Perlite comes with a lot of fine, abrasive dust that is easy to inhale, and can cause problems such as silicosis. Whenever you’re handling it, use a respirator, or at least a dust mask.
I hate perlite, I have to steer people away from it all the time when finding additives for their dracenaes. It's a good source of fluoride which can cause fluoride burn in fluoride sensitive plants.
This is THE BEST soil mix video I've seen. And I've watched tons. I've watched this video about 3 times already just to compare what you suggest to what others suggest, and you make it so simple and affordable too. Chicken grit is super affordable! And the ratio breakdown is so easy to understand. Also, side question: what is the name of the succulent behind you, on your right, the small one that stands up straight (small cream-colored pot, right hand side in front of the large pot)? I bought a similar one at the grocery store, but it didn't have a name and I wasn't sure if it was etiolated or if that's how it's supposed to look. Thanks!
Oh thank you so much for the kind words and we're so glad the video was useful! The stemmed succulent in the cream pot is Crassula Ivory Towers: mtncr.co/towers
Thanks so much for this video. I have been using orchid soil mix and adding perlite to it and adding granite as a top dressing. As they are in an east facing window they are doing pretty well with watering every 2 to 3 weeks. So far no problems but will be changing my soil for future plants.
Watching this on 11/4 at 5:30 a.m. pacific time because I can't deal with reality. Thank you for taking my mind off of things for 15 minutes. And I second the comment "Bonsai Jack or go home."
@@Mountaincrestgardens I have a baby t. Bridgessil x paunanai cactus it’s a little smaller than thumb size I’m buying the bonsai grit from your website and I plan on putting an led over it because I live in Ohio and it’s getting to the colder months. How often would you recommend I water it? Just when I feel the grit getting pretty dry towards the top?
@@anthonybencina5315 Even less frequently than that. After the soil is completely dry to the base of the pot, you're still going to wait longer until the stem feels a little less firm. Only then should you water. Many indoor cacti will end up needing little to no water through winter. And so glad you got a grow light! You may already know this, but keep it within about 3"-6" of your plant and keep it on 12-14 hours per day.
Great video as always. I have to be so careful growing succulents in my type of climate. I need to add lots and lots of drainage material lol. I'm in central Florida zone 9b. My soil stay wet for so long if I don't have enough drainage material in there. Thanks Anne 😁 Your always such a pleasure to watch💗 I just couldn't help myself and ordered a ton of new plants these past few weeks lol I love Mountain Crest Gardens ❤
Thanks so much, Stacey, and so glad to hear you're loving our plants! I always say anyone who can grow succulents in Florida humidity has really figured out advanced succulent care.
@@annieschreck7938 Thank you so much Anne💗 That means the world to me coming from someone like yourself😁 I'll tell ya, it wasnt easy in the beginning.. like at all lol. But after many yrs of trial and error, lots of patience, learning and consistency and never giving up, I maintain a pretty big collection both indoors and out. I love growing and collecting all kinds of plants. It's so peaceful being one with mother nature and all she has to offer us. There are so many possibilities right at he tips of our very fingers 🌱
Darn, i wish I saw this video yesterday. My garden shop didnt have coarse sand so I ended up buying a bag of perlite for $8! I wish i knew to head to the hardware store instead. Womp womp. Well at least i know now and won’t have to cover my succs or bring indoors when it rains.
Thank you so much for this upload!! Exactly what I needed to know. You’re so knowledgeable, well spoken, and you break everything down so simply and quickly. So refreshing after filtering through all the novice “experts” out there. Thank you again for this channel. I’ll def be subscribing 🥰
Thank you very useful information. What about the holes on the bottom of a base Many bases don’t have the hole, Are this ok to grow a succulent? What changes do we have to make? Thank you
Great question! Growing succulents in a pot without a drainage hole is more challenging, so I do not recommend it for beginners. It is possible, you just have to be more careful, observant waterer. Only water when the soil is completely dry and the leaves just start to show signs of thirst like limpness or wrinkles. When you water, give it about 1/3 the volume of the pot then leave it to dry out.
Annie I live on the ga fla Alabama line , I've tried to find chicken grit at all the ace hardware stores and the farm store , it's crazy they have everything around here' like oyster shell , but no course sand , I've turned to Amazon , to get bonsai jack, and had perlite and loggees fortified light potting mix , do I will use little of that as my addition to bonsai jack and perlite , and order from mountain crest before I go to Lowes are home Depot 60 Miles drive, it's just so refocus the all the ace hardware stores didn't have even corse sand around my area, thank you for the information you gave me , GOD bless you and your staff
Oh my goodness, you really went to the effort! Well done finding Bonsai Jack, perlite, and potting mix--those can all work perfectly for succulents. Happy growing!
I have always removed the soil from the plants I buy and replant in Bonsai Jack gritty mix because I have noticed the purchased planted plants sometimes come with fungal flies. The most recent plants I got from Mountain Crest where in the coir. I wondered if coir was likely to have a problem with fungal flies. I hated to throw the lovely little pile of coir away after loosening it from the plant roots. Is it safe for me to reuse the coir if I mix it with other succulent soils? I have noticed that the succulents with thin leaves tend to need watering more often than those with thick leaves that hold a lot of water. For example terantala (sp?) Kalenchoe; so I add a little more organic matter to the gritty mix for it. Is the coir ok to reuse?
Hi Pat! I also like to replant nursery plants if they're going to be indoor plants and I'm worried about pests. Alternatively, I'd quarantine the plant for about a week or spray the soil with isopropyl alcohol if I wanted to reuse the coir. The coir is definitely still good for growing plants, at the very least added to outdoor soil or thrown on the compost heap. And great observation! Yes, the thinner the leaf, the faster the succulent dries out.
“Forest products” is shredded junk left over from the lumber industry- mainly bark and branches and twigs. This stuff will eventually break down into decent compost, but it takes a long time (years). I’m not a fan of using it in potted plant mixes. Its main virtue is that it’s cheap. Other compost, especially homemade compost, is much better. In outdoor raised beds, on the other hand, some “forest products” will gradually contribute to soil improvement over years and years.
Simple Recipe: • 1 part Potting Soil • 2 parts Perlite You can mix and match using the following… Organic matter: potting soil, forest products, compost, coir Non-organic matter: course sand (no beach sand, no salt), perlite, gravel (rinse off dust first), decomposed granite, chicken grit Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'm looking forward to using this =)
This was so much fun to watch, thank you!! I live in Minnesota and have recently fallen in love with succulents. I learned a lot watching this video (dang, I have made some mistakes with my soil but intend to fix that.) and look forward to more. Thank you, Annie!
Love this video. Since you use coir in your succulents can the ones I get from you stay in the same soil for the first few years? When I repot them can I just add more mix that that you showed to the outside?
Also perlite is not needed, you can use pumice, i have to use a lot because i need well draining soil its rainy season and rained for several days in a row in both morning and afternoon- night.
Yes! That's what we use here in the nursery. It works fantastically for growing young succulents in a big greenhouse, but it's not the best draining medium for mature plants and most indoor growing environments.
All great ingredients! As long as the ratios of your mixture allow the saturated soil to dry out in your conditions in about 2-4 days, you're good. If you feel like your plants are getting over-watered, mix in more sand and perlite. Getting dry and crispy? Add more compost. Annie
Loved your video. I would like to know of a well draining diy mix for cactus and succulents. I live in Puerto Rico a tropical Island. It is very hot, sunny, humid, and in hurricane season a lot of rain and winter it could be as low as 60. My plants are in a balcony.
