Is this cactus soil good?

[migraineur]

Hey guys,

I have been sitting on my seeds for close to two months and want to get them planted fast. Santiago said he uses sand from around the Bassendean/Kiara area in Perth's eastern suburbs. I went for a walk there today and it seemed to be a little too fine. It did not seem like 'coarse sharp sand' that I believe I am meant to be looking for.

Then I went to the Swan River and found what I believe is coarse sharp sand. Would sand from the river be suitable? I am guessing I will need to rinse it thoroughly first but that's about as far as I got so far. Should I mix some perlite or vermiculite into the mix or any fertiliser?

By the way, my seeds are T. Pachanoi and T. Brigessi.

Regards,

Migraineur

[PhoenixSon]

no ferts are needed for germination, some perlite might be good, but vermiculite i wouldn`t use as it soaks up way to much water for my liking.

searles seed raising mix is a good start i reckon, might have to sift through it a bit tho.

its slow but good fun starting from seed, you just dont know what your going to get and its a hell of a lot cheaper!

happy gardening bro

[bℓσωηG]

Yeah for Trichos coarse sand, mixed with seed raising mix, I wouldn't use it for other cacti though.

[migraineur]

I am sure it is simple but I did a search online and everyone seems to have their own special cactus mix and then there are arguments on what's good and what's not. It makes a cacti n00b like me kinda unsure as to what I should use.

[santiago]

I agree it doest look good but thats the whole point, bunnings looks good but doesnt perform.....free sand is always best, dont pay for sand but the interesting conundrum is that within the poorest od soil an absolute plethora of native plants thrive in a poor soil condition, cactus is a totally different ball game to tropicals and i believe the poorer the better regardless of human self assumption, i have the proof that this simple free soil, poor as it is easily outperforms more regarded competition.

[migraineur]

So, what would you think about sand from the Swan River around Guildford/Bassendean, Santiago?

[PhoenixSon]

can always do a small trial of different mixes and work out what works for you. thats why there are so many mixes out there, different enviroments, just find your niche.

Bought mixes are handy for when you start out tho, bulk up with some of the sand from your area, as blowng siad. Thats what i would personally do first then experiment with other mixes later on.

[bit]

Where did you get the idea that sand is good for cacti mix? Sand is not good at all, it acts as a bonding agent and cakes things together, preventing free drainage which cacti like. Coarse sand would be better than fine sand of course, but no sand would be best of all.

Perlite or fine gravel (3-7mm or so) or pumice are the ideal mixers with whatever fertile mix you prefer, to promote drainage. Sometimes you can find piles of the stuff on the side of the road in roadworks or similar, if you want it free.

In my experience anyway. YMMV

Edited December 19, 2010 by bit

[bℓσωηG]

One mans fine gravel is another mans coarse sand, irrigation ditches sometimes collects the coarse stuff up by action of rain.

Would you define sand as less than 3mm and made of silica bit? I used decomposed granite ,screen out the fine shit and add perlite (and seed raising mix for trichos ) inside a takeaway container....7mm is a bit big isnt it?

Edited December 20, 2010 by blowng

[bit]

Hmm the coarsest I'd consider "sand" is 1.5mm and under (at a guess). Anything bigger becomes shell pieces/chips/flakes?

And yes, when it comes to seedlings 7mm is far too big, I sift my seedling mix though a colander, so pieces are all under 2mm, topped by a 1-2mm layer of very fine material through a flour sifter.

I wouldn't bother worrying about drainage for seedlings, assume the mix is only going to be an inch or so deep anyway. It dries out very quickly. The only use for sand around cacti is surrounding the seedling container to maintain moisture, imo. I put my seedling trays inside a shallow plastic container on a sandy bed of about 1" depth.

"Sand" doesn't offer any benefit that I can see being mixed in.

[migraineur]

Okay.

Could anyone come to an agreement on a good mix for the following?

a) loph seeds

and

Pach seeds

For example, 2 parts this, 1 part this and 3 parts this etc.

I went and bought a bag of coarse sharp river sand today for $5 and I washed a batch and have it drying it the sun.

Edited December 21, 2010 by migraineur

[CβL]

I have gotten very nice results with approximately:

•25-40% 3-5mm pumice stones

•The rest good quality, fine potting mix.

I'm also experimenting with adding 5-10% limestone chips into it in order to make the soil slightly basic. Lophs apparently grow in quite basic soil, with lots of limestone.

I use this soil for trichos, but would probably use it (with limestone and perlite) for lophs.

[mac]

i just add about 1:3 ratio of creek sand to normal cacti & succulent mix, throw in a couple of handfuls of composted cow manure for all my cacti

[weedRampage]

For starters get yourself a dedicated dirt sifting noodle strainer from the supermarket. Seedlings prefer a fine mix.

The mix that I use for all cactus seeds is (sifted) river sand 60%, (sifted) crusher dust 30% and (not sifted) peat 10%.

