What are the substrate formulas for growing succulents?

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For the substrate used to grow succulents, you must distinguish what species it is or what stage of growth it is in; you cannot generalize. Below are several substrate formulas for growing succulents, which I would like to share with everyone. Of course, friends in different regions and with different climatic conditions can make appropriate adjustments according to the local soil composition and the species being grown.

Raw materials

Aeolian sandy soil: choose pollution-free aeolian sandy soil, sieve it, and remove impurities.

Garden soil: choose pollution-free garden soil with the top 5 cm of surface layer removed, sieve it, and remove impurities.

Peat soil: choose sieved peat soil, then remove impurities and larger particles.

Humus: must be thoroughly decomposed.

The above need disinfection and insect-killing treatment.

Perlite: choose newly made perlite the size of rice grains, sieve out the fine dust, and scald it with boiling water.

Volcanic ash: depending on the region, the difficulty of obtaining it varies; it may be used or omitted.

Vermiculite: choose the screened type, then separate the coarse and fine grades and use them separately.

River sand: construction river sand only needs to be washed clean.

Coal ash lumps: self-made coal briquette ash lumps, honeycomb coal ash lumps, and burned soil are all acceptable. Rinse with clean water, repeatedly changing the water 3 to 5 times, to wash away excess calcium and magnesium salts and lower the pH value.

Aged lime: old wall plaster, waste from lime factories, and debris from water-absorbing stone are all acceptable; the amount used is not large.

Base fertilizer

Livestock manure: pig manure tends to be acidic; sheep manure tends to be alkaline; pig and cow manure are warm in nature, with short and strong fertilizer effect; sheep and rabbit manure are cool in nature, with long and slow fertilizer effect.

Poultry manure: chicken and pigeon manure are hot in nature, with long and strong fertilizer effect, and a moderate pH value.

Animal hoof pieces: hoof pieces of donkeys, horses, and mules, hoof shells of cattle, sheep, and pigs, claw bones of chickens, ducks, and pigeons, etc.

Soybean dregs and soybean cake: if these are hard to obtain, directly stir-frying soybeans until cooked is also acceptable.

Sunflower seeds and hemp seeds: crush after stir-frying until cooked.

Oilseed meal: the residue after oil extraction from rapeseed, sesame, peanuts, flax, etc.

Fermented melon and fruit peels: melon and fruit peels as well as discarded melons, fruits, vegetable leaves, etc.

The above fertilizers must be fully fermented and decomposed; raw fertilizer must absolutely not be present.

Chemical fertilizers: the main ones used as base fertilizer are superphosphate, diammonium phosphate, multi-element compound phosphorus fertilizer, etc., used in relatively small amounts.

Several example formulas

1. Substrate formula for sowing cactus species

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 50%, peat soil 30%, perlite 5%, a small amount of fine vermiculite powder; the above is used to cover the seeds when sowing and plays a moisture-retaining role; the sowing soil should also add river sand 5% and coal ash lumps 10%.

2. Substrate formula for growing strongly spined cacti

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 60%, peat soil or humus 10%, perlite or vermiculite 5%, river sand 5%, coal ash lumps 10%, aged lime 5%, fermented livestock manure, poultry manure, soybean dregs, soybean cake, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, oilseed meal, melon and fruit peels (any one or a mixture of several may be used) 5%, plus a small amount of chemical fertilizer, 5 to 10 grams per pot.

3. General substrate formula for growing cacti

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 70%, peat soil or humus 10%, perlite or vermiculite 5%, river sand 5%, coal ash lumps 5%, the above organic base fertilizer (one or more kinds) 5%, plus a small amount of chemical fertilizer, 5 to 10 grams per pot.

4. Substrate formula for sowing small succulents of the Aizoaceae family such as Lithops

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 60%, peat soil or humus 10%, perlite or vermiculite 10%, river sand 10%, coal ash lumps 10%.

5. Substrate formula for growing small seedlings of small succulents of the Aizoaceae family such as Lithops

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 65%, peat soil or humus 10%, perlite or vermiculite 10%, river sand 5%, coal ash lumps 5%, the above organic base fertilizer (one or more kinds) 5%, plus a small amount of chemical fertilizer, 1 to 3 grams per pot.

6. Substrate formula for growing mature plants of small succulents of the Aizoaceae family such as Lithops

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 65%, peat soil or humus 10%, perlite or vermiculite 5%, river sand 5%, coal ash lumps 10%, the above organic base fertilizer (one or more kinds) 5%, plus a small amount of chemical fertilizer, 1 to 5 grams per pot.

7. Substrate formula for growing other succulents (Haworthia types, Euphorbia types, Cheiridopsis types, etc.)

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 65%, peat soil or humus 10%, perlite or vermiculite 10%, river sand 5%, coal ash lumps 10%, a small amount of the above organic base fertilizer (one or more kinds), 20 to 50 grams per pot, plus a small amount of chemical fertilizer, 3 to 5 grams per pot.

8. Substrate formula for growing large succulents such as aloes

Aeolian sandy soil or garden soil 80%, river sand 5%, coal ash lumps 10%, the above organic base fertilizer (one or more kinds) 5%, plus a small amount of chemical fertilizer, 10 to 15 grams per pot.

Precautions for using the above formulas

1. When transplanting small seedlings, reduce the fertilizer to 1/3 or 1/5.

2. If there is only one of several raw materials or several fertilizers, choose the one that will cause the least harm afterward.

3. Depending on the local air moisture content and evaporation, increase or decrease the amounts of perlite, vermiculite, and river sand added. Increase in humid areas and decrease in dry areas.

4. The prepared substrate must be disinfected to kill pathogens and insect eggs.

5. None of the materials may contain undecomposed components.

6. When planting, do not press too firmly; just settle it firmly.

7. For the first watering, use the method of letting the pot absorb water from a tray.

8. Spread a 1 cm thick mixed substrate of 50% garden soil and 50% river sand on the pot surface.

9. The base fertilizer is not mixed in, but placed directly in the lower part of the pot.

10. The flower pots mentioned above are 15 cm in diameter. For every 5 cm decrease in pot diameter, halve the base fertilizer; for every 5 cm increase, add another 1/3 to the original amount.

11. The percentages in the above formulas are all measured by volume or capacity.

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