You'll want a very gritty mix to counter act the humidity and prevent rot (especially in the cacti!). If you make your own I'd recommend using pumice or perlite as the mineral component. If you want to buy a well-draining gritty mix, I'd use this one: mountaincrestgardens.com/soil-for-succulents/
Had to come back to watch this. Got a new cactus and the soil it came in stays way too wet. Qt least I know why it's dying and how to save her. P.s. I love all the succlents I've ordered from your site.
Very! Peat moss is harvested Sphagnum moss from peat bogs (an important carbon sink that's been overharvested), and it becomes hydrophobic when dry, so it is not ideal for succulents. Coco peat/coir is reclaimed coconut husks from the waste stream. It does not become hydrophobic when dry, so it can work as an organic component for succulent soil.
I don’t even know who this lady is but because of her positive vibe and love for succulents my broke self went on their website and ordered Hardy succulents. I spent 50 bucks but this lady made me do it LOL. Keep up the great work lady. I’m watching ecstatically!
Loved the video, thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm!! I too learned about Bonsai Jacks #111 Gritty mix as I began my new hobby and use it with every planting... which of course always comes from Mountain Crest Gardens! Is there any other place to get good looking, hearty and healthy succulents? Thanks again for showing us and teaching us how its done!
I recently received my first order of succulents from Mountain Crest Gardens which led me to your video. Your energy is so positive and motivating. I have chickens and an abundance of chicken grit. I will amend my soil before repotting my new arrivals. Everything I ordered from Mountain Crest looks great with the exception of the String of turtles. The turtles look very pale. This morning I moved them closer to the window. This evening I plan to repot the turtles and string of pearls using amended soil. Thanks for sharing.
Oh thank you so much! And you did the exact right thing for your Turtles. They can go pale in a dark box during shipping, but will color right back up as they re-acclimate to sun. Enjoy!
I never took care of a succulent before but I'm trying to save a dying succulent from the store. I have tons of coir from my indoor plants and my front yard is all rock and sand!( I live in the desert) I'm going to try sanitizing some of front yard and mix it with some coir and see what happens, before going store bought. 🤷🏾♀️ glad I saw this!
Thank you 😊 I really enjoyed this very informative tutorial. I believe you have given my succulents a fighting chance. Just would like to add that the way you delivered the information was very professional and concise.
Great question! Because watering frequency varies with your growing conditions, size of pot, type of succulent, time of year, etc., instead of one specific frequency, we recommend deeply drenching the soil only when it's completely dry and your plant's leaves start to feel flexible. Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix can be a great option for indoor jade plants, especially if you've struggled with rot and pests in the past. Just be sure to thoroughly soak the whole soil surface or bottom water in a larger container to make sure the soil mix is fully drenched. If you still find it too rapidly draining, a 50/50 mix with a regular succulent soil from a garden center will also do the trick.
New subscriber. I started loving succulents and beginning to be my hobby.Just planted my Ist succulents yesterday. Lots of mistakes made, starting with the soil I used ( cactus mix with no perlite) .Hoping they will survive. If not , I'll start all over again , using your mixture. Trial and error. I live in South Texas ,very hot summer and very humid. I bought my succulents at Lowe's. I will definitely order succulents from Mountain Crest, really good informations. Thank you.
Great video, and agree with you about perlite. I'll use it in some mixtures but if I'm using it alone with soil (as she did) I never go more than 1/2 and 1/2, not two to one. A lot of taller/ heavier plants have difficulty standing up because it's too light. I also don't like my soil trying to float away every time I water.
Thank u for such a complete video .I wantef to grow succulent from a long time as mu farmers market sells very nice seedlings which I really wanted to buy .
Can you do a video on pest control. I am having such a problem. I have tried alchohol, soap water, neem oil. And the spider mites and what I am guessing is fungus gnat larvae, and who knows what else, keep destroying my plants.
Oh no! Are you spraying them daily and getting into the crevices? While we don't have a pest video, you can find lots of info on them in our FAQs here: mountaincrestgardens.com/faqs-help/#reamaze#0#/kb/pests-and-diseases
Annie Schreck Thank you Annie. I will definitely check out the FAQ. I have sprayed with alcohol and followed up with Neem scary every 5 days under leaves and all over even the soil. Just when I think it's working, another litter critter or another web shows up. And I start the alcohol cycle again. I haven't tried spraying every day. I will start today. For how long? I don't want to kill my plants with spray.
i’m a beginner at this whole succulent thing but i did purchase the bonsai jack gritty mix. i did notice that the finer soil always ends up at the bottom and holds water, whereas the rocks stay on top. do you have any tips to avoid this?!
Welcome to Succulents! I wouldn't be too concerned, as long as the pot has a drainage hole. This happens in nature as well as sediment shifts. And since Bonsai Jack soil is SO gritty, even with some extra fines the bottom of the pot will never hold soggy levels of water. Same watering rule applies: drench thoroughly, but only when the soil is completely dry. Hope that helps!
Excellent Video! Something I, unfortunately, found out the hard way is that store-bought name-brand cactus mix really holds on to too much water! (In the yellow and green bag) You can use it however you better add some other materials to it....:)
A little bit more organic matter. In most conditions, people find that their String of Pearls needs a bit more regular water than other succulents because they have such slender stems. More organic matter will help keep them quenched. Good question!
If you don't mind the expense, 'Grow Buddha Cactus and Succulent soil.' is one of the best. I then use a top dressing of Horticultural Lava Rock Pebbles.
This was super informative, thank you. Last year I separated out some thriving succulents, repotted them into lovely container arrangements ... and killed nearly all of them. I'd gifted my mom a lovely arrangement, in an antique glass bowl. She'd guiltily put off telling me it was near-death, thinking it was her fault. 🥺 Little did she know, I'm the botanical angel of death! I just figured I could figure it out without researching it, first. 🙄 I don't know what I was thinking. So now I know, insufficient drainage/wrong soil. Now I can hopefully save those that've hung onto dear life!
Would you avoid potting soil that contained peat moss? So many succulent ones come with this (which is bad) but I wonder if I should avoid it entirely if I'm mixing using your recipe?
Correct. Ideally, do not use a potting soil that includes peat. Unfortunately, it has gotten very difficult to find peat-free soil mixes, so a lot of people are just having to make it work, in the shrewd words of Tim Gunn. Annie
Ty so much for this video, i finally took the plunge and got a mexican hens and chicks variety echeveria demenmsis i spelled that wrong. My question is with have miracle grow cactus citrus mix and half perlite. If it takes more than two days to dry out then do i need to add more perlite?????
Congratulations April! Half and half is usually plenty, so it's likely not drying out as fast just because it's winter. Provided the pot has a drainage hole (it has a drainage hole, right?!). My first steps would be to try to get more light and airflow to the plant. If it's still not drying out, then add more mineral grit. Regardless, Echeveria generally don't need frequent watering in winter, so you can go a while without watering until the soil is completely dry and the upper leaves just start to feel flexible. Good luck!
@@annieschreck7938 yes it has drajnage holes, ty . Im just trying be wise and get a jump of knowledge so i sont have as much trial and error . Lol thank u for ur time and may God bless u
Not as-is. Large volumes of coffee grounds in the soil will compact and become hydrophobic (water-repelling). But you could put your grounds in a compost pile to develop a loam with good texture and a good balance of nutrients.
