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Sand In Your Mix

Ok fly trap people I have a question!

I'm mostly a Drosera guy so I use #20 grade silica sand in all my mixes at about a 1:1 ratio of peat:sand.

I just got a Dionaea, and was wondering, is #20 grade too fine to be used with a peat mix say at a ratio of 1:3 sand : peat? Should I add perlite to it? I really dislike having to use perlite for things unless absolutely necessary since it has a real tendency to float on me.
 
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If perlite's floating, it's an indication that you're either top-watering too heavily or your mix is not draining well. It's generally recommended to have drier soil with flytraps so if anything I'd go with more sand than your sundews. I've been trying out a mix of about 1/4 peat, 1/4 sand, and 1/2 perlite lately but it hasn't been long enough to say how well it works.
 
20 grade seems kind of fine, but if you are not using a lot it should be fine. I use 16 grade for my plants but I use a mix of perlite, sand, and peat. The courser sand is definitely harder to fine. Anyways, I would say 20 is okay to use but definitely don't use anything finer than that.
 
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I've been using New Zealand LFS with 1/4 perlite with some playground sand with great results. My vft's stay outside with full sun for most of the day.
 
Just got back from a visit to one of the VFTs natural habitat areas....supposedly they are only native to an area about 75 miles around Wilmington, NC. The site I visited is state managed/protected. They had done a controlled burn a few months ago to clear off some of the underbrush on some portions of the site. The sand around the site was very fine. I am an avid beach goer and the sand was white and the same consistency as the fine sands on the dunes along the coast of North Carolina. When we start getting into #21 compared to #17 compared to #19 sand....I think we are losing site of the fact that conditions can be variable in nature, and the main issue should probably be to ensure good drainage and avoid waterlogged situations. I have never seen perlite as fine as the sand, unless you count the dust in the bottom of a perlite bag. It was an interesting habitat...pine trees, prickly pear cactus, sphagnum moss, sand, and a few little green frogs.
 
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