I use an ash scoop like this for mixing soil. Increase the soil acidity ever so slightly with a tablespoon of white vinegar for every 5 gallons of water. Instead, desert cactus aka Opuntia cactus or hairy old man cactus prefer a rocky, nutrient-rich soil held in a well-draining pot or container. Ensure that nutrients such as peat moss, coconut coir, pumice, perlite, or vermiculite allow for a good combination of soil aeration and drainage properties. Use a base of standard potting soil and avoid forest products such as wood chips and pine bark pieces.
Add in 2 parts pumice, which is a lightweight and porous volcanic rock. If unavailable, you can substitute with chicken grit, NAPA oil dry number , aquatic plant soil, non-soluble cat litter, vermiculite, or perlite. This element is vital because it allows water to pass through your potting mix quickly while providing good aeration.
Finally, put in some coconut coir. This slowly decomposes and helps the cactus mix hold moisture while providing structure. Almost all jungle cactus are either lithophytic or epiphytic. Meaning they can grow on rocks or depend on the surrounding trees to survive. These cactus types — orchid cactus — have a unique ability to get the essential nutrients from dead leaves or debris left in the cracks and crevasse and even get their daily needs from the air!
Epiphytic cactus will need a potting soil somewhat similar to the desert cacti type. The problem with potting mixes for cacti is that they not suitable for each type of cactus.
If you want to potentially have a collection of cacti in the future, making your own soil and experimenting is a way to go. When experimenting, make sure to follow general guidelines.
Most of the time, making your own soil mix for cacti will be cheaper than buying a bag of a potting mix. This is especially true if you have multiple plants. But if you decide to buy cacti soil, make sure it is suitable for your group of cacti desert, jungle and others. All cacti hobbyists experiment with making soil mixes and see what works best for them. The medium will be similar, but there will be some differences in soil mixes for desert, epiphytic, lithophytic cacti and others.
Apart from specific soil ingredients, cacti require a specific soil composition and texture. Having said that, it is important that cactus soil is airy and quite loose, especially when wet. Cacti soil must allow good drainage and airflow. What is more, the soil mix should soak in the water and re-wet very well. What is more, naturally most desert cacti grow in soil that is low in nitrogen. Too much nitrogen in the growing medium can cause your cactus to grow very fast, causing the stem to stretch and spines to weaken.
Almost all cacti require an acidic soil to grow and thrive. Some cacti species will need higher acidity soil than others. Generally, you need to make sure that the cacti soil mix is in the pH range of Genus of Epithelantha , or button cacti, can do well in a more alkaline soil mix with pH levels of 6.
But generally speaking, any soil mix with pH that is less than 4 and higher than This type of soil mix is not suitable. If you have prepared a soil mix and pH levels in it are too high, you can lower pH levels by adding some peat. But note, that there are different types of peat and some are more acidic than others, so you will need to add it gradually, then mix and check again.
To determine pH levels in the soil, you can use a meter that measures moisture, pH and light levels like this. You will need to prepare cacti soil depending on the type of a cactus you have — desert vs.
The soil mix for cacti will be following:. You can experiment with different ingredients and see what suits you the best. Many cactuses live in inhospitable desert environments and prosper in the rugged conditions. But dry, sandy desert soil supports only arid-climate cacti.
At the other end of the spectrum are tropical cacti, which flourish in rain forests. Determining which type of soil your cactus needs means first identifying which type of cactus you have. Although many arid cactuses bear flowers and fruits, most types are grown for their colors, textures and shapes. Spines, which discourage predators, are characteristic of most cactuses that live in arid climates. All arid cactuses are leafless but some plants, such as prickly pear Opuntia compressa , which grows in U.
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