Is that good soil for most succulents?
asclepiad_fan
6 years ago
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Comments (8)
Rob Blomquist
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Potting mix, regular soil better than cactus/succulent soil?
Comments (5)Personally, I would stay with the C&S mix. If you buy regular soil, you'll have to mix much more perlite in it to achieve the fast draining mix that C&S like. If you do a search on here for potting mediums or potting mixes, you'll get a lot of information and see that most of us are using an almost, if not entirely, soil-less mix. My own consists of pine bark (sold as soil pep), perlite and crushed granite (sold as chicken grit). The reason you were told to mix perlite in with the peat moss is this: if you were to use the C&S mix straight, eventually the peat would dry to a hard clump around the root ball and become hydrophobic, meaning that it would never reabsorb water and allow water to the roots. The perlite will mix in with the peat and create enough spaces around the root ball and throughout the mix that some water will be able to reach the roots. How much water depends on how much perlite you mix in. Nancy...See MoreIs this soil good for succulents?
Comments (25)An extremely high % of the 'issues' that bring container growers to these fora in search of resolution are a direct or indirect result of the stress levied on root systems by poor soil choices; so, I wouldn't call the information and advice offered by those with enough experience to delineate between heavy, water-retentive soils and those that hold reduced amounts of perched water brouhaha or hype. There are inherent limitations associated with growing containerized plants in heavy soils. If the medium in the pots pictured are homogeneous from pot top to pot bottom, it's not unrealistic to expect that after a soaking rain the height of the perched water table might be 100% that of the ht of the media column. That is to say a the medium you show, in a 10-12" deep pot might be 100% saturated at container capacity. That = 0% air porosity at container capacity. Container capacity is a measure of the amount of water retained in a container after the medium in the pot has been fully saturated and has just stopped draining. I hope others don't look at your choice of container media as a clarion call to follow suit, because there is little question that it won't end well. I'd dearly love to see a series of images of these plants over time so others might judge for themselves whether or not a muddy, compacted mix such as that shown above is appropriate for any plant in a pot. Probably the best measure of how appropriate a medium is, is how much of it's genetic potential a plant is able to realize while growing in that medium. You might have the magic touch, but others will undoubtedly leave a vast amount or all their plants' potential lying on the table, unrealized. Al...See MoreMy succulents are suffering, I need some good advice on how to proceed
Comments (7)Hi, I see that many of your Crassulaceans (Sedums, Echeverias, etc.) are severely etiolated. Obviously they are in desperate need of increased light, but your setup seems sufficient. Do you know how potent your growing lamps are? How many hours per day they are on? How close they are to each plant? Knowing this would help because this seems to be a light issue over anything else. Do you have access to windowsills or the outdoors? All of my succulents are faced to western or southern windows (inside), and there have been no light problems (and I'm on the East Coast!). Also, you should not worry about overwatering-- it all depends on your soil mixture. Bonsai Jack (which you had mentioned) has a great gritty mix that was designed for succulents. It is good for beginners, as it is almost impossible to overwater while using it. Using your current setup, do NOT fertilize. Never fertilize when the plants are not getting sufficient sun, as they will grow more etiolated without proper light conditions. And in regards to the C. lehmanii, it is normal for it not to look instantly better overnight. I have many mesembs, and watering when they are severely wrinkled is a gradual process. They must have continual soakings (but let the pot air out before each one) to be restored back to turgidity....See MoreFirst time growing succulents - what soil ingredients to use?
Comments (6)May I ask what is 'cucumber soil'? Most of us do not use vermiculite. And prefer not to use peat. The recipe you found is good; as mentioned on the site you linked to, Al (tapla) is long-time member of this forum (this used to be Garden Web, bought up not too long ago by houzz...-:( They posted a link to his post about Container soils - hopefully you had chance to read it. You don't need to make mix exactly as Al suggested, but -if the concept is understood - make one from materials available that would perform same or very close to it. Many ppl use just C&S soil and perlite. If so, they mix it in minimum 1:1 ratio, and often use more than 50% of coarse/sifted/rinsed perlite to achieve good drainage. I wouldn't use extra peat, there is usually plenty of it in C&S soil. Many of use mostly (or 100%) inorganic mix. Grit is very good ingredients, and hopefully you find it. We get poultry - chicken grit, that is easy to find in farm supply stores and quite inexpensive. Make sure, if you find it, to get one without addition of crushed shells... It would help if you posted photos. Sempervivum 'chicks' do not have to have roots when divided - they will grow them soon. But it is not necessary to divide them...they naturally grow forming big clumps, and often look very good like that. Obviously, it is your choice and you should do as you like... May I ask what seeds did you sow?...See Morerina_Ontario,Canada 5a
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoasclepiad_fan thanked rina_Ontario,Canada 5aasclepiad_fan
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoKaren S. (7b, NYC)
6 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
6 years ago
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Karen S. (7b, NYC)