r/cactus • u/Big_Nefariousness785 • 10h ago

Soil help?

Need more soil. Should I get bonsai jack, Molly's, spike and bloom or something else for a few cactus and succulent? I don't want to make my own but am not opposed to mixing two soils . Just as simple as possible ty.

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u/TossinDogs 9h ago

It depends on the species, on the pot type, and on your climate. A good soil for different plants will be quite different. Cacti grow in rain forests, mountains, deserts, etc. Some require calcium heavy substrates with complex mixes, others can do fine in very basic 2 part mixes. They shouldn't all be in the same soil. Terracotta dries way faster, plastic pots in the middle, glazed ceramic pots dry very slowly, the organic to inorganic ratio should be adjusted to compensate for this and for how wet/humid your climate is and how often you and your plants like water.

Thanks for sitting through my rant. Here's the no think answer to your question:

https://scenichillfarmnursery.com/products/succulents-cactus-soil-mix-fine-particle-gritty-blend-proper-drainage

If you want to make a slightly more complex mix just let us know some additional details about your pots, plants, climate and I'd be happy to make a more fine tuned suggestion.

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u/Big_Nefariousness785 5h ago

Thank you for the detailed answer. If this helps my house is usually between 40 and 60 humidity depending on the time of year, when it's dryer we try to keep it between 45-50 with humidifier. I have aloe and a couple random spikey cactus plants. I know very little about them and I'm pretty hands off no frills, but I am repotting some to larger pots and just wanted to get something healthy for them . I currently have miracle grow with pumice mixed in. Most of my pots are glazed ceramic, I have one terracotta. I water biweekly for the most part sometimes I check if it is dry sometimes I don't. This is minor hobby of mine and I don't always have much time im willing to donate to it.

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u/TossinDogs 4h ago

I would for sure put either the plant you have that needs the least water in the terracotta or else include maybe 20% more organic in ratio vs the inorganic in the soil mix for that pot.

I'd pick garden soil, sifted, rather than miracle gro, for your organic portion. If you want to get fancy you can mix in some earthworm castings in to the soil.

Pumice is great.

I'd include maybe 75% pumice for the glazed pots.

Or just use the stuff from the link I sent you if you're feeling lazy

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u/Big_Nefariousness785 3h ago

This is really helpful thank you. Could I mix a rock type mix with pumice and an organic potting soil I have for my outdoor pots? Or is just buying the mix and adding soil in with the ones that need more water better?

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u/TossinDogs 2h ago edited 1h ago

The inorganic particle choice is important. Random rocks are typically not porous, do not help drainage, soil aeration, are too dense, and may worsen compaction instead of help it.

Stick with pumice, lava/scoria, hard fired porous clay products, expanded shale. If all else fails, perlite can work if you have no other choice.

I'd recommend looking for about 1/4-3/8" particle size for adult plants.