Hi,

I've seen your posts before, pls. share your name so I don't have to call you Ackerman Flooring ;>).

This need not be this complicated, I grow multiple kinds of plants & only use 3 different mixes I make.

For your Houseplants: Schefflera (Umbrella plant), Chlorophytum (Spider plant), Pothos & Philodendron.

You can satisfy all of these using Cactus & Succulent mix combined w/ Perlite or Pumice (mixed 50/50). I use that as one of my mixes for many plants, mostly Houseplants & Succulents.

I don't grow Dracena, but would guess that'd be fine w/ this mix too. I don't grow Ivy either. They're known to be bug magnets when grown indoors as Houseplants.

I've had access to both Perlite & Pumice, so I've used Perlite to amend C&S or AV (African Violet) mix for my Houseplants & Pumice to amend C&S mix for my succulents. I also collect Hoyas, so for them I've added some bark into my C&S mix.

I also have tropical cacti: Xmas & Thanksgiving cacti for which I use bark mixes.

I too have lost posts when newly written or while writing & feel your pain.

Suggestions: Keep a Word file going where you copy & paste your writing & save from time to time, while you write, until you're ready to post here.

Or, even just copy & paste your writing here every few minutes, so that if/when it vanishes, it's the last thing in the short term memory of your 'Copy & paste' so that when you say 'Paste' that retrieves what one might have otherwise lost.

Lessons learned the hard way & as former word processor. Nice to 'meet' you.

Can I suggest you tackle one plant (or plant type) at a time? Less overwhelming that way, and you can be more specific with your questions too, direct them to the people experienced in growing those particular plants. I have also found that understanding what the different components of a soil mix are for is helpful. For example, pumice does pretty much the same job as perlite, so you can substitute one for the other. For that same reason, you don't need to use both. Have you tried reading any of the forums about 511? Could be a good starting point :)

If you have Moisture Control Miracle Grow- DO NOT USE IT on houseplants. Most of the plants listed will do fine in a good quality potting mix- though you should add perlite or pumice so that it is 25% or more of the mix. The Haworthia (Zebra plant) should have more of a 50% perlite and should also use a clay pot for it. Oh, don't use a layer of drainage stones- it doesn't work as they used to believe it did. Review the care instructions for each plant for proper light temperature and water needs. If you need a site for this, try Guide to Houseplants.

I apologize karen for not including my name before. My name is Selina and i live in southern nh which i believe is zone 5