Both succulents & cacti have similar water, heat, & sunlight needs – less water, a significant amount of heat, & a lot of light. Both have fleshy stems that make them look nice together in your garden.
The roots, stems & leaves of succulents & cacti all store water & can easily succumb to root rot. The roots need oxygen & a mix which is light, well aerated, drains well & is soilless helps to prevent overwatering.
You can make your succulent & cactus mix or buy it online at www.naturallygreenindia.com
This mix is suitable whether you’re growing succulents & cactii indoors or outdoors in pots.
You can also prepare the Succulents & Cactus Potting mix on your own, if you have the time, patience, interest & are willing to get your hands dirty.
I bought all my ingredients to make the Succulents & Cactus Potting mix at www.naturallygreenindia.com, they have 100% Organic & Natural Products
How to mix your own succulent & cactus soil ?
You can easily mix up a blend that will work great for 95% of succulents & Cactus.
· 30% Cocopeat – Coconut coir in shredded form, ideal for root aeration, lightweight & aides in ensuring the soil does not get compact.
· 20% Vemicompost – Earthworm dung if you might call it is a natural & effective source of nutrition & NPK.
· 20% Soil – Red / Black for anchoring plants and providing a medium to store & release nutrition.
· 10% River Sand – River sand constitutes of silica and allows good drainage
· 10% Vermiculite – Vermiculite is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral which undergoes significant expansion when heated. Vermiculite helps to aerate soil while simultaneously retaining water and nutrients, which it then releases over time. Vermiculite is therefore useful in soil mixes to ensure effective drainage.
· 10% Perlite – Perlite is a naturally occurring mineral that is added to garden soil to improve aeration, water retention and drainage. It looks like small, white Styrofoam balls and is commonly found in potting soil and seed-starting mixes
Be sure not to confuse perlite & vermiculite. It’s a common mistake for beginners, but the two soil additives do the exact opposite. Vermiculite acts like a sponge & absorbs water, whereas perlite helps air to flow through the soil & evaporate it.
Mix all of the above well, apply water using a sprinkler / watering can, avoid lumps, leave moist for 24 hours. Ensure the mix is not over / under watered. Use after 24 hours to pot / repot your succulents / cacti.
This is the recipe we use to ensure that there is just enough moisture to keep the roots from drying out, but not so much as to cause root rot. There’s a little organic matter to provide nutrients & reduce the need for fertilizer, but also enough inorganic matter to balance out the water retention.
Quick draining Soil & Drainage
It’s worth noting that there’s no point in having well-draining soil if your plant isn’t in a well-draining pot. You can have the best succulent soil mix in the world, but if the water has nowhere to drain to it’s still going to stay in the container.
That goes for “drainage layers” too. Putting rocks or gravel at the bottom of a container doesn’t create drainage because, again, the water doesn’t go anywhere. It pools down there until it overflows back into the soil or it slowly evaporates over time – you guessed it – back into the soil.
While it’s possible for a succulent or cactus to survive in a container without drainage, it’s not easy. Set your plant up with fast-draining soil & a pot with drainage holes & it will be happy & healthy.
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