Knowing the conditions of the location of cacti, picking the right soil for them is easy. Cacti do not need nutritious and organically rich soil. For a plant, the most important is the breathability of the soil mixture and the presence of the necessary trace elements in it.
Instruction manual
1
All cacti can be divided into two groups: forest and desert. Forest cacti usually have a wide branched root system and need a light nutrient mixture with an acidic or slightly acidic reaction. Desert cacti have a rod or turnip root, clay soils with a slightly alkaline or neutral reaction are suitable for them.
2
For planting cacti, the soil needs to be chosen loose, easily passing moisture and air. Soil should contain a large amount of mineral substances and not contain organics.
3
Experienced cactus growers do not recommend using purchased soil for planting plants. Purchased land for cacti is poorly wetted by water and contains too many organic fertilizers. Ready soil can be used as the basis for the preparation of a suitable substrate for unpretentious species of cacti.
4
For the vast majority of cactus species, a mixture of sheet, clay or peat soil with coarse sand and small pieces of charcoal is suitable. Granular superphosphate must be added to the prepared soil. The pH reaction of such a mixture is usually not more than 6-6.5.
5
Approximate proportions of the mixture can be as follows: red brick crumb - 30% of the volume, loamy earth - 30%, coarse sand - 30%, gravel or expanded clay - 10%, peat - 5%, pieces of charcoal - 5%.
6
When planting cacti, you need to take into account the individual characteristics of certain species. Lime is added to the soil mixture in plants with many spikes and abundant fluff. As lime, crumb of limestone or marble is used. The most affordable and inexpensive material is old plaster. In no case should you add fresh lime.
7
For epiphytic cacti and echinopsis, it is worthwhile to add a little rotted cow manure. For columnar cereus in the mixture increases the amount of turfy earth and gravel.
8
For cacti with a rod or turnip root, the proportion of clay supplements in the soil mixture increases. But in order to prevent stagnation of water in such soil, clay is added weathered or frozen. You can find such clay on the ruins of buildings or on mountain slopes.
note
Any soil for cacti - purchased or prepared independently, must be sterilized. This procedure can be done in the oven, microwave or on the stove. At the bottom of the tank in which the soil is steamed, a little water is poured. The container is tightly closed by a lid. Sterilization is carried out at a temperature of + 100 ° C for 25-30 minutes. Overdrying of the soil during steaming is unacceptable, this affects its properties.
