Remove peat ft

[Bob 3]

Hi all
I would like advice on removing peat/compost from cactus football prior to repotting.

[Paul D]

Hi all
I would like advice on removing peat/compost from cactus football prior to repotting.

I would wait until the spring Bob- the main reason being that the peat requires to be soaked to get it out of the roots, so best done on warm days when the plant can dry off easily. After soaking I then just run it under the tap, gently persuading off the peat. Some roots will inevitably break. When the roots are clean, leave to dry for a couple of days before potting up.

[Geoff Lovell]

You may find washing up liquid will break up the peat ball if the plant is soaked in a solution.
'Poor old peat', get's it in the neck again.
All my growing life I have used peat, when I grew Fuchsias I used peat and when I switched to Cacti & Succulents I continued to use Peat laughing at the tales of woe for 'so called' John Innes procurement.
With out going over the same old story.
If anyone is interested in the Peat discussion put Peat in the forum search engine.

[Peter]

Geoff: I share your view about peat based composts and their use for growing cacti. We've all seen and bought lovely peat grown plants and of course, for some folk it's good that the pots are lighter and easier to move around if required.

I did try growing in peat many years ago but had to stop on two counts. Sciarid flies were the main problem - seeing a plant in a pot of compost writhing with sciarid larvae is very offputting; also my experience was that root mealies seemed to be rather more attracted to peat.

If it wasn't for the above i would use peat compost. Nice to use, light, cheap, easily obtained, etc.

[Geoff Lovell]

I understand Peter although I use so much grit now (which is my salvation) as I am heavy with the watering can.
I do not get nearly as many infestations of anything as I have Yellow sticky traps, as can be seen on the pictures I post.
I believe I am stopping their productive lifecycle and I am well satisfied at my results!

[Kees]

In habitat cacti do not grow in peat nor do most succulents. So why use it?
All cacti need is grit and sand with or without some organic matter. Ludwig Bercht told me he plants his cacti in 100% pumice and waters them with water that has a small amount of fertilizer added to it.

[Geoff Lovell]

They have been growing Cacti & Succulents in Pumice in California for decades, I know, I worked in Singers Growing Things.
Europe was slow to use Pumice.
Where can I buy Mexican or South African soil?.
And why do the Dutch wholesalers use peat?

[Kees]

The Dutch used to extract their own peat and got used to using it. After the 2nd WW there was not much left so now it is imported from Eastern Europe causing habitat loss over there. You don't necessarily need Mexican or S African grit and sand to grow your cacti.