Why Miracle-Gro Peat/Perlite Kills Carnivorous Plants

Fertilizer-Enriched Media Is Fatal

Any peat or perlite with added plant food will kill carnivorous plants quickly. They require nutrient-free, acidic media.

Buy from carnivorous plant nurseries (e.g., cobraplant.com).
Find local garden centers selling plain peat/perlite (often in bales/sacks from original manufacturer—uncontaminated).
Bulk purchase is cost-effective; stores indefinitely if kept dry.

See care sheets for recommended soil mixes by species.

Carnivorous Plants: What Trees Produce Peat Moss? Understanding Peat Formation; Perlite pH Concerns for Sarracenia leucophylla: Choosing the Right Aggregate; Evaluating Black Gold Sphagnum Peat Moss with Yucca Wetting Agent for Carnivorous Plants; Sterilizing Peat Moss: Boiling Works, But Fungicide Still Needed for Cuttings; The Right Soil Mix for Sarracenia, Venus Flytraps, and Nepenthes; Miracle-Gro Perlite Unsafe for Carnivorous Plants: Fertilizer Contamination; Choosing Carnivorous Plant Soil in Germany: Live Sphagnum vs. Peat Mixes; Sarracenia alata Growth, Seed Maturation, and Sphagnum Moss Care; Can You Grow Venus Flytraps in Pure Peat Moss? Yes—If You Water Daily; Why Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss for Blueberries?

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