> > > I wanted to know if anyone has ever used clay
> > > instead of perlite.
>
> Well, Pinguicula will not mind the higher pH...
I know someone said already, but I'm sure that the original poster
(from Italy I think) meant the solid 'clay' granules rather than the
stuff you might try to make pottery from. I've come across several
products of this type in the UK - sometimes sold as 'staging
aggregate' (I've used this in a bed with a soil-warming cable), also
'Perlag' (from the Perlite people), and the 'hydroponic' aggregate
sold as 'Seramis' (costs a fortune if you ask me!). I'd have thought
that all of these might be suitable as components in a CP soil,
though it would be as well to check the pH and do a few trials first.
-- Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)