Proper planting

8 years ago

I am realizing now that most of my succulents that I have purchased (mostly from Home Depo) have been improperly planted. What is the proper soil and potting for a succulent?

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Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

The easiest and cheapest way to go is 50% perlite and 50% cheap cactus mix. That's pretty much what is suggested on here in the beginning. Especially if you only have a handful of succulents and most people can find perlite and cactus mix easy. I've used that mix when I was first starting off so I know it works, but if you want to create a mix that is much better for your succulents long term, check out Al's gritty mix or gritty mix for succulents. There are sooooo many different types of mixes out there. So it will take trial and error to find what best works for you, your plants, and environment:). I use pumice, perlite, and a little bit of cactus mix.

Most bagged store bought cactus mixes are full of peat. Peat is not good for the long term health of your succulents. It either retains a ton of moisture if receiving water on a consistent basis or completely hydrophobic once dried out. It repels water along with hardening and completely choking the roots. This isn't good because most succulents need to dry out before watering again.

Here's what peat looks like when dried out.

The lovely things you can find in a peaty mix especially when coming from big box stores;). Sounds like you get a lot of your plants from big box stores so it's best to get all the old mix off before you repot into your new mix;).

This is generally what my mix looks like. It can vary depending on what succulent I'm potting up.

Peat is an organic material so when your dealing succulents you want your mix to be inorganic. A forest floor is very organic there's decaying matter all over, but most succulents grow on the side of cliffs, in between rocks or in a gritty type material which is completely different from a forest floor. So you want inorganic ingredients in your mix. Nothing that breaks down and decomposes.

Lastly, you would think sand would be great, but stay away from anything fine. People do have success with sand. I've dealt with it once and it drains, but holds onto moisture. Also can compact over time:). That's all I can think of for now. Goodluck;).

Ps- Good advice is to always know a little bit about your succulent. Not all succulents come from an arid environment. Some succulents like Rhiplsalis come from a more tropical rainforest type environment. Now that doesn't mean to not use a gritty mix, but it does mean you may have to water more with a succulent like Rhipsalis:).

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Comments (8)

Jeff (5b)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Edit: aw, Kara beat me. Such helpful people here.

If you search for 'succulent soil' here in the Cacti and Succulents forum, you'll come up with some good threads pretty high up. If you want something pretty inexpensive, quick, and available, you could use a total of 60% Perlite and 40% potting soil, which is usually mainly peat moss. If the potting soil has some Perlite in it, just mix them 50/50, or buy plain peat moss and Perlite. You'll probably want to repot yearly,as peat moss doesn't always work well long term. From there you can go in infinite directions. For example, gritty mix is something you'll come across when searching here.
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Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA
8 years ago
Everybody's mix is personal and different.
Jeff (5b)
8 years ago
BTW I don't usually use peat moss anymore. That was just the 'short answer'.
SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
´Cactus mix´ is mostly peat, which is water retentive organic material and basically unsuited to desert cacti, which like a well draining substrate. I never use the stuff. I know a lot of people like to add perlite, but I hate the way this light material floats and looks unsightly. My guys are in a coarse, gritty mix in terra cotta pots - yes, they are heavy and living outside they have to be. If I used perlite in plastic pots they would fly about whenever the wind blew. But there are as many favourite mixes as there are growers, and we all think ours is the best.
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years ago
Tessa

Almost every thread on this forum has questions and suggestions about well draining mix for succulents. And so many photos of plants where you can see mix too. Read at least one, or few. Any mix you use, make sure it drains fast. And use container with drainage hole(s). And do not overpot - using container that is too large is quite common problem too.
Tessa Marie
Original Author
8 years ago
Rina, what is wrong with a container too large?
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years ago
Big container = too much soil. If it doesn't drain really well, it will stay too wet for too long and could damage roots by rotting. Most often recommended size for the pot is approx. 1" bigger than rootball, all around. And - but this is JMO - plant in oversized container doesn't look so good, it gets 'lost'.