DIY Potting Mix for Cactus Citrus Avocado & Succulents!
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
- When it comes to desert loving plants and arid growing zones, the plants prefer a special type of soil. The basic potting mix holds on to too much water and will cause issues with root development and plant health.
I was taught to use a page of newspaper folded over and over to create a 2" to 3" band or larger for larger cactus and then wrapping it around the cactus and using the excess as a handle to hold the cactus tight. Works well and I've done some big ones.
Nice one.
Me in Texas watching Michiganders repotting cactus with a paper bag =D
Great content man! My family has learned so much from yours, and that trifecta plus! *insert italian fingers* never had such lush tomatoes!
Great information! No wonder I keep killing my cactus and aloe plants lol over watering and no sand in the soil. Thank you for this great information
Thank you! Definitely helps cause my aloe is outside in potting mix but not mixed with sand and it’s overwatered when it rains and starts turning brown, gonna redo the pot mix now thank you 😊
Pretty sure it's way too wet where I am for aloe to do well outside in the winter (northwestern WA). My aloe is on my kitchen windowsill till it's not frosty in the morning but I haven't even had it a year yet.
I see that you have pebbly sand. If someone can't find sand like that, they can use some pea gravel for part of that.
I have a bedraggled pot of cacti babies that my cat knocked over a couple months ago, which I told them I would get to them after Christmas. They're all doing fine, but there are too many in the pot, and they are every which way. This inspires me to get to them sooner than later.
Luke, it might be time to do a video on citrus and maybe add in graphting.
Thank you for a very informative presentation. I learned a lot about caring for desert loving plants.
Nice video. I always stay away from cactus for the same reason Luke mentioned, fear of being pricked. I learned something new with the bag handling technique. I got my trifecta plus and I’m ready to use it for the spring!
I love cacti. I have alot of rare ones. Thank u for teaching me how to make a really good soil. I did ur recipe to the soil and added lava rocks on top. My Hoodia loves it! Thanks again!
I REALLY needed this video! Thank you so much!
A handful of lava rock in the base before the mix works well if you can't keep your mitts off the watering can!
Thank you for the great information! 💖🙏🏾
I like the repotting idea.
Thank you, anxious to try my new seeds from Migardener!
Thank you!
Thanks for another great video!!
Another great video ty 😊
Thanks 😊 🌵
I use kitchen prongs when replanting cactus or pulling one out of the ground rather succulent or others I mostly grow succulent I live in Arizona we have plenty of cactus
Thank you
Luke, you've done growing guides on beets, radishes, carrots when are we going to get the turnip growing guide.
Thank u. I need to make potting soil for my succulents. You could use an oven mitt to hold the cactus.
Awesome helpful.
Very helpful! I was recently gifted an extremely prickly cactus and have been scared to repot it, can't wait to try this trick!
Also I love my Fresh Picked Apparel sweater! Its so cozy, I wear it all the time, even though my dog got some mud on it that won't come out 😅
Very long spined cacti will punch through that bag in an instant. Use a newspaper folded over at least five times to make a holder, hold gently at first until you are sure they won't penetrate, then hold firmly. Watch the back of your hands. Cactus spine are needle sharp and the worst spikes I have gotten were when I reached for one plant and the one beside it got me good.
This was so great! Aren’t cacti such interesting plants???
Thanks for this! My succulents became slightly brown in the middle then soft and transparent. I think its the soil even tho i use cactus soil. 2 i know i watered too much but this last one this morning, idk😪
My favorite guy!!
I like Cacti and other plants. They look beautiful like White men 🤭
Same for Aloe Vera as well. 👍
Helpful
Best advice for growing succulents I’ve ever heard: Default to ignoring them. They’re not fussy and thrive in harsh environments.
Yes 🙌🏻 (needed to know this!)
Can I use this mix to start cactus seeds too??
If you use a seed-starting mix instead of regular potting mix. Potting mixes usually have too much fertilizer.
I got a tip to use Chicken Grit. Basically any porous rock/gravel making up at least half the soil + regular potting soil is better than buying the "Cactus mix" at the store.
Nice video!
Do they survive indoors without any grow lights? Desert plants seem to get a lot of sun.
Thank you for this one. I have a cactus that is need for a re-potting. I do wonder if you use this same soil mixture for Christmas Cacti? I've got several in regular potting soil and they have done well.
Mine are thriving in a cactus mix. I first tried in a regular potting soil, but they really didn’t do well, even though I left them to dry out completely between watering. Cactus mix is definitely the way to go!
I use Horticultural Charcoal for my planters with no drainage holes.
From experience. Citrus and cactus that are mature prefer different mixes, and cactus once mature definitely prefer different mixes.
Don't, don't, don't, DO NOT, plant a desert plant in a pot with no drainage holes. You can get small diamond drills and drill them yourself if you have an undrained planter.
Read the ingredients before using any potting soil. If it contains peat, make sure it also has a wetting agent. Better yet, use coir. When peat dries out, it will not absorb water unless it is boiling hot. Coir is sold bone dry, and it absorbs water instantly
Run your sand through a tea strainer or a sieve made from window screen. The particles that go through the screen are waste. They do not contribute to the drainage in the soil.
When you water your plants, make sure that the entire soil mass is moistened, this is why you need well drained pots and soil, so that the excess can drain out. Then wait until the top inch of soil is dry and water again. If any part of the pot is continuously dry, the roots of the plant will not penetrate into it.
