Well..... I laughed.... was that wrong? ;-) I can't tell you what to do either but I can tell you what I did. I've had an artificial bog for five years now after moving from an area where I used to grow bog plants plunked right in the wet ground. I grow terrestrial orchids and CPs mostly. I built a small retaining wall with stone so I didn't have to do too much digging. The resulting "hole" ended up being around two feet deep (sorry, I don't usually measure these types of things, coulda been more or less). I lined that with some old thick carpet so tree roots wouldn't be able to get through easily and so the liner wouldn't be otherwise compromised. I lined that with a PVC liner. I then filled the bottom 6"-8" inches (appx., again sorry didn't measure) with foam packing peanuts, this is so there is always water in the bottom but the peat does not rot. I cut just a couple slits around 2" (there I go not measuring again) from the top of the liner. I OVER-filled the rest with 50/50 (again appx., I really hate measuring) peat sand mixture by around 6". Some areas of the top where I wanted calopogon or rose pogonia I topped with additional sand. When I plant certain things (eg. Cypripedium) I might amend the mix to make it drain a little faster/slower. A fairly large area outside the liner also stays wet (amended with the same peat/sand mixture) and I use that to grow additional bog plants and orchids. Most of the surface I "mulch" with long fibered sphagnum each spring. In winter I lay a large burlap "blanket" on top of the whole deal and mulch with leaves. In five years I've lost one beautiful Darlingtonia (I still miss her) and a few thread leaf sundews. I'm in a slightly colder microclimate of zone 7 on the North shore of Long Island and I grow lots of southern CPs that have done real well. I have around 30 CP flowers getting ready to blossom. Hope this helps some, again sorry for all the approximations.

You should check this one out! The Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society's 11th Annual Drought Tolerant Plant Festival "Water Wise Dollar Wise" Learn how landscaping with drought tolerant plants can save you money and water. � Interior Educational Displays � Exterior Demonstration Gardens � Raffle � Silent Auction � Plant and Pottery Sale � Craft sales Saturday�s Guest Speakers Include: Lili Singer, "California Natives in the Garden" sponsored by the Theodore Payne Foundation(11:15am) Mike Buckner, "The Art of Staging Succulents" (2:15pm) Chief Mark Stormes from the LAFD, "Vegetation Management in the Los Angeles City Brush Zone" (1:00pm) Nels Christianson, "Gardens of Brazil", sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Bromeliad Society (10:00am) Sunday Kids Day � Arts and Crafts � Create Father�s Day Gifts � Pot -A -Plant � Games �Educational Gardens Drought Tolerant Plant Festival Saturday June 11th 9am to 5pm (Lectures start at 10:00) Sunday June 12th 9am to 4pm (Kid�s events start at 10:30) Sepulveda Garden Center 16633 Magnolia Blvd Encino, CA 91436 For Times and More Information 818 220 8005 or www.lacss.com Our website http://www.waterwisedollarwise.com Here is a link that might be useful: The LACSS 11th Annual Drought Tolerant Plant Festival June 11th and 12th 2011

Hi it's certainly not listed as a CP in fact Not one mention of the habit in 3 languages lol I first noticed the resin about 2 weeks after germination.. Light amber in color no noticeable smell just incredibly sticky. Within a month it had caught it's first lizard. Noting that there was not one insect caught in the resin I took some ants and placed them on the leaves. They all jumped off immediately. It does seem to secrete more resin around the lizard but I can't detect any type of digestion. Don't you think that's interesting enough to rate a paragraph or two?? lol These trees are grown by the acre in S. America but seem to rare in the US. Schizolobium "Split lobes" refers to seed pods that divides in half at maturity. You can google "pavonia" on the bird catcher tree. Was used tby the native Hawaiiians to cath the tiny birds that made those beautiful robes. It is not listed as a CP either but is known that the tree utilizes the body for seed germination. Most of the writeups are on if the plant is native to "Hawaii" not it's growth habits. I'm not sure "Carnivourous " has a scientific definition?? I suspect that most epiphytic Bromeliads are carniverous but I think only 3 are classified as such. Those that store water have bunches of different creatures utilizing the water yet don't seem to be consuming the plant. If nothing else waste is being deposited in the water all the way up to birds. Since there is no "flush" must be using it?? lol gary

I think container soils, especially those for woody material, are all about structure and little about what they're made of, as long as they're not phytotoxic. I grow several plants in screened Turface only, with excellent results. Many bonsai growers grow in pure akadama or kanuma, both fired clay particles from Japan. For most trees, I use a basic mix of three ingredients: Pine or fir bark, crushed granite, and screened Turface. Most plants with leaves will do very well in a mix of equal parts by volume of these ingredients. Needled plants, might be 2 parts of granite & Turface and one bark, but basically, anything will do very well in this basic mix. I have very lush and healthy houseplants in this mix, too. I have often used charcoal in very small containers that are very difficult to keep hydrated & require wicks or saucers to keep the plant moist without knowing why I use it. I just know it works. Within the last week or so, I have had a discussion with someone from GW (Forgive me for forgetting his name. I get tons of mail from folks here & I deleted his message twice, after replying to it) about a specific type of charcoal in soils. He gave me a very interesting link to an analysis and study of terra preta soils. These are soils in which ancient indigenous peoples introduced a type of charcoal into the soil; and to this day, the soil remains much more productive than surrounding soil. I may not be getting this exactly right, but he has a store of a specially made charcoal (not activated charcoal) that he has saved for many years in his attic (from a water purification plant). He has promised to send me some, and I am excited to be getting it. It's possible that he will read this & step up; or, since I just started to read this forum, perhaps he's already here. I will post info as it becomes available. The charcoal retains its structure very well, so there is no reason not to use it as a soil ingredient, as long as its particulate size is appropriate. I still have about 25 conifers to repot this spring, and I will (hopefully) be able to try some of it in the soil mix & evaluate it over a couple of years. This is a pic of what I grow trees in. It drains so fast you can run a hose on the soil w/o overflowing the container. The Turface and pine bark hold water fairly well, and the soil is about 70& porous with about 35% being air porosity. You guys in the hot and windy parts of the country might eliminate the granite or add extra Turface & bark to compensate for the rapid drying out of soil. It's a fairly inexpensive soil to make, but it does have drawbacks: Finding the ingredients or substitutes (but you only have to find them once) ;o), it works best screened through insect screen, it requires frequent watering and fertilizing (a good thing from the plant's perspective - maybe not so good for the sake of convenience. Checking if plant needs water: When using a very fast soil, you quickly learn how to water, and, it's pretty difficult to over-water. Testing at the drain hole to see if it's wet is a good way, as is inserting a thin wood skewer or chopstick deep into soil - leave it there if you wish. If it comes out damp, don't water. Al