well, I am pretty new to this too, but I'll try to help. first....don't use compost. Carnivorous plants like moist, nutrient-poor soil. Too much fertalizer in the soil will kill them. I just built a large outdoors bog and I used bagged peat moss and sand mix for the soil. My well water is acidic and soft so the plants should be happy there. Sometimes you can buy spagnum moss in small qualtities in craft stores or at a florist. they use it to cover the oasis in flower arrangements. Larger qualtities are sold in bales at many plant supply places. It is used for air-layering plant propagation so any good nursery supply place should sell it.

Hello subnormal,

Hardware stores often sell bales of Canadian sphagnum peat moss that are dry and in plastic wrap. That is the type you need as the regular bags usually have fertilizer added. The next best bet would be to buy some premixed soil specifically designed for carnivorous plants from an online nursery. Cobraplant.com and californiacarnivores.com both sell soil mixes for various carnivorous plant types. I do not know if you can get U.S. companies to ship to you, but I believe there are some U.K. companies that will be able to help you. Just type in "carnivorous plants for sale" or "carnivorous plant soil for sale" and see what comes up and if they sell overseas or are located in your area.

Venus Flytraps develop rather long roots for such short plants, but are often found growing side by side. Just provide a pot that is at least 5-6 inches deep and you can plant several of them together a couple of inches apart.

I like to mix sand and sphagnum peat and then add a layer of long fibered sphagnum on top. The deeper the pot the better. This way you water them once every few days and their media stays drained and slightly moist. Some people also use Perlite. Rinse all soil media thoroughly before using. VFT's also do best when kept outside. Out of proportion to most CP's, VFT's require more light than a window sill or artificial light provides, at least in the long run.

I use peat moss and perlite in equal parts for my VFTs and sarrs. Deeper pots are better for them as well.

Tom