All I have is miracle grow and Ive seen cacuts growing out side here where I live but I would like an experts opinion. Help Me Please
Good question well written! It sounds as if the return port on the master is blocked. You did rebuild it but this port is tiny tiny tiny. Have a second look at it. It sounds like you did everything right.
Hi there! First of all, Vermiculite doesn't always improve drainage. In fact, sometimes it can do the opposite, and hold water around the roots, which is BAD. What you actually want is some regular soil, some coarse grit, and some pumice, or if you don't have access to pumice, some perlite. The object of making special soil for cacti (and most other succulents as well) is to make a quick-draining mix. Cacti do not like to sit in wet soil. This is particularly important in cooler times of the year. It should also be noted that unless you have a jungle cactus (which are usually long, and hang over the edges of the pot - plants like Epiphyllums, Rhipsalis, etc), you don't want to be watering it in the winter anyway. Desert cacti need a rest period where they are kept dry, and this is usually in the winter. If you follow these suggestions, I promise your cacti will thank you for it! : )
Succulent soil would be the easiest to use. But if you want to use your Miracle Grow buy a small bag of perlite and mix it in about 50/50 with the Miracle Grow. Perlite is a light-weight rock and will give the Miracle Grow a texture more to the liking of succulents. Vermiculite holds water, so don't use that.
You can use Miracle Gro potting soil if you add some vermiculite to increase drainage.You should be able to buy a small bag of vermiculite for much less than a succulent soil, and the mix will work just as well.1 part vermiculite to 3 parts potting soil will give you a good mix.Just let the soil dry out between watering's.
