Best 'topping' to put on the top of your soil. Solved

[ian99]

A quick newbie question what would members recommend as a topping to put on top of the soil mix from a practical and aesthetic point of view? I have been using washed builder's sand up to now for the 'desert look' but it's not very pretty.

[agavedave]

Potting grit, I prefer the granite chippings, so always like to see before I buy, some are better than others. For bigger pots, to keep the weight down I use Melcort propagating bark.

Best regards
Dave

[RAYWOODBRIDGE]

Hi Ian
I use Vitax horticultural potting grit for topping small pots ( up to 7cm ) and in my potting compost mixes and Vitax horticultural coarse grit for topping larger pots and compost mixes for larger pots.

[ian99]

Many thanks, Dave for the reply will look into those. I do like to put my finger into the soil to test it's dryness as my finger in the wind as to when to water.

[Echinocactus123]

I use quartz to make the plant stand out a bit.

[ian99]

Hi Ian
I use Vitax horticultural potting grit for topping small pots ( up to 7cm ) and in my potting compost mixes and Vitax horticultural coarse grit for topping larger pots and compost mixes for larger pots.

Thanks Ray I like the look of that once I've decided which I like best it would be good to use the same product from the point of view of aesthetics.

http://www.vitaxgrower.co.uk/product/ho ... ting-grit/

[el48tel]

Granite chippings .... and yes mine are pH7

[ian99]

Thanks, everybody for your replies will do a bit of googling today to see suppliers and prices. I like the quartz/granite approach for that extra 'touch of class' - but they will, of course, make for heavy toppings. When we move oop North in a couple of years my dream is to have a big conservatory and greenhouse so keeping the weight down at the moment might be sensible/ Si I see my growing collection as an active nursery for that endpoint! My wife likes the flowers but less so the obsession. I guess the more they flower the stronger the obsession grows. I've got everything you can possibly have from the normal retail routes, so am now seeding, bought some £1 seedlings from member Chris , scouring eBay and other online cacti shops as well. Catus Live in September will be a real treat - and close by as well!

[Terry S.]

None, mainly because I want to see the state of the compost. Even more important for winter-growing plants because grit on top the compost reduces the rate at which water can evaporate from the compost and it could stay too wet during cool weather.

However, It does make plants look temporarily nicer for show purposes and you could use a range of dressings that are complimentary to the various types of plants. White quartz looks good around mesembs, partly because that is what they grow in in the wild. Particle size can vary with plant size.

[el48tel]

Thanks, everybody for your replies will do a bit of googling today to see suppliers and prices. I like the quartz/granite approach for that extra 'touch of class' - but they will, of course, make for heavy toppings. When we move oop North in a couple of years my dream is to have a big conservatory and greenhouse so keeping the weight down at the moment might be sensible/ Si I see my growing collection as an active nursery for that endpoint! My wife likes the flowers but less so the obsession. I guess the more they flower the stronger the obsession grows. I've got everything you can possibly have from the normal retail routes, so am now seeding, bought some £1 seedlings from member Chris , scouring eBay and other online cacti shops as well. Catus Live in September will be a real treat - and close by as well!

Oooop North! Ooop North! It's a grand place! Should you follow migrants like myself .... Arium garden centre (run by Leeds City Council) just off the A64, on the north side of the city, has good offers on pots, composts and dressings like granite. But don't attempt to visit during Leeds Festival weekend (August Bank Holiday) as it sits on the humongous one way system invoked by the traffic around the festival site some 4 to 5 miles away.