So glad I found this video. I've killed a few succulents in the past and that made me stay away from them. Now I know it's because of too much organic matter. I'll give it another shot!
sand, gravel, granite are all readily available, but so heavy. pumice sounded like such a good option, airflow, lightweight, nice for the roots. but. ya know. horticultural pumice is US stuff. like mountain crest gardens itself. bonsai jack too ($200 shipping LOL)
I've been growing succulents indoors with success and would like to move to grow some outdoors as well. I'm in NorCal (north of Sacramento) and will doing a 2:1 grit to organic work with both the heat throughout the year and rain in the "winter"?
That sounds perfect. We're not too far from you and use a similar ratio in our outdoor, raised succulent beds. It takes shade cloth and 1 hour of sprinklers per week to get them through the hot summer, but they handle winter wet with aplomb!
@@annieschreck7938 I'm planting on the east side of our home so they'll get the morning sun, but then the shade of the house before it gets really hot in the summers
Outdoor succulent soil can be a lot more flexible, since sun, airflow, and soil depth all help it dry out. Also, it can vary more depending on your climate and sun exposure. In general, a sandy loam is ideal, but in most climates people get away with other soil types by mounding it up in berms or raised beds to improve drainage. If your soil takes more than several days to dry, you can amend with lots of grit (coarse sand, fine gravel, or pumice) or plant in gritty soil in containers, which can also be pulled under a roof in rainy seasons.
I just registered an account with you guys, and I am looking forward to buying some aloes and agaves from you! I'm using this video to help me prep before I buy and get some good soil mixes ready for potting!
You can! Jade plants are very flexible and resilient, so you'll find people growing them indoors with everything ranging from Bonsai Jack Gritty mix to standard potting soil. Just be sure to adjust your watering frequency and only water after the soil is completely dry. With Bonsai Jack that will be more often, while a less gritty mix will need less frequent water.
@@Mountaincrestgardens ok! I mixed in bonsai jacks gritty mix with cactus/desert soil. And I’ve heard that you should only water when the leaves are flexible like a taco.
I've just got into succulents and have a few babies that came in 1/1/2 inch pots so I'm checking them everyday and love to see that they've grown in a few weeks. I loved your instructions about making the proper soil mixture: now I have to check the bag of pre-made cactus soil I got at a our good local nursery and hope it measures up. I'm in NH so we'll have plenty of sun for the next 5 months, then we get to a northern NE winter; evening at 3 pm. Crossing that bridge later. Thanks also to Abbas who notes the more grit, the more fertilizer.
Loved this video. I’ve been making my own and your tips will help me make some slight changes to my recipe. All my succulents are outdoors until winter. Then they come into the garage. I have pots and an in ground garden. It’s been a rough summer for my in ground succulents due to the Texas heat and drought.
That was very informative and it kind of puts an exclamation point at the end of the age long question of what's the perfect succulent soil mix. I did go to my local hardware store the other day to buy chick grit and I noticed the first ingredient was vegetable oil. I decided I did not want vegetable oil in my succulent soil. So what's up with that? I know there's two different types of chick grit and it was the specific type mentioned for succulent soil but I don't understand how anybody would want vegetable oil in their succulent soil. Please let me know if that's okay to use because decomposed granite is very expensive where I live so I've actually been making my own I do have a lot of natural granite rocks but there's a lot of Micah in it, also perlite is so dusty and small all it does is float up to the top so I really would like to add something else like chick grit to my soil mix
Oh what a great question, and way to check the ingredients! Yes, some chicken grit brands use additives like vegetable oil and probiotics. I haven't tested them to see if they affect succulents, but I'd love to see the results of that experiment! Regardless, hope you can find a pure chicken grit at your hardware store, or request they carry one. I like the size and color of Cherry Stone Grit #2. It's 100% crushed quartzite. In addition to the mineral options in the video, you could also try to source any volcanic rocks, such as pumice. Hope that helps!
@@annieschreck7938 actually while I was watching the video I did find chick grit on Amazon that had no additives in it at all it was just straight crushed granite so I guess as long as crushed granite is labeled chick grit it's cheaper LOL 🤣
New subscriber Really great video!! I wished i could of found this video before I killed my succulent 😞 I’ll try again this year and this time I’ll be making my own potting mix thanks to this video!
I loved this video. I’m still in doubt about differences between different succulents’ needs. Howarthias root systems are so different from crassulas, say. Do we have to be attentive to the individual succulent’s root system? Thanks! Will definitely subscribe...
Thanks so much, Judith! And you make a very good point: looking at roots can give us clues to a plant's health and care needs. In your example, because Haworthia grow such massive, deep roots, they can tolerate longer periods of drought than most Crassula. Haworthia also like a deeper pot. You might like this series we're doing where we cover care needs specific to each genus: ruclips.net/p/PLvVRJjNdQJIVwFJBXkTHP8xrDN2OqkGs4
@@annieschreck7938 thanks so much! I will go and check it out. Since I live in a Swiss city, I guess you can’t send me anything, but the information is greatly appreciated! I’ve raised tropical houseplants all my life (I’m 60-something) and succulents are a new fascination. It’s challenging and very different from the greener plant species. Thanks for your lovely video. Judy
What a wealth of knowledge!!! Thank you, thank you. I live in SE GA and sometimes it will rain for days and I stand at the window watching my little succulents struggle to live in the saturated soil. I am determined to try the chicken grit. I do hope it works.....
Thank you so much, Pamela! Chicken grit is my favorite of the lesser known grits :) I'd add that many of our succulent friends in rainy climates have found that raised beds and mounded berms kept their succulents from drowning. Best of luck to you and your succulents!
I mix compost from our garden wirh sand and fine gravel from the river and this works great for my succulents. Compost has many nutrients and microorganisms in it, so it is very good to use in your soil mix. If you do compost your kitchen scraps and have access to sand and fine gravel from a river you can get a good soil mix for free.
I live in Riverside CA -- 60 miles east of Los Angeles -- and the summer temp exceed 100 degrees F and the winter temps may drop to 20 degrees F. About 8 years ago, I drastically pruned all of the various potted plants on my patio, washed off all of the soil from their roots, pruned the roots and re-potted the shrubs in a modified "Al's Gritty Mix" [equal portions of 1/8"-1/4" redwood bark, Turface MVP and grit (#5)]. Except for applying all-purpose granular fertilizer several years ago, I have done nothing to the gritty mix. Now, the shrubs look like they need some plant nutrients. What do you recommend?
Nice! You might try a diluted azalea fertilizer. Like azaleas, succulents like a little bit of acidity. Look for one with a balanced NPK ratio. Other gardeners have also had luck with Miracle Gro Quick Start, diluted to half strength.
How can i make clay soil suitable for venus fly trap succulent, summer is coming so my street is gonna be full of flying bugs and they fly in my bedroom and land on my face when I'm asleep, I've got perlite, construction sand, clay soil, brick pieces, black mortar pieces from my old chimney and I've noticed plants growing in the black mortar, thank you for reading it all 😅😅
Very helpful. I'm in zone 5 WY and only plant outside in the WY dirt, and only buy cold hardy succulents that will survive. Most of my plants have come from Mountain Crest and they love it here.
