method of collection for years and never had a problem with CPs or orchids before.
2) Bad/ broken down potting mix- The grower I bought these from grows in what looks like mostly peat. Should I change this to closer to a 1:1 peat sand mix? If so, when should I repot?
3) Watering habits- I water about once a week, give or take a few days. I look at how much water is in the saucer; if it's low I water. I always water from the top to flush the pots of any build up and to keep the moss looking green (also struggling).
4) Climate issues- We've been hot and dry here this summer. The plants were always in water, but we've been HOT! Most of these plants are native to Louisiana or surrounding Gulf Coast states, so I don't really thing this is the issue.
This is what I've come up with so far. I can provide pictures of the leaf damage I described, set up, etc. if that would help.
I grow them in various sized pots sitting in saucers of water that always hold some water. I only use rainwater, but it is collected off the roof.
I can't seem to figure out what's causing this to even come up with a solution. Here are a few of my theories, but I've adjusted my conditions in an attempt to correct these things with no success as of yet.
1) Contaminated rainwater- I collect my water in 5 gallon buckets placed under the downspouts draining the roof. We have a metal roof. Could the metal be leaching some kind of ions into the water? I've used this method of collection for years and never had a problem with CPs or orchids before.
2) Bad/ broken down potting mix- The grower I bought these from grows in what looks like mostly peat. Should I change this to closer to a 1:1 peat sand mix? If so, when should I repot?
3) Watering habits- I water about once a week, give or take a few days. I look at how much water is in the saucer; if it's low I water. I always water from the top to flush the pots of any build up and to keep the moss looking green (also struggling).
4) Climate issues- We've been hot and dry here this summer. The plants were always in water, but we've been HOT! Most of these plants are native to Louisiana or surrounding Gulf Coast states, so I don't really thing this is the issue.
This is what I've come up with so far. I can provide pictures of the leaf damage I described, set up, etc. if that would help.