All Episodes

December 20, 2025 3 mins

In this episode we examine why carnivorous plants and bonsai often struggle in coco grow media — coco (coir) can contain high sodium and is frequently buffered with calcium nitrate, resulting in elevated calcium and nitrogen compared with peat.

The host suggests a fix: use raw high-sodium coco and flush it with Liquid Gypsum (calcium sulfate) to remove sodium without adding nitrogen, creating a peat-free grow medium suited to carnivorous plants and bonsai and a potential niche business idea.

https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/soil-conditioners/liquid-gypsum/

Ryan Neil — Bonsai Mirai

Bjorn Bjorholm — Eisei-en Bonsai

Michael Hagedorn — Crataegus Bonsai

Peter Chan — Herons Bonsai

Walter Pall — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Mauro Stemberger — Italian Bonsai Academy

Kimura Masahiko — Kinbon Bonsai Garden

Takeyama Takashi — Fujikawa Kouka-en

Shinji Suzuki — Kaizen Bonsai

Boon Manakitivipart — Bonsai Boon

Jonas Dupuich — Bonsai Tonight

Sergio Cuan — Bonsai Empire

Colin Lewis — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Kevin Willson — Bonsai Willson

David Easterbrook — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Graham Potter — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Mauro Di Lorenzo — Bonsai Studio Italiano

Eric Schrader — Bonsaify

Andy Smith — Golden Arrow Bonsai

Tony Tickle — Yardley Bonsai

Jim Doyle — Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt

Kathy Shaner — Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt

Kathy and Jim Doyle — Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt

Bill Valavanis — International Bonsai Arboretum

Frank Mihalic — Bonsai Artist

Nick Lenz — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Dan Robinson — Elandan Gardens

David Benavente — Bonsai Kai

Pedro Morales — Bonsai Sur

Salvatore Liporace — UBI Bonsai

Jan Schlauer — Carnivorous Plant Society Europe

Barry Rice — Carnivorous Plant Society

Stewart McPherson — Redfern Natural History

Andreas Fleischmann — Botanische Staatssammlung München

Charles Clarke — Monash University

Fernando Rivadavia — Universidade Estadual de Campinas

Robert Cantley — Borneo Exotics

Alastair Robinson — Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Andreas Wistuba — Wistuba Carnivorous Plants

Lubomír Adamec — Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences

Peter D’Amato — California Carnivores

Barry Meyers-Rice — International Carnivorous Plant Society

Richard Nunn — Freelance Carnivorous Plant Grower

Ivan Snyder — Freelance Carnivorous Plant Grower

Thomas Carow — Green Jaws

Marcel van den Broek — Carnivorous Plant Nursery

Christian Klein — Kleins Carnivorous Plants

Marcel van den Berg — Dutch Carnivorous Plant Society

Brian Barnes — California Carnivores

Tamlin Magee — Meadowview Biological Research Station

Aaron Ellison — Harvard University

Paulo Gonella — Universidade de São Paulo

Kai Müller — University of Würzburg

François Mey — Société Botanique de France

Nicolas Riddick — Freelance Carnivorous Plant Grower

Adam Karremans — Lankester Botanical Garden

Kamil Pásek — Best Carnivorous Plants

Christian Dietz — Freelance Carnivorous Plant Researcher

Adrian Slack — Carnivorous Plant Author

Paul McMillan — Freelance Carnivorous Plant Researcher

Tony Tickle — Bonsai Artist

Koji Hiramatsu — Shunkaen Bonsai Museum

Kunio Kobayashi — Shunkaen Bonsai Museum

Masahiko Kimura — Kinbon Bonsai Garden

Naoki Maeoka — Japanese Bonsai Artist

Taiga Urushibata — Japanese Bonsai Artist

Ryuji Suzuki — Japanese Bonsai Artist

David De Groot — Bonsai De Groot

Andrew Robson — Rakuyo Bonsai

Leo Eshkenazi — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Jason Chan — Eastern Leaf

Kevin Wilson — Bonsai Willson

Mark Fields — Evergreen Gardenworks

Brent Walston — Evergreen Gardenworks

Michael Tran — Muranaka Bonsai Nursery

Roy Nagatoshi — Royal Bonsai Garden

Mas Iida — Iida Bonsai Nursery

Peter Tea — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Tony Remington — Freelance Bonsai Artist

Harry Harrington — Bonsai4Me

Damon Collingsworth — California Carnivores

Mike King — Carnivorous Plant Nursery

Andreas Fleischmann — Munich Botanical Collection

Stewart McPherson — Redfern Natural History Productions

Matt Opel — International Carnivorous Plant Society

Bob Ziemer — Meadowview Biological Research Station

Ron Determann — Meadowview Biological Research Station

Tom Luecking — Freelance Carnivorous Plant Grower

Richard Myers — Carnivorous Plant Society UK

Adrian Yeo — Singapore Botanic Gardens

Ch’ng Khoon Meng — Singapore Botanic Gardens

Paul Harwood — Carnivorous Plant Society UK<

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

The Bobby Bones Show

The Bobby Bones Show

Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.