I managed to find a gritty mix that's almost identical to Bonsai Jack but for a much better price, but the pieces of inorganic material are much smaller in the one I bought. Will that still work just as well as with the bigger pieces? I'm going to mix it with the soil that my plants from Mountain Crest came from to stretch it a bit more, but I'll also be adding it to a regular succulent soil too (Dr. Earth Succulent soil, which seems to have a nice organic base mix.) I'm in Pennsylvania, but they'll be indoors and it's around 60-70% humidity in the room they'll be in. I recently got an absolutely _gorgeous_ order from Mountain Crest that I want to do right by! I lost over a dozen succulents to root rot from a perlite mistake and I really don't want to lose these ones too. I got a few large mystery gasteria and haworthia that are just perfect and deserve the perfect soil to thrive in!
Yay, so glad you love your new plants and want to treat them right! I'm not familiar with that soil, but now I really want to check it out. From the sound of it, it should be great for indoor succulents. The other thing you could do to combat humidity is to plant in unglazed terracotta pots (with drainage holes of course). Now I'm off to look for some of this soil... Annie
@@Mountaincrestgardens Thanks so much for the response! The mix really does look great, but like I said the pieces are smaller - it's not really _that_ much smaller, but I wasn't sure how much particle size mattered (tiny pieces/dust pieces of perlite is what sneakily murdered half my succulents by making the dirt secretly moldy so I'm super paranoid about it). It has a mix of pine bark fines, calcine clay and coarse river sand (so the same as Bonsai Jack except with river sand instead of the montmorillonite), and you get a bit more in the bag for a similar price - I got it on Amazon and it's called TinyRoots succulent soil! I'm mixing it with that Dr. Earth succulent soil, and I ended up getting some lava rocks just because I needed something to kinda bulk everything up so I'm not using a pound of soil mix for each plant. I did stock up on naked terracotta pots with a hole in the bottoms, and some good lights for the fussy ones, so I'll be starting in on the _very_ tedious task of repotting dozens of plants that I literally just potted a month or 2 ago. Like I said though, the stuff I got from you guys is all ridiculously gorgeous and literally every single gasteria and haworthia I got has _multiple_ pups growing off of them soon just want to make sure I'm not killing entire families of beautiful plants! (One of the mystery gasterias I got had fallen out of it's pot during shipping, and when I went to put it back in I found an entire second grown-up offshoot that had apparently been growing on the _bottom_ of the pot, squished between the dirt and the plastic but somehow thriving! Such a cool surprise!)
Hei. I have seen your video and I love it. Thank you very much for this video, you have really taught me a lot. I live in Europe in Denmark so I am very interestet ind the recipe for ekstra gritty soil, because it rains a lot. How can I cet it?
I was watching this to mix my own soil only to get to the end where you say you love the mix I already bought specifically for my Lithops (and love!). Good to know I picked something good!
Yes! The plant Sphagnum peat moss is can be processed so it can look different in various forms. Left in more of its original moss form, it's used for décor. When processed for soil mixes, it's pulverized and looks more like soil.
"mock planting" such a good idea. I watched several youtube about repotting cactus, but I wish I watched this before repotting my cactus, it is getting yellowish even though I was not overwatering. I used the commercial cactus soil I got in a garden centre, but I should have mixed much more grits, not just dressing on surface. Everything explained so clearly.
Thanks for the information. We received some baby succulents as presents and all we had on hand was potting mix for raising seeds and cuttings, guess that is not ideal soil on this occasion…
Thank you so much for going over the part about which ingredients in ready made succulent potting mix to avoid and how to test the mix to see how long it takes to dry out. I had no idea the one I currently use is making some of my succulent propagations too wet, which is why some of them are rotting...
I mixed coarse sand 2 parts + Vermicompost 1 part+ garden soil 0.5 part + stones 0.5 parts is it ok or should I need to amend the soil? someone please tell me....
Perlite comes with a lot of fine, abrasive dust that is easy to inhale, and can cause problems such as silicosis. Whenever you’re handling it, use a respirator, or at least a dust mask.
Thanks so much for the advice!! I'll be more careful when I handle it
Vermiculite is even worse for dust
I hate perlite, I have to steer people away from it all the time when finding additives for their dracenaes. It's a good source of fluoride which can cause fluoride burn in fluoride sensitive plants.
@@ryansabstractart3518 I didn't know that. Thank you!
Thank you! I was having trouble breathing actually
I love how clear and thorough you are when teaching and explaining in your videos 👍🏼
4:50 rinse the gravel -many good tips 🌎 lover ❤
Note that the more grit you use for your plant, the more fertilizer you generally need for it.
This is THE BEST soil mix video I've seen. And I've watched tons. I've watched this video about 3 times already just to compare what you suggest to what others suggest, and you make it so simple and affordable too. Chicken grit is super affordable! And the ratio breakdown is so easy to understand.
Also, side question: what is the name of the succulent behind you, on your right, the small one that stands up straight (small cream-colored pot, right hand side in front of the large pot)? I bought a similar one at the grocery store, but it didn't have a name and I wasn't sure if it was etiolated or if that's how it's supposed to look. Thanks!
Oh thank you so much for the kind words and we're so glad the video was useful! The stemmed succulent in the cream pot is Crassula Ivory Towers: mtncr.co/towers
@@Mountaincrestgardens Thank you!! 🤗
Thanks so much for this video. I have been using orchid soil mix and adding perlite to it and adding granite as a top dressing. As they are in an east facing window they are doing pretty well with watering every 2 to 3 weeks. So far no problems but will be changing my soil for future plants.
I really like her. She’s an amazing teacher. I had to subscribe. ❤
Aw thank you!
Watching this on 11/4 at 5:30 a.m. pacific time because I can't deal with reality. Thank you for taking my mind off of things for 15 minutes. And I second the comment "Bonsai Jack or go home."
Happy to provide some distraction! And yay! Glad you're also a Bonsai Jack fan!
That Blackgold cactus mix now comes with peat moss for some states. Boooo.
Le sigh. It has gotten incredibly difficult to find peat-free bagged soil at garden centers.
Annie
@@Mountaincrestgardens I have a baby t. Bridgessil x paunanai cactus it’s a little smaller than thumb size I’m buying the bonsai grit from your website and I plan on putting an led over it because I live in Ohio and it’s getting to the colder months. How often would you recommend I water it? Just when I feel the grit getting pretty dry towards the top?
@@anthonybencina5315 Even less frequently than that. After the soil is completely dry to the base of the pot, you're still going to wait longer until the stem feels a little less firm. Only then should you water. Many indoor cacti will end up needing little to no water through winter. And so glad you got a grow light! You may already know this, but keep it within about 3"-6" of your plant and keep it on 12-14 hours per day.
@@Mountaincrestgardens thank you
@@anthonybencina5315 you're so welcome!
Great video as always. I have to be so careful growing succulents in my type of climate. I need to add lots and lots of drainage material lol. I'm in central Florida zone 9b. My soil stay wet for so long if I don't have enough drainage material in there. Thanks Anne 😁 Your always such a pleasure to watch💗 I just couldn't help myself and ordered a ton of new plants these past few weeks lol I love Mountain Crest Gardens ❤
Thanks so much, Stacey, and so glad to hear you're loving our plants! I always say anyone who can grow succulents in Florida humidity has really figured out advanced succulent care.
