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sans watering and growing medium

17 years ago

I have a question about growing medium and watering for my five or six kinds of sansv.

if one has a penchant for overwatering, what harm can come to a set of sansv. in a large pot if one just 'mists' the top of the dirt every day and waters well once a week (desert daytime temps, cool nights)?

That is how I keep myself from overwatering, but sansv. are new to me, so don't always know what the result is for each new type of plant I get. From reading lots of posts about overwatering, I worry now.

Also, the sans. are in an expensive potting soil, which drains well, but not as well as sand might.

Does anyone here grow sans. in fast-draining sand?

thanks!

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Comments (5)

User
17 years ago
Hi HP,

I'd avoid growing them w/ sand, it can be tricky & cause problems if one uses the wrong kind/size sand, etc.

When you can, try reading (search, here & in C&S forum) abt mixes; folks have lots of opinions. I tend to grow my Sans. in my own recycled C&S mixes, or really most any other semi-spent mix as long as I add lots of pumice or perlite (& avoid the peat). In my own experience, Sans. don't care what kind of mix they're in as long as it's fast draining.

IMO, misting isn't really something for succulents, particularly not for Sans, I'd just stop that altogether if it were me. (My own cure to overwatering, esp. succulents was to simply train myself to go look at them w/out a watering can & keep my hands behind my back & just LOOK. Hard I know, but I'd killed too many Crassulas (Jades) by overwatering & was determined to stop that.)

Pls. remember that succulent plants by definition, hold water in the plants themselves, so they already have their own stores of water if you will, they don't need misting as Houseplants or Tropicals do, they're not humidity loving plants. Tho' many Sans. grow & thrive in the tropics, I believe they originated in quite dry places.

I grow in Brooklyn, indoors in an apmt w/ west facing windows lots of light. For the most part, esp. In summer I only give mine a good drink once every 7-10 days. (in winter I water less often. Some are in plastic pots, but the larger, heavier ones are in clay pots.

The danger of too large a pot is that the mix will stay wet longer than one wants it to. That can lead to rot, esp. w/ the short, squat types of Sans. which I've found to be much more prone to rot from overwatering.
client_m
17 years ago
I have been growing green ones in a mix of 1 part loam (plain potting soil), 1 part sphagnum peat moss, and 1 part perlite, with added lime, humus, and horticultural charcoal. Variegated types are growing in a soil-less mix of 1 part sphagnum peat moss, 1/2 part perlite, 1/2 part vermiculite, with added lime, humus, and horticultural charcoal. All the plants offset freely and there have been no problems.
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gw:plant_babies
17 years ago
thanks!

one problem I am having is finding affordable perlite -- a very small bag around here is almost $4!

:)
joy4me
17 years ago
Hi

Another reason for small pots is that sans are relatively slow growers and like to be pot-bound. They send up new shoots faster, multiplying in a snug environment and with their roots touching the pot bottom. Thus the sans pots (squat) lower and wider as opposed to taller and narrow.
shauntavia
17 years ago
do you have Home Depot where you live? My bag of perlite was like 3.05 for a bag...i just repotted lots of plants and didn't even use half the bag.

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