Please Help Identify This Soil

10 years ago

I have a particular succulent container that contains a soil I cannot recognize. I would appreciate help with it, and the photo is attached.

The thing about this soil is that the succulents in it are growing like crazy. It is giving far better results than any other soil I have including gritty mix. Unfortunately, no one knows where the soil came from or whether we created it or it was something purchased in a bag. The soil appears to have these characteristics:

* Very "airy" and when I pick some up with my fingers, no clumps are anywhere in the soil. This is really surprising because the container received heavy rain. This soil just does not clump at all.

* Good moisture retention. The moisture feels distributed evenly throughout the soil, and strange that it feels well separated even when wet.

* It almost feels like a mulch or peat moss, but there are definitely lots of granular particles in it as well.

Any clues about the constituents in this soil are appreciated. Obviously I do want to replicate it.

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Comments (6)

breathnez
10 years ago
Definitely rough peat moss, other than that I can only guess that the fine black component is a small ratio of potting soil or compost.

ez
kenizona
10 years ago
As breathnez says the key ingredient seems to be coarse peat. Combine that with some bagged mix and perlite (the white gravelly bits) and you should come close.
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westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
10 years ago
What is the difference between a true peat moss and something like this redwood mulch?

http://southbaymaterials.com/products/bark-and-mulch/shredded-redwood-mulch
breathnez
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I personally would avoid finely chopped peat moss due to how much water it can hold onto combined with how little aeration it provides to the roots when wet.

Rough sphagnum moss is touted for holding a large amount of water while still allowing roots access to air, being slow to break down, and providing a mild acidity. While the mulch you mentioned will allow for aeration at the roots, I don't think it can compare with the other three qualities. The use of all soil components/additives have environmental impacts, and should be weighed in your further study.

ez
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
10 years ago
Whatever is in the soil I originally asked about, it retains moisture but doesn't appear to pool water in between the parts of the soil. I am able to lift it when it is totally wet and it feels very "airy" even in the moist condition.

The photo I posted is definitely not sphagnum moss? No chance that sphagnum was not chopped into bits to make this soil?

And your recommendation is to use sphagnum not peat? What percentage would you make sphagnum, and what would be percentages of other soil components?
breathnez
10 years ago
Going right across the very top of your picture is a strand of rough sphagnum moss. I would bet that is the source of the airy lightness of that mix. As to recreating it, I would SWAG the percentage of each component and then try it out. Rough sphagnum, like the finely chopped, is very hydrophobic when dry, so I generally soak it in a bucket of water for 20-30 minutes before using it as a soil component.

ez