@@annieschreck7938 Thank you so much Anne💗 That means the world to me coming from someone like yourself😁 I'll tell ya, it wasnt easy in the beginning.. like at all lol. But after many yrs of trial and error, lots of patience, learning and consistency and never giving up, I maintain a pretty big collection both indoors and out. I love growing and collecting all kinds of plants. It's so peaceful being one with mother nature and all she has to offer us. There are so many possibilities right at he tips of our very fingers 🌱
Very informative. Thank you.
I'm so glad it was helpful!
Darn, i wish I saw this video yesterday. My garden shop didnt have coarse sand so I ended up buying a bag of perlite for $8! I wish i knew to head to the hardware store instead. Womp womp. Well at least i know now and won’t have to cover my succs or bring indoors when it rains.
I'd go for a pumice over a coarse sand any day. But either or will work, so if you done gine the coarse sand, go for the pumice!
Thank you so much for this upload!! Exactly what I needed to know. You’re so knowledgeable, well spoken, and you break everything down so simply and quickly. So refreshing after filtering through all the novice “experts” out there. Thank you again for this channel. I’ll def be subscribing 🥰
Oh thank you so much!
Thank you very useful information. What about the holes on the bottom of a base Many bases don’t have the hole, Are this ok to grow a succulent? What changes do we have to make? Thank you
Great question! Growing succulents in a pot without a drainage hole is more challenging, so I do not recommend it for beginners. It is possible, you just have to be more careful, observant waterer. Only water when the soil is completely dry and the leaves just start to show signs of thirst like limpness or wrinkles. When you water, give it about 1/3 the volume of the pot then leave it to dry out.
Can pumice and/or lava rick also be used as mineral grit?
Absolutely! Wish I'd mentioned it here.
Annie
Annie I live on the ga fla Alabama line , I've tried to find chicken grit at all the ace hardware stores and the farm store , it's crazy they have everything around here' like oyster shell , but no course sand , I've turned to Amazon , to get bonsai jack, and had perlite and loggees fortified light potting mix , do I will use little of that as my addition to bonsai jack and perlite , and order from mountain crest before I go to Lowes are home Depot 60 Miles drive, it's just so refocus the all the ace hardware stores didn't have even corse sand around my area, thank you for the information you gave me , GOD bless you and your staff
Oh my goodness, you really went to the effort! Well done finding Bonsai Jack, perlite, and potting mix--those can all work perfectly for succulents. Happy growing!
I have always removed the soil from the plants I buy and replant in Bonsai Jack gritty mix because I have noticed the purchased planted plants sometimes come with fungal flies. The most recent plants I got from Mountain Crest where in the coir. I wondered if coir was likely to have a problem with fungal flies. I hated to throw the lovely little pile of coir away after loosening it from the plant roots. Is it safe for me to reuse the coir if I mix it with other succulent soils? I have noticed that the succulents with thin leaves tend to need watering more often than those with thick leaves that hold a lot of water. For example terantala (sp?) Kalenchoe; so I add a little more organic matter to the gritty mix for it. Is the coir ok to reuse?
Hi Pat! I also like to replant nursery plants if they're going to be indoor plants and I'm worried about pests. Alternatively, I'd quarantine the plant for about a week or spray the soil with isopropyl alcohol if I wanted to reuse the coir. The coir is definitely still good for growing plants, at the very least added to outdoor soil or thrown on the compost heap. And great observation! Yes, the thinner the leaf, the faster the succulent dries out.
“Forest products” is shredded junk left over from the lumber industry- mainly bark and branches and twigs. This stuff will eventually break down into decent compost, but it takes a long time (years). I’m not a fan of using it in potted plant mixes. Its main virtue is that it’s cheap. Other compost, especially homemade compost, is much better. In outdoor raised beds, on the other hand, some “forest products” will gradually contribute to soil improvement over years and years.
Very nice tips. Always updated 😂
Simple Recipe:
• 1 part Potting Soil
• 2 parts Perlite
You can mix and match using the following…
Organic matter: potting soil, forest products, compost, coir
Non-organic matter: course sand (no beach sand, no salt), perlite, gravel (rinse off dust first), decomposed granite, chicken grit
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'm looking forward to using this =)
Perfectly put! Wish you could summarize all our videos
This was so much fun to watch, thank you!! I live in Minnesota and have recently fallen in love with succulents. I learned a lot watching this video (dang, I have made some mistakes with my soil but intend to fix that.) and look forward to more. Thank you, Annie!
Oh thank you, Therese! Growing succulents in Minnesota is no small feat!
Nice 👍
Love this video. Since you use coir in your succulents can the ones I get from you stay in the same soil for the first few years? When I repot them can I just add more mix that that you showed to the outside?
Good question! As a matter of plant hygiene, it's a god idea to re-pot any plant you purchase from a nursery in fresh soil and a new container.
Also perlite is not needed, you can use pumice, i have to use a lot because i need well draining soil its rainy season and rained for several days in a row in both morning and afternoon- night.
Do you ever use cococoir in your Soil?
Yes! That's what we use here in the nursery. It works fantastically for growing young succulents in a big greenhouse, but it's not the best draining medium for mature plants and most indoor growing environments.
I keep my haworthia out side . Soil mix is lots of compost , construction sand,perlite,charcol is that good
All great ingredients! As long as the ratios of your mixture allow the saturated soil to dry out in your conditions in about 2-4 days, you're good. If you feel like your plants are getting over-watered, mix in more sand and perlite. Getting dry and crispy? Add more compost.
Annie
Wow good to see such a good reply thanks 😊
Loved your video. I would like to know of a well draining diy mix for cactus and succulents. I live in Puerto Rico a tropical Island. It is very hot, sunny, humid, and in hurricane season a lot of rain and winter it could be as low as 60. My plants are in a balcony.
You'll want a very gritty mix to counter act the humidity and prevent rot (especially in the cacti!). If you make your own I'd recommend using pumice or perlite as the mineral component. If you want to buy a well-draining gritty mix, I'd use this one: mountaincrestgardens.com/soil-for-succulents/
Had to come back to watch this. Got a new cactus and the soil it came in stays way too wet. Qt least I know why it's dying and how to save her. P.s. I love all the succlents I've ordered from your site.
Hooray for responsible plant parenting! And so glad we could help out
is peat moss different from coconut peat?
Very! Peat moss is harvested Sphagnum moss from peat bogs (an important carbon sink that's been overharvested), and it becomes hydrophobic when dry, so it is not ideal for succulents.
Coco peat/coir is reclaimed coconut husks from the waste stream. It does not become hydrophobic when dry, so it can work as an organic component for succulent soil.
I don’t even know who this lady is but because of her positive vibe and love for succulents my broke self went on their website and ordered Hardy succulents. I spent 50 bucks but this lady made me do it LOL. Keep up the great work lady. I’m watching ecstatically!
Yay! You're going to love hardy succulents! They're the resilient landscaping plant we all deserve. Enjoy!
Annie
@@Mountaincrestgardens thank you! I can’t wait to get it!!
Loved the video, thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm!! I too learned about Bonsai Jacks #111 Gritty mix as I began my new hobby and use it with every planting... which of course always comes from Mountain Crest Gardens! Is there any other place to get good looking, hearty and healthy succulents? Thanks again for showing us and teaching us how its done!
Thanks, Monte, glad you liked it! I'm a big fan of sharing/trading cuttings with friends and neighbors, since succulents propagate and so easily.
