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OfflineSpore Ninja
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Registered: 10/25/16
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Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil?
    #23855747 - 11/21/16 09:32 PM (7 years, 2 months ago)

I have some small, 2 inch seedlings I need to plant, and I need a simple soil. The local ag school says:
"A potting medium composed of equal volumes of coarse sand, peat and perlite is suitable to grow most cacti"
I already have coir, perlite and sand. I also have peat moss, but a lot of folks seem to think it's less than ideal for cactus soil.
I also have red volcanic rock and some different clays that might add minerals. A lot of mixes also call for "topsoil" or something similar..would outdoor garden soil be an acceptable substitute?

I assume I can make a good soil mix out of the ingredients I have, but was wondering about the ratios...
so maybe:
30% coir (or 15% coir/15% soil)
30% perlie
30% sand
10% pumice

what do you guys think?


--------------------
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InvisibleDualWieldRake
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Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: Spore Ninja]
    #23856044 - 11/22/16 12:06 AM (7 years, 2 months ago)

not all cacti are the same, what you got?

some cacti don't compete well with other organisms but can thrive were these can't

nutrients will help cacti grow but one could also add them with fertilizer if they aren't available from the soil

as long as your soil drains well i think you should be fine for the most part, the garden soil i got is terrible for that but yours maybe different you gotta try it


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OfflineLSoares
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Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: DualWieldRake]
    #23856251 - 11/22/16 03:49 AM (7 years, 2 months ago)

Go for equal parts coir, garden soil and lava rock/pumice/sand (in order of preference). Tweak it according to the nature of your soil.


--------------------
Z. in sunny Lisbon, Portugal
Cactus grower particularly fond of north american miniatures.
http://jardineiroazelha.blogspot.pt/

Sowing cacti - my way!
Random pictures of my collection.
Photographing cacti, Z's way.


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OfflineSpanishfly
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Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: LSoares]
    #23856257 - 11/22/16 03:57 AM (7 years, 2 months ago)

I like to put a little nutrition in my mix, but leaving it well draining.  About 10% wormcasts and a bit of topsoil.  But there are as many preferred mixes as there are growers.


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Offlinematt1208
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Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: Spanishfly]
    #23856343 - 11/22/16 06:21 AM (7 years, 2 months ago)

trial and error, what works for others might not work for you, but as mentioned you cant really go wrong with a well draining soil, if your mix has little nutrients you may need to fertilize more regularly


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I AM ZEUS


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OfflineSpore Ninja
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Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: DualWieldRake]
    #23856960 - 11/22/16 11:04 AM (7 years, 2 months ago)

Quote:

DualWieldRake said:
not all cacti are the same, what you got?

some cacti don't compete well with other organisms but can thrive were these can't

nutrients will help cacti grow but one could also add them with fertilizer if they aren't available from the soil

as long as your soil drains well i think you should be fine for the most part, the garden soil i got is terrible for that but yours maybe different you gotta try it




I'm a newb...they're tricocereus cactus of different varieties.
I'm good at gardening, but my instinct is big pot with a luscious, nutritious planting mix, or hydro with a lot of liquid nutes.

Bolivian desert cactus is a new thing for me. 

Do I need to sterilize the soil for seedlings- or is that only for germinating seeds? And is garden soil OK or do I need a bagged mix?

Should I hydrate the coir with a 1/4 strength high P nute solution? or just leave it plain?

Should i wash the old soil off the roots, or just stick it into some dry soil as is??

And can I  use the coir/perlite mix to germinate Trich seeds if I add a a little sand on top??


Edited by Spore Ninja (11/22/16 11:49 AM)


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Invisibleferrel_human
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Registered: 06/26/09
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Loc: Texas
Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: Spanishfly]
    #23856985 - 11/22/16 11:12 AM (7 years, 2 months ago)

Quote:

Spanishfly said:
But there are as many preferred mixes as there are growers.




Nothing is written in stone and this is so very true.

Everyone chnages the recipes at time. No one goes to more extremes than i do. Or maybe they do but thw perfext specimen does not exist. You have to find a balance in thw soil mix. Study the native habitat for answers on soil mix.


--------------------
Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely.
-Karode


Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade


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OfflineSpore Ninja
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Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: ferrel_human]
    #23857099 - 11/22/16 11:53 AM (7 years, 2 months ago)

Quote:

ferrel_human said:
Quote:

Spanishfly said:
But there are as many preferred mixes as there are growers.




Nothing is written in stone and this is so very true.

Everyone chnages the recipes at time. No one goes to more extremes than i do. Or maybe they do but thw perfext specimen does not exist. You have to find a balance in thw soil mix. Study the native habitat for answers on soil mix.




I'm looking for simple this time around...then eventually I'll try to over engineer it with exotic ingredients.

In another thread, you seemed to be a big proponent of the coir/perlite mix...but that was for lophs. Would it work just as well for the trichs- and can I add sand (or soething else) to make it a good seed germinating mix?


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InvisibleEl Torcho
Time for tea?
I'm a teapot

Registered: 04/16/15
Posts: 1,365
Loc: Lone Pine Hill
Re: Will just coir. perlite and sand make a good cactus soil? [Re: Spore Ninja]
    #23857185 - 11/22/16 12:24 PM (7 years, 2 months ago)

Trichs can take a heavy, nutritious soil.

Use something similar to a good cannabis or tomato potting soil.


--------------------
"Well it sounds trivial, but the key insight is . . . . . you don't know shit"
~Dennis McKenna

"There is more to human existence and to reality itself than science can ever give us access to."
~His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama


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