Do not rely on a schedule to water your plants. Different pots dry out at different rates. A desert plant in a ten-inch pot may only need to be watered once every six weeks. The same species in a two-inch pot will need to be watered daily if it sits in a sunny window. Check your plants often, but water only when the pot is dry.
Desert plants do not go without water for months or years. They have evolved to collect water every time the dew falls, and the dew falls heavily every night in the desert. They have evolved to collect that water very fast and hold on to it tightly. Google CAM (Crassulaceae Active Metabolism).
Do not water cacti in winter. This is their dormant time and they need a dry, cold period to set buds for next year. Some other succulents (From the Southern Hemisphere) grow in winter. Make sure that they have very bright light to prevent etiolation.
Your crested cactus is reverting to type. You may want to cut off those cylindrical branches and root them. They will make a perfectly normal cactus.
I have been growing cacti and succulents for fifty years and these are some of the lessons I have learned.
PS. Here is my favorite recipe for desert plant soil.
One brick of fine coir
two scoops of Coarse vermiculite, my scoop is the kind Walmart sells for scooping out pet food, it holds about a liter.
One scoop of earthworm castings. the brand I am using has live earthworms still in it, and is kind of clumpy, so I run it gently through a 1/4-inch sieve and return the worms to the bin. If they're still alive, they're still pooping.
Two scoops of coarse sand. I run my sand through a 1/32-inch sieve. I discard the fine and use the coarse grains. You can get this already screened online, but it's very expensive.
One scoop of 1/4-inch screened pumice. I get mine from Bonsai Jack
One scoop of 14-inch lava rock. Also, from Bonsai Jack . Lava rock and pumice are interchangeable. you could also use pea gravel or natural aquarium gravel
one tablespoon greensand. an organic mineral adds potassium and trace elements.
one tablespoon gypsum adds calcium and sulfur without changing the PH.
This is a very well-draining soil and works well for most desert plants. If you are used to other soils, you may need to water more often.
Thank you!! I have an avocado plant from Brazil that managed to grow from the pit and i moved it to soil after it had bigger leaves and now they're all sad looking down and very thin, I've watered it but doesn't seem to respond :( . It is rich compost soil so maybe I have enough time to save it????
Excellent info as always!:p
Very much appreciated!!
Quick question Luke: I bought Prickly Pear, the only Michigan native
cold-hardy cactus, last summer at Eastern Market - but had not put them in the ground yet so brought the 6 inch pots inside instead for the winter.
Will they still be hardy enough to plant outside in spring please?
Or have I somehow made them more delicate to temperatures by bringing them inside over this winter?… 🌵🤔
Thank You kindly!: )
If you plant them out after frost this spring, they will have all summer to adapt. I hope you know not to water them in winter. They will shrivel up big time, but this is natural for hardy cacti. They will swell up come spring. Watch your garden this winter and try to find a sunny place where the snow doesn't drift too deep. Mine survived drifting snow about ten inches high, but they suffered. Don't expect flowers this summer since you deprived them of the cold sleep they need to set buds but watch out in '24. By the way, you could have left them in their pots outside in a sheltered place.
@@emmitstewart1921 Thank you so much for your extensive reply!: )
I have not watered them since fall and now know not to do so until spring.
Once they are planted outside and next winter comes, would it make sense to throw a big clear tub over them in case I know a big snowstorm will be coming?..
Can you suggest a plant I can put in my restroom? I would prefer a leafy flower.
I would like this as well. I tried to grow a fern once but I think it needed full sun and my bathroom is partial sun
All depends. Do you have a window? The amount of light is the biggest factor in determining what can thrive instead of just surviving. Some thrive in partial sun or even on just the lights from the room, and some need full sun for 4+ hours a day to do well. Also I'm assuming this is a bathroom people shower in?(moisture/humidity make a big difference)
Can I use "tube sand" for the sand?
Luke do you wash your sand first?
Does salt content in sand from the beach matter to succulents? Should I wash it, first?
Question! Bc you know so much!
We live at the beach. Is the salty beach sand good for your plants? I heard salt hurts your plants…
I'm trying to do that in 25 gallon pots can I supplement sand with perlite, sand is super heavy
I think perlite retains moisture so maybe not the best. Also, 2 parts perlite might look weird
Do you know anything about air plants? I can't ever seem to keep mine alive.
We need a video on ROSEMARY!
Would this work for aloe too?
Aloe is a succulent, so why not
3 different types of aloe on the table.....
Avocado don't necessarily need good draining soil. Avocado's need to be planting on hill sides so water doesn't pool.
I really love this guy soooo much, but I disagree with him on one point.
Regular "sand", like beach or pool sand, actually drains poorly and will retain water.
You could try using "horticultural sand", which has much bigger particles, but PUMICE or PERLITE are much safer amendments to cactus soil.
This advice comes from cactus growers 🌵, and not from my brain!
I really do love this guy even if I disagree on one small point.
We water differently haha
Luke, I just got a spam Facebook message from someone impersonating you. I now dont know which is the real account. Did anyone else get the same message and friend request?
Why do I feel like the succulent ( cactus) on the black pot is giving me the middle finger 😆😆😆😆😉😉
ive watched all the desert succulent videos from crime pays but botany doesn't, and I'm sure that i would probably kill it if i tried to grow them...