Hello Friends!
Today we will look into How to make your own DIY (Do It Yourself) Potting Mix for Succulents.
Firstly the concept behind making a successful Succulent Soil mixture and the Different formulae
or compositions for Indoor Succulent or Cacti Mix, Outdoor succulent soil mix and finally
the Universal Soil Mix for succulents and Cacti.
Coming up..
Let�s start by talking about what you should be looking for in a succulent soil.
As I already discussed by referring to succulents we always mean Succulents + Cacti.
Hence Succulent soil also refers to Cactus Mix.
Well, Now lets look into the basic concept for making our own DIY succulent mixture or
soil.
Succulents need to be planted in a soil that holds enough water for them to absorb what
they need, but still one that dries out quickly so the roots won�t rot.
That�s because succulents absorb water from the air around them, not through direct contact.
Constantly sitting in a wet soil, causes their roots to rot and eventually the plant dies.
Hence Soil with good drainage is crucial for succulents.
The main benefits of making your own DIY succulent soil mix are that it�s cheaper, and you
control the ingredients and you can modify this succulent soil recipe to get the perfect
soil mix that your succulents will love.
And more thing to note is Several environmental factors can cause the soil to dry out, so
different types of soil will be best-suited for different growing areas that is the area
where you live, as well as the location where you keep your succulents, will play a role
in determining what type of soil your succulents need.
Hence we shall classify the Succulent Soil Mix into Indoor Succulent Mix and Outdoor
Succulent or Cactus Mix and lastly universal potting mix for succulents.
The Indoor Succulent Soil Mix: Since indoor environments do not provide much
air circulation around indoor pots, we need to wisely plan the perfect succulent soil
for the health of indoor succulents.
The Formula for indoor potting mix for succulents: Soil with a large particle size is preferred,
roughly a Quarter inch or 6mm.
This succulent soil recipe works extremely well for indoor succulents:
� 1 Part Pine Bark Fines � bonsai bark pines (If you do not have or do not want to
buy this you can use peat moss or even cocopeat).If you are using cocopeat, watering frequency
should be lesser.
� 1 Part Perlite (You can also use Vermiculite, but for indoor mix better use perlite, because
vermiculite retains lot of water within it) � 1 Part Crushed Granite or Marble Chips
or even you can use Coarse sand particles.
Let�s talk a little about why this mix works for succulents.
The pine bark provides an organic element and holds water�but it has air pockets for
ventilation and also, it takes a long time to break down.
The Perlite or vermiculite absorbs some of the water and slowly releases it.
I have discussed in detail about Perlite and Vermiculite differences in a separate video.
You can find the link in video description.
Well, lastly, The granite or marble chips allows the water to flow among all the particles
in the pot.
Since the mix is very porous, water flows or drains out easily, Plus there�s plenty
of air, which means the roots are never left sitting in water.
Outdoor Succulent Soil Recipe for Potted Succulents: If you want to use the same indoor potting
mix recipe for succulents, then you might need to water them on a daily basis.
So the formula you can use is: 1 Part Coconut Coir or cocopeat or peat moss
or even sand or a mix of these.
� 1 Part Perlite or Vermiculite or Even Crushed Granite or Marble Chips or a mix of
all these as 1 Part.
The coconut coir absorbs water easily and holds little longer and also drains out very
well.
Plus, it�s lightweight, so your succulent pots will be a bit lighter.
Universal Potting Mixture for Succulents: You can use it both indoors or outdoors.
1 part Good quality Potting Soil 1 part perlite or vermiculite
1 part Gravel or crushed granite or marble chips or coarse sand.
You can also consider adding 10 percent Vermicompost or Cow dung powder to this mix, but its optional.
Well the Conclusion is, There is no one way to prepare a succulent soil mix and any mix
that drains well should support healthy succulent growth.
By experimenting you can find the one that works the best for you.
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