I recently received my first order of succulents from Mountain Crest Gardens which led me to your video. Your energy is so positive and motivating. I have chickens and an abundance of chicken grit. I will amend my soil before repotting my new arrivals. Everything I ordered from Mountain Crest looks great with the exception of the String of turtles. The turtles look very pale. This morning I moved them closer to the window. This evening I plan to repot the turtles and string of pearls using amended soil. Thanks for sharing.
Oh thank you so much! And you did the exact right thing for your Turtles. They can go pale in a dark box during shipping, but will color right back up as they re-acclimate to sun. Enjoy!
I can only find Chicken Grit with probiotics in it. Will that hurt my succulents?
Would bird grit do the same? I suppose they are similar if not the same?
LOVE Bonsaiiiiii Jack for my lil succies❣️ I do a 1:1ratio with BJGM & organic
I'm using soil made of coir and perlite 😃
Tha k yoh Mojntain Crast Gardens for this fine explanatip
Bonsai Jack or go home.
Cheers to a fellow Bonsai Jack Fan Club member!
Coir and peat are BOTH hydrophobic
BOTH become less so if mixed with the right thing
EB Stone Cactus and Succulent Mix is great!
Where to find some coarse sand ?
Can the cat litter silica sand be used for combining in the soil mix ? :)
Most home improvement centers carry a paver's sand that works well. And yes, some people do use kitty litter in succulent and bonsai soil mixes.
I never took care of a succulent before but I'm trying to save a dying succulent from the store. I have tons of coir from my indoor plants and my front yard is all rock and sand!( I live in the desert) I'm going to try sanitizing some of front yard and mix it with some coir and see what happens, before going store bought. 🤷🏾♀️ glad I saw this!
Great presentation! 👏👍 Also, where did u get that hanging light behind you? Love it! MJ💜
Thank you! That's from Soltech Solutions--they really make the classiest looking grow lights ;) soltechsolutions.com/
@@Mountaincrestgardens Ty!💜
Awesome, thank you
Annie is better than Martha Stewart! Awesome information
Possibly biased, but I'll take it. Thanks, Dad!
Shout out to all my fellow users of store bought cactus soil for all succulents!
Thank you, I took lots of notes. No need to watch another video on this topic.
Ah that's so nice of you to say. Glad it was helpful!
Thank you 😊 I really enjoyed this very informative tutorial. I believe you have given my succulents a fighting chance. Just would like to add that the way you delivered the information was very professional and concise.
Thank you so much and we're so glad it was useful!
With the bonsai mix, how often should you water ?
And do you recommend with Jade ?
Great question! Because watering frequency varies with your growing conditions, size of pot, type of succulent, time of year, etc., instead of one specific frequency, we recommend deeply drenching the soil only when it's completely dry and your plant's leaves start to feel flexible. Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix can be a great option for indoor jade plants, especially if you've struggled with rot and pests in the past. Just be sure to thoroughly soak the whole soil surface or bottom water in a larger container to make sure the soil mix is fully drenched. If you still find it too rapidly draining, a 50/50 mix with a regular succulent soil from a garden center will also do the trick.
New subscriber. I started loving succulents and beginning to be my hobby.Just planted my Ist succulents yesterday. Lots of mistakes made, starting with the soil I used ( cactus mix with no perlite) .Hoping they will survive. If not , I'll start all over again , using your mixture. Trial and error. I live in South Texas ,very hot summer and very humid. I bought my succulents at Lowe's. I will definitely order succulents from Mountain Crest, really good informations. Thank you.
Welcome to the world of succulents! And I love your attitude!
Hi I really enjoyed your video not keen on your perlite it’s to light and very dusty apart from that a great video 😀👍
Great video, and agree with you about perlite. I'll use it in some mixtures but if I'm using it alone with soil (as she did) I never go more than 1/2 and 1/2, not two to one. A lot of taller/ heavier plants have difficulty standing up because it's too light. I also don't like my soil trying to float away every time I water.
Thank u for such a complete video .I wantef to grow succulent from a long time as mu farmers market sells very nice seedlings which I really wanted to buy .
Can you do a video on pest control. I am having such a problem. I have tried alchohol, soap water, neem oil. And the spider mites and what I am guessing is fungus gnat larvae, and who knows what else, keep destroying my plants.
Oh no! Are you spraying them daily and getting into the crevices? While we don't have a pest video, you can find lots of info on them in our FAQs here: mountaincrestgardens.com/faqs-help/#reamaze#0#/kb/pests-and-diseases
Annie Schreck Thank you Annie. I will definitely check out the FAQ. I have sprayed with alcohol and followed up with Neem scary every 5 days under leaves and all over even the soil. Just when I think it's working, another litter critter or another web shows up. And I start the alcohol cycle again. I haven't tried spraying every day. I will start today. For how long? I don't want to kill my plants with spray.
i’m a beginner at this whole succulent thing but i did purchase the bonsai jack gritty mix. i did notice that the finer soil always ends up at the bottom and holds water, whereas the rocks stay on top. do you have any tips to avoid this?!
Welcome to Succulents! I wouldn't be too concerned, as long as the pot has a drainage hole. This happens in nature as well as sediment shifts. And since Bonsai Jack soil is SO gritty, even with some extra fines the bottom of the pot will never hold soggy levels of water. Same watering rule applies: drench thoroughly, but only when the soil is completely dry. Hope that helps!
Very helpful information. Thank You.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent Video! Something I, unfortunately, found out the hard way is that store-bought name-brand cactus mix really holds on to too much water! (In the yellow and green bag) You can use it however you better add some other materials to it....:)
So true! You would think a pre-made "cactus mix" would be good to go for succulents, but not so.
Annie
What do you suggest for string of pearls? More grit or more organic matter?
A little bit more organic matter. In most conditions, people find that their String of Pearls needs a bit more regular water than other succulents because they have such slender stems. More organic matter will help keep them quenched. Good question!
If you don't mind the expense, 'Grow Buddha Cactus and Succulent soil.' is one of the best. I then use a top dressing of Horticultural Lava Rock Pebbles.
Could I use sand from a nearby river and gravel from my driveway thats been crushed? And is there something I could use instead of perlite?
You could, just make sure the gravel is about 1/8" to 1/4" in diameter. And pumice is a great alternative to perlite!
@@Mountaincrestgardens ok thank you so much!
This was super informative, thank you.
Last year I separated out some thriving succulents, repotted them into lovely container arrangements ... and killed nearly all of them.
I'd gifted my mom a lovely arrangement, in an antique glass bowl. She'd guiltily put off telling me it was near-death, thinking it was her fault. 🥺 Little did she know, I'm the botanical angel of death!
I just figured I could figure it out without researching it, first. 🙄 I don't know what I was thinking. So now I know, insufficient drainage/wrong soil. Now I can hopefully save those that've hung onto dear life!
Oh I'm glad it was helpful! I probably learn the most from the plants that I've killed. It makes better plant parents for the next one!
You are rocking it Anne! Great voice!!!
This is your aunt!
Theresa Croft
Aww thanks, Theresa!
Would you avoid potting soil that contained peat moss? So many succulent ones come with this (which is bad) but I wonder if I should avoid it entirely if I'm mixing using your recipe?
