Every succulent plant deserves the best potting soil. These soils can be seen in many nurseries or online shops. However, the best way to avoid complications is by creating a potting mix at home yourself. But can you use cactus soil for succulents?
First of all, cactus is a type of succulent amongst other varieties, which are not cactus. In other words, all cactus are succulent, yet not all succulent is cacti.
So, yes, you can use cactus soil for succulents because whatever goes well for cactus as regards soil goes well for virtually other succulents. Cactus soil offers the well-drained and airy planting medium that both cactus and succulents require.
But what is cactus soil?
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Introduction to Cactus Soil
Cactus Soil is a mix significantly used for houseplants like cactus, succulents, and bonsai trees, which is why it can also be considered Cactus Potting Soil Mix or Succulent Soil Mix.
Cactus Soil can also be used for shallow cactus root systems. It is a mix that provides your plant with the ideal growth you desire, especially when given the required care.
Cactus soil features inorganic matters, including pumice, chicken grit, gravel, or perlite. You can also see a small number of organic elements, such as coco coir made from coconut husks and sphagnum peat moss.
One of the best reasons cactus soil is the ideal mix for cactus plants is that it can retain moisture through their leaves or stems.
It makes the plants survive the desert conditions and extended drought periods. The plant’s outer parts are used to being dry and warm; the same goes for the root systems.
The cactus soil can hardly react well to continuous moisture because the desert soil doesn’t get too wet for extended periods. And if you allow them to become soaked or too soggy, the root will rot or even die.
Therefore, you must be wary of this situation by preventing excessive moisture, which can be ensured by using a well-drained oil. It allows water to go through the soil quickly, thereby making it damp yet not muddy. Make sure you give them between 5 to 7 days to completely dry after watering, based on your planting area.
What Do Succulents Require From a Soil?
Okay, we’ve gone through a brief review of what you need to know about cactus soil or mix, and we believe it will help you get the answers to the question you seek.
But, before delving into the answer, you must know what succulents need from any soil, as it will determine if the cactus soil or mix fits into the requirements.
Note that a good number of succulents have their natural habitat in the desert, although, with time, they gradually become accustomed to the challenging conditions of the desert, where they encounter excessive drought because of inadequate or lack of rainfall.
This causes a high rate of evaporation due to the hot or sunny weather. Therefore, if you want to witness a successful succulent plant, you’ve to imitate its native environment.
Generally, succulents are plants that can survive insufficient watering conditions because they are not familiar with wet soil in the desert, hence can’t thrive in wet soil. Rather, they require well-draining and airy soil types.
These kinds of soil find it difficult to retain lots of nutrients just as more tightened soil. But, unlike several other indoor plants, succulents don’t necessarily require many nutrients.
In desert conditions, they lack water and nutrients, which is the best condition for any succulent plant. Having said this, does cactus soil meet these conditions?
What Are Cactus Soil Structure and Ingredients?
Different types of soil like garden soil, orchid potting mix, all purposes potting mix, cactus potting soil, etc., are produced to serve different types of plants based on their requirements.
Unlike all-purpose or regular potting mix, cactus soil or mix is characterized by high drainage properties but is relatively lower than that of the orchid mix.
If you want the cactus to attain the high drainage levels of the orchid mix, you must use ingredients such as peat moss or coco coir, coarse sand, perlite, or pumice in recommended ratios.
Going by the brief extract of the cactus soil structure & ingredients above, is it proper to use cactus soil for succulents?
Can You Use Cactus Soil For Succulents?
Going by everything that we’ve discussed so far, it is clear that cactus soil can be used for succulents. As we discussed earlier, this is possible because whatever works well for cactus as long as the soil is concerned will also work for most other succulents.
In other words, since the cactus soil or mix provides a well-draining and airy growing medium that will make cactus plants thrive or grow well, these mediums also provide good growing conditions for other succulents.
Here, you are provided with two choices of either creating your succulent mix or making use of premixed cactus soil.
However, to get a quick and safer solution, then we recommend the cactus soil or mix. This is because good quality cactus soil or mix features several qualities that the succulents require to thrive, including qualities like drainage, air pockets, and nutrients retaining ability.
How Do You Make Cactus Soil?
It is not a bad idea to create your cactus soil or mix, as it is a lot cheaper. For the arid climatic regions, you can add peat to your potted plants. However, don’t have to allow it to completely dry out. For many other regions and indoors, it requires different mixtures.
For instance, in indoor environs, you can mix one part washed sand, one part soil, and one part gritty amendment like pebbles or pot shards.
Other different mix consists of mixtures of five parts potting soil, two parts pumice, and one part coir for evenly dried out the mix. However, the soil recipes for these mixes can be changed or modified depending on location or succulent type.
Read Also:
- Can You Use Cactus Soil For Vegetables?
- Can Succulents Grow Inside Without Sun?
- Do Succulents Like Coffee Grounds?
- Do Succulents Like Humidity?
- Do Succulents Need Sun?
