Everyone says garden soil can't be used to grow succulents, but do you really know why?

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 Fitz & the Tantrums

Fitz & The Tantrums 

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That's why it's said, "To grow good flowers, you must first choose good soil." Get the soil right, and you're halfway to success with your plants. That saying is not exaggerated at all.

Today let's talk about why garden soil is not recommended for growing succulents.

Garden soil has good fertility and is cheap. Isn't this the kind of soil used in front of and behind houses in the countryside, and in vegetable gardens? So why is garden soil never recommended for growing succulents?

Because - it's very hard to grow them well.

Unless the environment is exceptionally, exceptionally good, with humidity, temperature difference, and rainfall all just right, then actually any soil will grow them well - the "looks good even in a burlap sack" category.

Back to the point, let's look at the classification of garden soil.

- Classification of garden soil -

It falls into three types: clay, sandy soil, and loam.

Clay: mainly composed of very small clay particles. These particles are packed very close to each other, and the gaps between them are very small, containing little air. If you pick up some dry clay, it feels powdery.

Wet clay is very sticky and dries very slowly, and water cannot drain out of it quickly. Clay can hold moisture.

For succulents, this is a disaster.

Sandy soil: high in sand content, good aeration, extremely poor water retention.

For growing succulents, mixing in a little is not bad at all.

Loam: refers to soil whose particle composition has moderate amounts of clay, silt, and sand. It combines the advantages of clay and sandy soil, with good aeration and drainage, and good water and heat retention, and it tolerates both drought and waterlogging.

If you mix a little loam into potting soil to add nutrients, that's not bad either, but if you use only loam, isn't it rather slow to dry out?

Most of the garden soil we're familiar with actually belongs to the clay category. With soil like this that easily suffocates the roots, do you all think it's suitable for growing succulents?

Another question: why do some succulents grow in the ground?

Here's a metaphor: a whale in an aquarium versus a whale in the ocean. Succulents in pots are the aquarium; succulents grown in the ground get the ocean-level treatment. Who's higher and who's lower is decided at once.

Only in the ocean can a whale roam freely~

So what exactly are the advantages of growing in the ground?

1. There is a complete small-scale biological cycling system that can self-regulate and is rich in nutrients.

2. It can self-regulate temperature, keeping the soil at a suitable temperature, so it won't fluctuate greatly because of the environment.

3. Plant roots can grow freely. If the root growth of potted plants is linear, then that of ground-grown plants is radial.

Roots of ground-grown plants

Roots of potted plants

If you have the conditions to grow in the ground, then grow in the ground. Pests will be far fewer than in pots, but few cities in China are suitable for ground growing.

However, logically speaking, potted succulents are easier to control and cultivate, and they'll show their colors faster than ground-grown ones~

So if a friend asks again: can garden soil be used to grow succulents, just bring out the most scientific evidence and tell them: if you want to grow succulents well, it's best not to use garden soil!

For those of us without a mine at home, we'd better just learn how to mix soil properly~

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