Correct. Ideally, do not use a potting soil that includes peat. Unfortunately, it has gotten very difficult to find peat-free soil mixes, so a lot of people are just having to make it work, in the shrewd words of Tim Gunn.
Annie
Ty so much for this video, i finally took the plunge and got a mexican hens and chicks variety echeveria demenmsis i spelled that wrong. My question is with have miracle grow cactus citrus mix and half perlite. If it takes more than two days to dry out then do i need to add more perlite?????
Congratulations April! Half and half is usually plenty, so it's likely not drying out as fast just because it's winter. Provided the pot has a drainage hole (it has a drainage hole, right?!). My first steps would be to try to get more light and airflow to the plant. If it's still not drying out, then add more mineral grit. Regardless, Echeveria generally don't need frequent watering in winter, so you can go a while without watering until the soil is completely dry and the upper leaves just start to feel flexible. Good luck!
@@annieschreck7938 yes it has drajnage holes, ty . Im just trying be wise and get a jump of knowledge so i sont have as much trial and error . Lol thank u for ur time and may God bless u
Excellent information, very helpful thank you.
Very informative video on soil for succulent success! - Thanks.
{2022-03-04}
I absolutely love your well organized presentation and your knowledge of the various products is really impressive. Thanks so much for sharing.
You are so welcome and glad it was helpful!
Can used coffee grounds be used for the organic matter?
Not as-is. Large volumes of coffee grounds in the soil will compact and become hydrophobic (water-repelling). But you could put your grounds in a compost pile to develop a loam with good texture and a good balance of nutrients.
So glad I found this video. I've killed a few succulents in the past and that made me stay away from them. Now I know it's because of too much organic matter. I'll give it another shot!
Oh I'm so glad it was useful! Rooting for you on the next ones!
sand, gravel, granite are all readily available, but so heavy. pumice sounded like such a good option, airflow, lightweight, nice for the roots.
but. ya know. horticultural pumice is US stuff. like mountain crest gardens itself. bonsai jack too ($200 shipping LOL)
Is perlite more accessible? It's also lightweight
I've been growing succulents indoors with success and would like to move to grow some outdoors as well. I'm in NorCal (north of Sacramento) and will doing a 2:1 grit to organic work with both the heat throughout the year and rain in the "winter"?
That sounds perfect. We're not too far from you and use a similar ratio in our outdoor, raised succulent beds. It takes shade cloth and 1 hour of sprinklers per week to get them through the hot summer, but they handle winter wet with aplomb!
@@annieschreck7938 I'm planting on the east side of our home so they'll get the morning sun, but then the shade of the house before it gets really hot in the summers
@@tamilina0921 Pro move!
Succulent compost mix for outdoor plants
Outdoor succulent soil can be a lot more flexible, since sun, airflow, and soil depth all help it dry out. Also, it can vary more depending on your climate and sun exposure. In general, a sandy loam is ideal, but in most climates people get away with other soil types by mounding it up in berms or raised beds to improve drainage. If your soil takes more than several days to dry, you can amend with lots of grit (coarse sand, fine gravel, or pumice) or plant in gritty soil in containers, which can also be pulled under a roof in rainy seasons.
Great vedio
I just registered an account with you guys, and I am looking forward to buying some aloes and agaves from you! I'm using this video to help me prep before I buy and get some good soil mixes ready for potting!
Way to do your research! Your plants-to-be are lucky to have you.
Annie
What do jade plants need? Can I just use bonsai jacks gritty mix alone or would you mix in organic matter?
You can! Jade plants are very flexible and resilient, so you'll find people growing them indoors with everything ranging from Bonsai Jack Gritty mix to standard potting soil. Just be sure to adjust your watering frequency and only water after the soil is completely dry. With Bonsai Jack that will be more often, while a less gritty mix will need less frequent water.
@@Mountaincrestgardens ok! I mixed in bonsai jacks gritty mix with cactus/desert soil. And I’ve heard that you should only water when the leaves are flexible like a taco.
@@kyletourville7147 precisely!
I've just got into succulents and have a few babies that came in 1/1/2 inch pots so I'm checking them everyday and love to see that they've grown in a few weeks. I loved your instructions about making the proper soil mixture: now I have to check the bag of pre-made cactus soil I got at a our good local nursery and hope it measures up. I'm in NH so we'll have plenty of sun for the next 5 months, then we get to a northern NE winter; evening at 3 pm. Crossing that bridge later.
Thanks also to Abbas who notes the more grit, the more fertilizer.
Loved this video. I’ve been making my own and your tips will help me make some slight changes to my recipe. All my succulents are outdoors until winter. Then they come into the garage. I have pots and an in ground garden. It’s been a rough summer for my in ground succulents due to the Texas heat and drought.
So glad it was helpful and all the best to you and your plants in the hot, dry summer!
That was very informative and it kind of puts an exclamation point at the end of the age long question of what's the perfect succulent soil mix. I did go to my local hardware store the other day to buy chick grit and I noticed the first ingredient was vegetable oil. I decided I did not want vegetable oil in my succulent soil. So what's up with that? I know there's two different types of chick grit and it was the specific type mentioned for succulent soil but I don't understand how anybody would want vegetable oil in their succulent soil. Please let me know if that's okay to use because decomposed granite is very expensive where I live so I've actually been making my own I do have a lot of natural granite rocks but there's a lot of Micah in it, also perlite is so dusty and small all it does is float up to the top so I really would like to add something else like chick grit to my soil mix
Oh what a great question, and way to check the ingredients! Yes, some chicken grit brands use additives like vegetable oil and probiotics. I haven't tested them to see if they affect succulents, but I'd love to see the results of that experiment! Regardless, hope you can find a pure chicken grit at your hardware store, or request they carry one. I like the size and color of Cherry Stone Grit #2. It's 100% crushed quartzite. In addition to the mineral options in the video, you could also try to source any volcanic rocks, such as pumice. Hope that helps!
@@annieschreck7938 actually while I was watching the video I did find chick grit on Amazon that had no additives in it at all it was just straight crushed granite so I guess as long as crushed granite is labeled chick grit it's cheaper LOL 🤣
@@janetac1738 Too funny!
I love using pumice instead of perlite. Check out General Pumice Products out of California.
@@alyselaurel I love pumice also but it's expensive. I think I paid $15 for like 2 cups! I'm definitely going to check out the place you said
New subscriber
Really great video!! I wished i could of found this video before I killed my succulent 😞 I’ll try again this year and this time I’ll be making my own potting mix thanks to this video!
Oh I'm so glad to hear that! Yes, jump right back on that horse with your great drainage, bright light, and your infrequent watering. You got this!
Not to be THAT commenter, but who puts their garden soil stuff in mason jars with perfect kitchen style labeling!? Such video perfection! 🤣
I do! Just kidding, it's in a bin in the garage 😂
I loved this video. I’m still in doubt about differences between different succulents’ needs. Howarthias root systems are so different from crassulas, say. Do we have to be attentive to the individual succulent’s root system? Thanks! Will definitely subscribe...
Thanks so much, Judith! And you make a very good point: looking at roots can give us clues to a plant's health and care needs. In your example, because Haworthia grow such massive, deep roots, they can tolerate longer periods of drought than most Crassula. Haworthia also like a deeper pot.
