Thanks for the response! Is there a specific reason you do not use bark? Would it be better for me to use bark, or perlite (Along with the NAPA, and grit)? Besides using grit, perlite, and turface in your mix, do you add in any gypsum, or something that works similarly? I just don't know if that component is very important or not. And thanks, I will do that! Does this kind of soil mix work for pretty well all succulent types? Besides the types I mentioned, I also have Faucaria. I appreciate your help. :)

Anyone remember how to test the durability of NAPA for a potting mix? Soak it in water? Freeze it? I would recommend checking it before use.

I used NAPA for years with no problem. Then with a new bag I started having problems with its integrity. It was turning into a white sludge and leaving a lot of residue in my pots. So you can imagine what it was doing to the roots of my plants.

This happened within a year. Maybe I just got a lousy bag. Or maybe they have changed their "formula." In either case, I would recommend checking the product before using it with my collection. I know many folks are still using it with no problems.

It make sense to do the thaw-&-freeze test. Fill cup about half full with the product, and top with water. Put in freezer, let freeze. Take out and let thaw. Repeat couple more times. If the 'granules' didn't turn to mush after about 3rd time of thawing, product is good.

I stopped using bark because it is hard to get it small enough - tried some cutting, breaking, buying ReptiBark (nice bark but too expensive if one has many plants).

I do not (and have not tried) C&S soil+perlite mix, and never bought Lechuza-Pon, so can't comment. I am used to just equal amounts of grit+sifted perlite+smaller amount of turface, so that's what I use for all my succulents. It drains very well - most of my plants are outdoors, and with the lots of rain we had in past few weeks, I did leave them outside, unprotected from the rain. So far - so good.

Re: gypsum - simple answer is that if you use fertilizer that has Calcium, there is no need to add gypsum....hope someone that knows better will post...

Where do you live in Ontario?

Thanks for all the help!

ewwmayo, I live northeast of Toronto, a couple hours away.

Like, Barrie or North Bay?

There are lots of farm and feed supply stores north of Toronto - maybe one of those are a good option. Otherwise Lechuza does ship their soil mix for not too much money (may be cheaper than you driving somewhere, depending how far out you live).

I live around 1.5 hours from Barrie, and much further from North Bay. I ended up using floor dry (I did the freeze test and it was just fine), chicken grit, perlite, and gypsum. I had around 40 L of the soil once all the ingredients were mixed. Once I had repotted all of my plants (My boyfriend helped me drill holes in all my pots, and he helped me mix the ingredients for the soil), I had used over half of the soil! So it is a good idea that I didn't opt for something more expensive. I didn't realize I have so many plants... At this point, I am wondering how much water I should be giving them. I looked online and saw some people suggest to water until there is water coming out the drainage hole. Is this a good thing to go by? Some of my plants are very top-heavy, so I do not want to try and lift the pots to see if water is coming out the bottom. I would appreciate some help for this!

Katrina

Depending on where the plants are kept (on a try/saucer? On 'open' shelve outside so the water can drip out? Or?) you should have water draining out quite fast. I keep all mu plants outside during Spring - Fall, and they get usually watered by rain. The mix drains well and fast, I let it drip on a ground as they are on open shelves. (Using gritty mix like this, I do not worry about plants getting rained on - unless it is raining a lot).

If not sure they need water (with new mix, you may not be so sure at the beginning), try the skewer test: insert wooden/bamboo skewer or a chopstick (or skinny dowel with sharpened end; or even pencil will do) deep into a pot. If it comes out dry ater few minutes in the mix, time to water. If it feels damp/cold and may have some particles sticking to it, there is still plenty of moisture and wait with watering.

Consider using something to raise the pots so they don't sit in extra water: simple and fast way is to use plastic caps from bottles; or layer of stones like pea gravel (not so easy to see the water); ewwmayo is using "egg crate" (also have seen names as light diffuser and some other names); you can get it from stores like Rona, Lowe's, Home depot or hardware store: -egg+crate+light+diffuser-

Katrina - I'm glad the floordry is going to work for you. I don't know why my last bag was not so good. It's always good to test it, tho.

Rina

I appreciate all the tips! I have my plants indoors, and they are all on a tray/plate of some sort. So from the sounds of it, it would be best to water until water is coming out the drainage holes, and then wait to water again when the soil has mostly dried?

Crenda

Thanks for suggesting testing the mix first! It's strange that your bag wasn't good... I ended up leaving the bowl with the floor dry and water sitting on the counter to see what would happen, and after two days of being in submerged in the water it seems to be fine. So far so good!

Katrina

It may have been better to do freeze-and-thaw test; I am not sure if couple of days is enough - but maybe it is.

Yes to watering until water comes out - but any extra water that drained out should not be left in a tray/saucer to be re-absorbed.

I did do the freeze test. I just happened to leave it sitting out for a couple days after already having done the test. :)

Thank you! I feel ready to water my plants now, because it has been a couple days since repotting them.