I use 50/50 Cactus Mix and Perlite. When I water, I water lightly till it drains out the holes, making sure I get all the soil. I have 4 at work with just florescent, no natural light. They are all doing great and are even pupping. I've read on here that sand isn't good. I'm sure someone more experienced than me will come along and elaborate for you. Happy growing!

I concur with Katrina. Miracle gro cactus soil mixed 50/50 with perlite seems to be the charm. Peat is the enemy of Sans so avoid heavily peaty mixes.

Watering a little at a time is not good. Again I concur with Katrina, water thoroughly and let go dry in between watering. If you are using the mix we do, the water pretty much runs through and dries out right away.

I take a hefty amount of my collection to my office for the winter months. I'm quite sure many of the green laurentii types will do fine under the conditions you describe. I have huge Western exposure windows in my office and coworkers who love seeing my plants so I can pretty much line the walls with them!

What about planting in rocks? I sometimes see pictures online of sans planted in what appears to be just small rocks, although I can't tell if it's only rocks on the top layer and some other medium underneath. Are rocks good for some varieties? I have a pinguicula and francisii, and it seems like those may need something different or drier.

Some people on this site, particularly west coasters, swear by pumice. That may be what you have seen. I think it is expensive and hard to find on the east coast. Can't speak for the Midwest.

Well, I repotted almost all of my plants using 50/50 perilite and cactus mix. In the process I found a moldy black moon (I think) pup :( I also found a lot of healthy pups and brand new little roots, so that tells me I didn't do such a bad job taking care of them afterall. However, after I watered them, the water still hasn't come out of the drainage holes.

I think the perilite will just help keep the soil from compacting and the prevent water from pooling on top of the soil, which was a problem I was having before repotting.

How often do you water with the perilite mix? I watered mine yesterday afternoon after repotting, and the top layer is dry already this morning. I usually water 1x/week.

Do you keep all your plants inside? Windowsill culture?

They are inside in a west second-level window. I'm in the Midwest.

I'm more of a check to see when it's dry person than a water time table person, so I would either use a chopstick pushed to the bottom of the soil, if it comes out clean it's dry and time to water. Or, you can use a water meter.

In the summer for me, that works out to watering about once every 10 days to two weeks. In the winter less.

Here in the South under a covered patio, some take water twice a week, others once every 2 weeks. I find Bantels and cylindrica take less water while my trifasciata can take more. Also, clay dries out faster.

Yay! As they say, the proof is in the puddin'. You're doing something right.

Peat becomes water-phobic when it gets bone dry. Most commercial soil mediums do have peat as a component including MG (I personally don't use Miracle Grow - why not?) Two ways to resolve the pooling and ensure complete drenching 1) use Coco-wet or a couple drops of detergent added to the water 2) soak the pot in a bucket of water until ALL the soil medium is wet, then drain. I generally water my potted plants/trees 3 times/passes. It washes out accumulated salts, with each subsequent watering the soil is capable of absorbing more water. I hate to see water on the ground in a drought but such is container culture and why I try to put most in the Earth now (but not my indoor plants, which are new to me this year). There are ways to mix up your own soil medium but it's tough in an apartment. Good thing Sans are adaptable for the most part. If you can get poultry grit (granite), Turface or sports field conditioners, sintered clay (some kitty litters or oil/grease absorbers sold by auto parts stores), 3/8" pine bark - you can mix up your own (search for Al's gritty mix for how-to) and as Sans are so forgiving it doesn't have to be perfect (other plants are more demanding and will simply grow backwards if their needs are not met). I'd say you've already made a big improvement - congrats on the pup.

I believe the way to water a sans is to treat it like a succulent . Bear in mind I say this having only just aquired a sans, but I've been reading about them and I have ascertained that the leaves are succulent so they should need less water than a big leafy plant. Anyway one method of occasional but thorough watering would be to immerse the pot in a large tub of water, the water level allowing to come up to the top of the pot but not onto the soil. I use this method upon repotting or potting up a plant. When the surface glistens it is watered. Drain any excess untill it just drips, then return to its growing area. For a plant like a sans that doesnt require a lot of water the plant could go a month between such watering. Also when a plant is not watered regularly the soil can be hard to wet the conventional way. This semi immersion method alleviates that problem.

I had no idea about MG and Monsanto!! That is very, very scary. Thanks for that article NextO

You're welcome vitorama. I agree, Monsanto is very scary.

Hmmmm take a bite and it bites right back? That was their idea of marketing? That can't be real!