If you purchase a commercial brand of C&S soil you should also add at least 50% perlite to the mix for better drainage. And be sure your pot has a drainage hole in it. You can also search on this forum for gritty mix. My Aloes have done well in it.

When you repot, if the old soil is hard and difficult to remove from the roots, try swishing and even soaking in tepid water to loosen it up. You'll want to remove all of the old soil from the roots so it doesn't continue causing problems. Sometimes you can use a chopstick or skewer to help loosen the old soil. Let it rest for a day or two so any damaged roots heal (callous). Then pot it up in the new mix.

I guess I over-answered your question! LOL

I also hate Perlite because of the floating thing. Pumice is a wonderful thing!

If you can get pumice, get pumice. I am moving away from perlite myself.

No worm castings in indoor plants pls. can cause problems & best left for OUTDOOR containers.

Thank you!

I agree - there's nothing in worm castings you can't get from a bottle of appropriate fertilizer; so there isn't a good reason to add an unnecessary volume of very fine ingredients that detract from aeration and inhibit drainage.

Al

We agree with the pumice fans! Pumice has many advantages over perlite, especially for water sensitive plants like aloes and succulents. Plus, we sell our pumice in 15lb. bags online with Free shipping! Just go to www.GeneralPumiceProducts.com for more info or to order :)