For succulents, besides coal cinders, using this as a bottom layer works just as well

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Text and images by: Too Much Thigh Meat

Since I started using "this" kind of thing as a bottom layer for my succulents, root rot has never happened again, and it is really durable!

For succulents, coal cinders are a fairly common medium and a widely accepted material. When growing succulents, using coal cinders has many benefits (whether mixed into the soil or used as a bottom layer).

1. Air-permeable and water-permeable, with results no worse than orchid stone or Kanuma soil;

2. Coal cinders contain many trace elements, such as calcium oxide, iron oxide, magnesium oxide, and so on;

3. After high-temperature burning, there is basically no residual bacteria, and the key point is zero cost, especially for succulent lovers who grow them in large quantities, offering a major bulk-filling advantage.

Coal cinders are one option, but today we are talking about another "medium", a growing material equally suitable for succulent growth, and that is "charcoal"!

A succulent grower with 5 years of experience once used charcoal at the bottom of the pot every time he planted succulents, and the plants he grew were each as big as a fist. Most importantly, his succulents never suffered root rot.

You should know that the two main reasons succulents develop root rot are either too much watering leading to waterlogged roots, or too much fertilizing leading to fertilizer burn. In fact, succulents do not need much fertilizer to grow, and the nutrients in potting soil are enough to sustain good growth. What we need to do is find ways to improve the air permeability and drainage of the soil.

This is where the charcoal mentioned here comes in (the kind of charcoal burned for barbecue). Crush the charcoal and mix an appropriate amount into the potting soil. Larger pieces of charcoal can be placed directly at the bottom of the pot to play the role of "Leca", so that succulents will almost never suffer root rot during later growth.

In addition, charcoal is also a good substrate for taking cuttings of flowering plants. Charcoal can accelerate callus formation and rooting of cuttings, and can speed up plant growth with a high survival rate, especially playing an important role in large-scale flower propagation. Charcoal can effectively prevent the soil from becoming too acidic, absorb and retain nutrients, and its own rich trace elements and minerals can help succulents and other plants grow quickly and better.

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