Question
QUESTION: Hello guys, Jason here. I have a ping. Gigantea and my wonderment is why is it not getting bigger.  It is in peat and sand. The plant does have good dew production.  It was bigger last year but it shrunk and now it's just sitting there.  I fertilize it every two weeks. I ask this because it sits next to a Alfred ping I bought from you and it's getting bigger every week. They are under the two tube light set up as shown in the dvd. I also have capes and Venusta in there and they look perfect.  Any thoughts?
Thanks

ANSWER: It's possible that it's going dormant.  It's not unusual for plants to do this in an artificial situation, such as indoor growing.  Without seeing what your plant looks like, I can't confirm this, but it's certainly a possibility.  

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Ping Gigantea   QUESTION: Here you go Jacob. The one in question on the left and the Alfred on the right.

Answer
Well, the problem is that you got your plant from another nursery!  All kidding aside, the soil mix looks like it's peat based, which makes it a bit more acidic.  Only you can confirm if it's peat based since I can't confirm it through a photo.  Mexican butterworts prefer slightly alkaline soil, which is why we use a very course mix with perlite and sand.  There is some peat (25%) for water retention, but overall it's quite granular.  

It may be that it's time to plant your gigantea into fresh mix.  The peat may have broken down sufficiently that it's slowing down the growth of your plant.  Since you're fertilizing, use Grow More brand.  They produce a fertilizer for indoor plants.  This one has calcium, which will help keep the soil alkaline.  Pings love calcium.


Good growing!
Jacob Farin


UPDATE: I should have read the text attached with your photo.  Yes, it's in a mix of peat and sand.  The ratio might be 1:1, which is a bit too high in peat for the butterwort.  You can use peat and sand, but increase the sand, may be 3:1.