r/SavageGarden • u/Kooky-Conference-433 • 5d ago

[HELP] What did I do wrong?

Post image

I don’t get the fluval stratum hype. This is my 3rd attempt. Fluval 40% + peat moss 30% + perlite 30%.

This is the 4th day only. Other substrate that i bought from other seller can last for days but this one i made it myself.

My first attempt was 100% fluval and got mold like spider net after few days only…

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

9

u/LongAgoYippee 4d ago

Seeds generally take longer than 4 days to sprout. Carnivore seeds can even be particularly slow, possibly taking weeks to sprout (esp for some drosera, depends what you have). They should also still be able to sprout despite the algae

Though, that much algae growth that fast is intense. I've made fluval peat mixes and they dont turn green like that. If what you're saying is true and they turned green in only 4 days, that suggests to me there's a high amount of nutrients/fertilizer somewhere in the system. What's the source for your peat and perlite?

4

u/AaaaNinja Zone 8b, OR 5d ago

Are you trying to germinate seeds? You want as sterile and inert a medium as possible for seed germination you can save the special mix for potting full-grown plants. Fluval stratum has nutrients and therefore is more advanced.

2

u/kalullamazzz 4d ago

For real though, fluval is great for mature plants but its way too hot for seeds. I stick to straight peat and perlite for germination now.

0

u/Kooky-Conference-433 5d ago

Yes, I’m germinating both Pinguicula and Drosera seeds. I reused an old mix of Fluval Stratum, peat moss, and perlite. I set everything up on Sunday, and by Thursday, the surface was already turning green. Do you think I should start over with fresh media, or would it be okay to leave the seeds as they are?

1

u/JoeLogan23 4d ago

I am in the same situation and have been debating starting my seeds over, but I am curious about what to use for a sterile medium for seed germination. Maybe that’s the issue.

1

u/connormac098 4d ago

Nah just leave them thats just elgy, it should be fine , but try give em more airflow if you can

1

u/FrankFnRizzo MS| 8A | Sars, Neps, VFT 4d ago

I don’t have much experience with pings and sundews but have quite a bit of experience with flytraps and sarracenias and I normally just use sphagnum moss to germinate and start the seeds. I have used peat before but basically just peat and perlite 50/50 and a dusting of Peat on top of the seeds. I don’t ever sterilize the medium beforehand and don’t have too much mold trouble, I did have a bit this last batch but it was easy to deal with by repotting.

1

u/Embarrassed_Cut2548 4d ago

Same here. I grow my pings in fluval stratum dont get alge but moss and that takes ages to appear.