You might like this series we're doing where we cover care needs specific to each genus: ruclips.net/p/PLvVRJjNdQJIVwFJBXkTHP8xrDN2OqkGs4
@@annieschreck7938 thanks so much! I will go and check it out. Since I live in a Swiss city, I guess you can’t send me anything, but the information is greatly appreciated! I’ve raised tropical houseplants all my life (I’m 60-something) and succulents are a new fascination. It’s challenging and very different from the greener plant species. Thanks for your lovely video. Judy
What a wealth of knowledge!!! Thank you, thank you. I live in SE GA and sometimes it will rain for days and I stand at the window watching my little succulents struggle to live in the saturated soil. I am determined to try the chicken grit. I do hope it works.....
Thank you so much, Pamela! Chicken grit is my favorite of the lesser known grits :) I'd add that many of our succulent friends in rainy climates have found that raised beds and mounded berms kept their succulents from drowning. Best of luck to you and your succulents!
Excellent information, very helpful, thank you.
I mix compost from our garden wirh sand and fine gravel from the river and this works great for my succulents. Compost has many nutrients and microorganisms in it, so it is very good to use in your soil mix. If you do compost your kitchen scraps and have access to sand and fine gravel from a river you can get a good soil mix for free.
Sounds like a gorgeous, effective succulent mix!
to all my plants i use: equal parts of - cocopeat/coir, pumice, vermicast
I live in Riverside CA -- 60 miles east of Los Angeles -- and the summer temp exceed 100 degrees F and the winter temps may drop to 20 degrees F.
About 8 years ago, I drastically pruned all of the various potted plants on my patio, washed off all of the soil from their roots, pruned the roots and re-potted the shrubs in a modified "Al's Gritty Mix" [equal portions of 1/8"-1/4" redwood bark, Turface MVP and grit (#5)].
Except for applying all-purpose granular fertilizer several years ago, I have done nothing to the gritty mix.
Now, the shrubs look like they need some plant nutrients. What do you recommend?
Nice! You might try a diluted azalea fertilizer. Like azaleas, succulents like a little bit of acidity. Look for one with a balanced NPK ratio. Other gardeners have also had luck with Miracle Gro Quick Start, diluted to half strength.
Thank you I live on beach and was I got this ! Went to landscaping to get right sand. And other ingredients
How can i make clay soil suitable for venus fly trap succulent, summer is coming so my street is gonna be full of flying bugs and they fly in my bedroom and land on my face when I'm asleep, I've got perlite, construction sand, clay soil, brick pieces, black mortar pieces from my old chimney and I've noticed plants growing in the black mortar, thank you for reading it all 😅😅
Very helpful. I'm in zone 5 WY and only plant outside in the WY dirt, and only buy cold hardy succulents that will survive. Most of my plants have come from Mountain Crest and they love it here.
Love it! When you find what works, stick with it!
I managed to find a gritty mix that's almost identical to Bonsai Jack but for a much better price, but the pieces of inorganic material are much smaller in the one I bought. Will that still work just as well as with the bigger pieces? I'm going to mix it with the soil that my plants from Mountain Crest came from to stretch it a bit more, but I'll also be adding it to a regular succulent soil too (Dr. Earth Succulent soil, which seems to have a nice organic base mix.) I'm in Pennsylvania, but they'll be indoors and it's around 60-70% humidity in the room they'll be in.
I recently got an absolutely _gorgeous_ order from Mountain Crest that I want to do right by! I lost over a dozen succulents to root rot from a perlite mistake and I really don't want to lose these ones too. I got a few large mystery gasteria and haworthia that are just perfect and deserve the perfect soil to thrive in!
Yay, so glad you love your new plants and want to treat them right! I'm not familiar with that soil, but now I really want to check it out. From the sound of it, it should be great for indoor succulents. The other thing you could do to combat humidity is to plant in unglazed terracotta pots (with drainage holes of course). Now I'm off to look for some of this soil...
Annie
@@Mountaincrestgardens Thanks so much for the response! The mix really does look great, but like I said the pieces are smaller - it's not really _that_ much smaller, but I wasn't sure how much particle size mattered (tiny pieces/dust pieces of perlite is what sneakily murdered half my succulents by making the dirt secretly moldy so I'm super paranoid about it). It has a mix of pine bark fines, calcine clay and coarse river sand (so the same as Bonsai Jack except with river sand instead of the montmorillonite), and you get a bit more in the bag for a similar price - I got it on Amazon and it's called TinyRoots succulent soil! I'm mixing it with that Dr. Earth succulent soil, and I ended up getting some lava rocks just because I needed something to kinda bulk everything up so I'm not using a pound of soil mix for each plant.
I did stock up on naked terracotta pots with a hole in the bottoms, and some good lights for the fussy ones, so I'll be starting in on the _very_ tedious task of repotting dozens of plants that I literally just potted a month or 2 ago. Like I said though, the stuff I got from you guys is all ridiculously gorgeous and literally every single gasteria and haworthia I got has _multiple_ pups growing off of them soon just want to make sure I'm not killing entire families of beautiful plants! (One of the mystery gasterias I got had fallen out of it's pot during shipping, and when I went to put it back in I found an entire second grown-up offshoot that had apparently been growing on the _bottom_ of the pot, squished between the dirt and the plastic but somehow thriving! Such a cool surprise!)
Hei. I have seen your video and I love it. Thank you very much for this video, you have really taught me a lot. I live in Europe in Denmark so I am very interestet ind the recipe for ekstra gritty soil,
because it rains a lot. How can I cet it?
I was watching this to mix my own soil only to get to the end where you say you love the mix I already bought specifically for my Lithops (and love!). Good to know I picked something good!
You did! Bonsai Jack's is the best for cacti and mesembs like Lithops!
I’ve been searching for these answers about soil for so long. All the best info in just one video
Hooray, glad it was useful!
Hello, Thanks for this helpful video. Do I have to sterilize Bonsai Jack for pests before use?
Nope! It's already been sterilized with a Bifenthrin drench and 200F steam
Excellent video. Thank you so much for making it!
Glad you liked it!
Is Peat the same as Peat Moss?
Yes! The plant Sphagnum peat moss is can be processed so it can look different in various forms. Left in more of its original moss form, it's used for décor. When processed for soil mixes, it's pulverized and looks more like soil.
"mock planting" such a good idea. I watched several youtube about repotting cactus, but I wish I watched this before repotting my cactus, it is getting yellowish even though I was not overwatering. I used the commercial cactus soil I got in a garden centre, but I should have mixed much more grits, not just dressing on surface. Everything explained so clearly.
Thank you and glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the information. We received some baby succulents as presents and all we had on hand was potting mix for raising seeds and cuttings, guess that is not ideal soil on this occasion…
Works in a pinch, but yes, ultimately you'll want something with more mineral grit to prevent rot.
Thank you so much for going over the part about which ingredients in ready made succulent potting mix to avoid and how to test the mix to see how long it takes to dry out. I had no idea the one I currently use is making some of my succulent propagations too wet, which is why some of them are rotting...
So glad it was helpful!
In California. Ive been looking for compost online, to mix into different soils. Anyone have some recommendations for me?
Very clear, concise and thorough. Very informative and pleasant voice.
Thank you kindly!
Just wanted to ask a question. Where I live, perlite is not easily available. Can we use rice hulls in place of perlite or coconut coir???
I mixed coarse sand 2 parts
+ Vermicompost 1 part+ garden soil 0.5 part + stones 0.5 parts is it ok or should I need to amend the soil? someone please tell me....