How to use soil to help your succulents grow better?

What soils do succulents like? 

  1. Our Springer Garden succulents love loose and ventilated soils, and their roots need a lot of oxygen. Any hard and hot soil would easily damage the root, and the lack of oxygen will breed many anaerobic bacteria.
  2. They also love soils that are easy to drain and have a certain water-holding ability. The original soil for growing succulents is sandy. The root system does not adapt to soak in the water. The most suitable environment for growth is to keep the plant in a moist and not wet state for a long time. If it is hard to maintain, remember the rule, better dry than wet.
  3. Root-affinity, not easy to crush. Root-affinity refers to the ability of roots to adhere to soil particles, and the size of soil particles is different in different times. At the beginning, you can use vermiculite, and when the seedlings develop a slightly larger root, the granular soil can be used. The interior structure of the granular soil also determines whether the roots will go inside the soil. When the roots grow into the soil, they break the soil structure, and the granular soil is easily crushed and becomes dust, which easily sticks together after watering, especially in alkaline environments. Once they are all stuck together, there will be no air circulation for roots, and plants will die. So that's why we mix the soil with different sizes and change it twice a year.
  4. Springer Garden succulents require a little fertilizer. They do not need much fertilization. Their ancestors could survive without fertilizer, but it would be better to give them fertilizer nutrients with low nitrogen and high phosphorus and potassium during the growing season to promote better growth. Why are they low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus potassium? Because nitrogen can promote the plants to grow leaves, and phosphorus promotes flower bud differentiation; potassium promotes root growth.
  5. Be careful not to over fertilize and burn roots.

The rules of using soil

No matter which soil you choose and how to prepare it, it should meet the basic requirements of plants, and consider all aspects of the situation, be flexible.

  1. According to the planting site: the soil for the field planting and pot planting is different. All you need to consider in field planting is drainage. It is recommended that you should add more materials with strong drainage, such as gravel. On the other hand, potted succulents should have loose ventilation and be easy to add organic matter appropriately. If planted in the south balcony, consider drier, adequate light characteristics, and add some water retention strong matrix, such as vermiculite.
  2. According to plant species: Different soil types can be "quite different." For example, epiphytic species require certain humus. In contrast, some terrestrial species with poor soil and underdeveloped roots of origin require less humus than the epiphytic species. Different species of families and genera require different soils.
  3. According to different cultivation areas: the northern climate is dry, the moisture ability of the soil has certain requirements; abundant Southern rain, air humidity, soil drainage, and ventilation requirements are higher. 
  4. Mix according to different growth stages: in the seedling stage, the root system is not developed, the organic matter content should be slightly less, and the soil is mainly composed of light materials and some fine sand, and then gradually increase the organic matter content later as they grow. 

The functions of different soils

[On the bottom] The bottom of the basin must be paved with a layer of large particles, which can be breathable and permeable. Large particles of ceramicist and lava soil can be used as stones at the bottom. 

[On the top] Akadama and Kanuma Pumice will be pulverized after a period of use, so it is not recommended to use them as the soil cover. I usually use Maifanitum and Perlite. Many beautiful decorative stones can be paving stones. 

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Tags: Soil, Succulent

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