Succulents are not familiar with the nutrient-rich soil of our gardens. In their natural range, the undemanding plants thrive in poor, dry soil. Consequently, normal potting soil does not meet the requirements of the ideal succulent soil either. Read here how the right substrate should be composed.
Succulents do best in succulent soil
Succulent soil simulates natural conditions
Most succulent species thrive in desert-like conditions with lots of sun and little rain. The soil in their habitats contains only a small amount of humus. Inorganic, mineral components such as sand and stones dominate here. In specialist shops, special succulent soil is therefore offered with a different composition than conventional potting soil. If you would like to mix the substrate yourself, the following recipes have proven themselves in practice:
- Standard mixture: half pricking out soil or potting soil and a mineral admixture
- 60 percent cactus soil, 20 percent seramis, 20 percent quartz sand
- 30 percent leaf compost, 30 percent peat, 20 percent lava granules, (13.99 €) 20 percent pumice
For the cultivation of large succulents, we recommend adding loamy garden soil to give the substrate additional stability. For the cultivation of leaf cacti, such as Schlumbergera, from the tropical rainforest, the humus content may be slightly higher.
The ideal substrate should be dimensionally stable and at the same time well drained. At the end, do a stability test to put these two key criteria to the test. To do this, take the succulent soil in one hand and squeeze it. This compressed shape should only hold the substrate briefly and then fall apart as soon as you open your hand.
tips
With the addition of simple soil improvers, you can turn rich, nutritious garden soil into well-drained, lean succulent soil. To ensure that hardy succulents thrive outside in the garden, mix in a handful of quartz sand (€15.85), fine-grain chippings (€46.95) or lava granules when planting.