Which compost?

[Julie A]

Can I put a general question out there? What compost do people recommend for succulents? I have noticed that composts you buy from garden centres marked as for succulents and cacti vary greatly. Some are really light - which can cause a problem with the pots tipping over all the time, especially with young plants in small pots. The compost in those is quite 'fluffy'. Others, which my gut has always thought seems better, are more grainy and heavier. Does it vary from species to species too much to generalise or is there a happy medium? Excuse the pun I tried adding some sand to the fluffy stuff and my plants seemed happy. I guess those of you with large collections make your own mixes but for the those of us on a smaller scale? Thank you.

[Brian]

I have a micro collection [ well small plants but a lot of them!] and greenhouse & always mix my own compost. Check out other posts but I mix 1/3 JOhn Innes 3 or 2, 1/3 grit & 1/3 Tesco cat litter or latest favoured version of molar clay. Well worth the trouble. Don’t use sand though, but lots of grit.

[Julie A]

Thanks Brian. Gosh, cat litter, molar clay, Will leave that for another day!

[iann]

Just remember, you did ask You will get a lot of replies, but one constant is likely to be the advice that no ready-mixed compost you can buy is good for succulents.

[Julie A]

Hi Iann, just I did wonder if I might regret asking Interesting though that you say none of the mixes are good enough. I do want my little 'uns to have a good soil!

[Paul D]

There are two components really- it isn't as complicated as it sounds. The first component is the organic material (the compost). Loam-based is better than peat-based, because when peat dries out it is difficult to re-wet. Also, sciarid flies (a major pest) like to lay their eggs in peat. "John Innes" composts have some peat and some loam and lots of cactus growers use it.
The second component is basically grit- something to help the compost dry out quickly. You can use non-clumping cat litter, or fine horticultural grit, or perlite, or pumice, or chick grit, or various combinations, it doesn't really matter- it is not there to give nutrients but to give drainage and aeration.

There is another method, which is to not use any compost at all (just the grit component) and feed the plants liquid feed with every watering.

[ralphrmartin]

What I have used recently with great success, is

1/3 John Innes Ericaceous compost
1/3 Coir
1/3 Coarse Granite Grit

[KathyM]

You can sometimes buy bags of John Innes compost mixed with grit. If you want something ready-mixed that's probably the thing to look out for. That will be fine if you're not growing anything particularly fussy.

At most garden centres or DIY stores the best way to get a half-decent cactus and succulent compost will be to buy a bag of John Innes number 2 or 3 and a bag of grit and mix them together yourself.

[el48tel]

You can sometimes buy bags of John Innes compost mixed with grit. If you want something ready-mixed that's probably the thing to look out for. That will be fine if you're not growing anything particularly fussy.

At most garden centres or DIY stores the best way to get a half-decent cactus and succulent compost will be to buy a bag of John Innes number 2 or 3 and a bag of grit and mix them together yourself.

Both on offer at my local one

[Julie A]

Thank you everyone for your informative replies. I really appreciate it. My small collection will have no cause to complain from now on