Suggest you get a pH kit from BigW. I use the pH tester every time I make a mix or

when I want some idea of the chemical status of a soil ingredient.

To use the tester you first put a few drops of the indicator on a pinch of the soil and then dust it lightly with the white barium sulfate

powder to draw the indicator up and show its colour.

A landscape soil and gravel supplier is a good place to buy soil ingredients.

If you can't find peat just use about 40% sifted seed raising or potting mix in its place.

The three general sand types you can find are

1. river sand, if you look at this stuff closely you will see lots of different colour particles in it, neutral pH and good to use.

2. dune sand , bright white, this sand has some good mineral content and is neutral pH.

3. brickies sand, this is coloured from yellow to reddy brown, is very acidic and will kill cactus slowly.

Crusher dust is the fine waste by product from the crushing of roadbase blue metal. It is strongly alkaline and has a good mineral content.

A good container to grow seedlings in is a 20 Litre clear plastic flat box with a lid. Drill holes in the bottom and fill the box about

halfway with soil mix. If you are growing the small slow growing cacti you can leave them in a box like this for a year or two before potting out.

You can put a box like this out in the sun with the lid 80% covering the box to give some sun and rain protection. Leaving the lid a little bit open

automatically gives you the ideal 20% of your local rainfall to water the seedlings. If you leave the lid clipped on in the sun

everything in the box will die.

Watch out for slugs. A bench or balcony is a good place to keep the boxes, keep the grass short and plants a ten metres away.

Get a spray bottle and water once a day.

Finally ... only germinate in summer. Or get one of those heat mat/ grow light setups.

Edited December 25, 2010 by weedRampage

[weedRampage]

I agree it doest look good but thats the whole point, bunnings looks good but doesnt perform.....free sand is always best, dont pay for sand but the interesting conundrum is that within the poorest od soil an absolute plethora of native plants thrive in a poor soil condition, cactus is a totally different ball game to tropicals and i believe the poorer the better regardless of human self assumption, i have the proof that this simple free soil, poor as it is easily outperforms more regarded competition.

 

I agree that a natural soil, if it has a pH of 6.5 - 8, is a good choice for growing cacti in because it is already biologically active.

I don't use these for cactus seeds though because of all the other things that sprout around your seeds and cause a bit of chaos and

annoyance.

I have used natural soil for sprouting seeds and it worked very well. Fremantle sandy backyard soil. I am assuming it was neutral to alkaline because of all the

limestone in that area.

I now live in an area where the local soil is acidic. Liming is an option... But for expensive seeds I prefer a more sterile mix.

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

lol i remember this... thinking wtf? as a noob the best place i started was

a 50/50 mix of any potting compost and something granular ,

perlite will do it , so will grit, so will hydroleca, and many things ... 

 

perlite annoys some people by floating to the top of the mix when watering... me included ,

so I use a granular diatomaceous earth product used over in uk as kitty litter

(non clumping kind - defo not fuller's earth kind) 

 

i fell so deep in love with the kitty litter i tried it pure, and it worked a treat for a few years but I'm just in progress of kicking half of it out and mixing in john innes#3 loam /compost.. 

because I fear pure DE silica kitty litter might be too harsh conditions/not be enough for the cacties after finding hardly any root growth on established plants and after accidentally killing most of the super rare zelly seedlings that I was gifted in kind with pure (and probably way over-fed) kitty litter , I just knew something had to change ,,,

it was great for rooting cuttings though - and so is pure perlite...

 

and just over the last month I have been topping my pots with grit too to hold the mix down when I water the cacticals.

 

Some of the nicest huge trichos i bought from Germany came in just compost alone with no gritty "bits" at all and they were in absolutely immaculate condition, that particular ebayer seem to have changed their mix to some kind of sharp gravel on it's own nowadays ...

 

one of my friends in Germany sent me some cacti in compost and perlite 50/50 mix and they were growing immaculately too 

 

start basic... and then over the years you'll find stuffs you like that makes sense to add , e.g. a bit of charcoal, a pinch of sand, a pinch or alchemical gold etc) and before you know it you'll have tailored your fave mix ..

 

I guess it's like bonsai soil recipes and aya shamans, everyone swears by their own mix or their inherited way/mix/blend  just so long as they've seen it working ok I guess..

 and they don't always suit everyone , which just goes to show the scope for personalisation/tailored/bespoke to your own personal growing conditions and your own personal collection's needs..

 

hope that clarifies

 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2017 by ☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ
grammar , and to change git to grit :)

[Halcyon Daze]

All I know is African violet mix and sugarcane mulch 50/50 with road base and a pinch of kitty litter is absolutly the worst  fcukn Shit EVER! 

Never again!!!

 

 

Edited February 4, 2017 by Halcyon Daze

[Halcyon Daze]

second try with some organic chicken manure...

 

 

Edited February 4, 2017 by Halcyon Daze

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

^ not sure if serious or trolling .... 

[Halcyon Daze]

I don't troll. And rarely serious either.