Your succulent tower looks good!

I guess there will be lots of potting into pots in fall?!

My vote would be yes. BUT I don't use anything but gritty mix - without any bark. Why don't you use gritty in pots too? I never had meal worms or aphids on my succulents, don't remember seeing a fungus gnats either. If you know MG soil stays wet, why do you use it? Just wondering...

Thanks! I used the miracle grow because it seemed to always work out ok despite some wetness. But I read alot about the gritty mix, so I wanted to try a change. I just freak out when it's such a big change.

May I suggest a compromise?

Re-use your current mix, just amend it w/ equal parts Perlite or Pumice. It'll be fast draining, but not so drastic a change as to gritty mix (which I don't use).

Handsome tower you've built.

Do you feel gritty mix is too problematic?

Karen will tell you how she feels about gritty.

I do not think it is problematic - mine is made without soil; just approx. equal amounts of sifted perlite and grit, and about 10-15% of turface. I have few pots of succulents where I used cocopeat instead of turface, since I was given few 'bricks' of cocopeat. And some plants needed to be repotted. I just did that, so do not have any results yet, but I believe mix may behave as one where I used turface. It is only handful of pots - maybe there will be more eventually.

What is drainage like; are there drainage holes in your cement bowls? (I would guess yes?)

Yes! I have holes in all of the pots. I've been experimenting with succulents the last 4-5 years. Just when I think I've gotten the hang of it, something weird happens and I lose a few. I mistakenly watered them after transplanting into the gritty mix. I should have just let them alone for a week. Let's hope most pull through. I learn something every time I toy with them! If I notice them dying, I guess I will try to reassess my mix.

Gritty mix didn't work out for me, nor for the person who gave it to me. I tried it, but couldn't get the hang of watering it. I only grow indoors, I use C&S mix & Pumice works just fine & seems much simpler.

Keith

They should be ok even if you watered right away: gritty mix will drain up fast and it seems to me that all were rooted. I grow same as you - outside, and inside about 6mo. Do not have any pumice, so I use perlite. Otherwise, mixing my 2 or 3 ingredients seems to me as simple as mixing C&S + pumice. I have about 300 pots of succulents. I also have many tropicals, and grow most in a mix I add to lots of coarse perlite, and some also grit (like olives, figs, laurel/bay for example). I have been using this mix for succulents for about 8 yrs now.

Hope you won't have any problems, and pls. pst photos again. I would like to see how they do next mo and after that...It is lots of plants together, makes for a nice display. And all plants look quite mature, and well grown.