Piante grasse cactus spine

Tag: peat

Repotting cactus: the classic mix of pumice, lapillus and peat to speed up growth

I generally start repotting from mid-December onwards, to finish within the first few months of the new year. This year, considering the number of plants I sow that need repotting, I started well in advance. Despite the still high temperatures for the period, in fact, the plants are already in stasis and it is possible to proceed without problems. The repotting period is one of the most debated topics, together with the composition of the growing soils: there are those who repot only plants in vegetation, those only in spring, those during the winter and those who repot at any time of the year. Let’s say that there isn’t a fixed rule: over the years, I have repotted practically in all seasons, according to needs, and I have never encountered any problems. The important thing is to stick to that only really useful precaution which is to avoid watering immediately after repotting. It is necessary to give the damaged or cut roots time to heal in dry soil during repotting, so as to avoid the risk that they may trigger rot. The rest is a matter of choices. Personally I prefer to repot and change the soil to the plants during the winter season, or in any case when the cacti and succulents are in vegetative stasis, for example just before spring, so that several weeks elapse between repotting and the first watering. I’ve been following this “rule” for years and have never had a problem. Of course, it may happen that some plants find it difficult to restart after repotting, to the point of being stuck even for a whole year, but this can happen by repotting at any time. Let’s not forget that repotting is in any case a significant “stress” for plants. This is also why I prefer winter, when the cacti are at rest and the effects of repotting are less “traumatic”.

Let’s explore the topic of repotting and substrates for cacti, in particular the “standard” soil based on pumice, lapillus and peat in equal parts, in the following article. (…)

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Targeted repotting: sowing identical plants in different soils to test the substrate

It’s time for… testing. Between the end of December and the end of February, as soon as I have time, I dedicate myself to repotting the plants in the greenhouse. Obviously I only repot plants in stasis, with very dry soil, postponing the change of pot to spring for the plants that I keep in vegetation in winter, perhaps outdoors (but still in pots and not in the ground, of course). Today I flared and planted about fifty plants that I obtained by sowing in natural light and heat. Some of them were born in 2014, others in 2016 (but already large enough to be repotted). It was an opportunity to start a useful test on various types of soil to understand how this affects the growth of some specific species of cacti.

Let’s see in the following article what exactly this experiment on the substrate consists of and let’s see, thanks to the photographic update two years after repotting, how the plants have grown. (…)

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Substrate, loam, soil mix: which is the best soil for cactus and succulent plants?

I may look like a mordant, but I want to clear the field of misunderstandings and false myths: the right soil for cacti does not exist. There are many types of soil (or composts, substrates, mixtures, the question does not change) and there are genera that prefer certain substances and others that require more. Established this and removed one of the first Faq (Frequently Asked Questions) by cacti enthusiasts to the first arms – “Which is the best soil for my cactus?” – it can be said on the contrary that on the one hand there are the characteristics that a good soil for cactus must necessarily have; on the other hand the needs of the single plants. The question was simple and the related answer was given by italian cacti expert Giuseppe Lodi, who, after observing “the butts of roots of certain imports” and having noticed how these were encrusted with clay loam, suggested a base soil absolutely natural and versatile: “You can start from a mixture of common clay loam (field or garden), coarse sand and leaf soil, in equal parts. Of these three components none of them can be enough, alone” (Giuseppe Lodi, “Le mie piante grasse” – Edagricole).

Except perhaps for the difficult availability of the loam of leaves (be careful to go for the woods and get bags of decomposed foliage: there are fines for collections of this kind), the recipe provided by the Italian pioneer in the cultivation of cacti and succulents was more than sensible, as well as experienced. Considering the difficulty of finding the loam of leaves (Lodi suggested leaves of beech or chestnut), that moreover must be well decomposed (and it may contain fungi and bacteria dangerous for the plants), this element can be replaced by good quality peat, sieved fine, without lumps and filaments. Too bad that over the years we have forgotten Lodi advice to focus everything on what for many is still the standard substrate of peat, lapillus and pumice in equal parts, standard enough to fit any kind and species of succulent.

In the following article now we see which is the best substrate for growing cacti and succulent plants based on my experience over the years with proofs and experiments on various mixtures. (…)

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How to make the perfect substrate for cacti and succulents. Is peat really a cactus killer?

Do I use lapillus or just pumice? Is peat really a cactus-killing devil, as we hear people say? But then why nurserymen cultivate their plants nearly 100% with peat, and their plants don’t die in the greenhouse? The question about materials and elements that end up in compost for cacti and succulents is a limitless one. Firstly because the variables are endless and range from growing regimes, environmental factors, latitude, to plant type (for example, there are differences in substrate requirements between a caudiciform and a cactus). Then, because the same elements, as like the field soil, can vary immensely between them – for example, based on the area where it is picked up: it’s evident that the loam of the Po Valley, where I live, cannot have the same chemical characteristics as that one existing in Bolivia, for example. So, how can we orient among the many elements and materials we can find – some easily, others less – to mix them and make good compost? A first answer, perhaps obvious but reasonable, is to do experience and direct observation. In a word: experimentation. Another one, trivial but overlooked, is knowledge – the knowledge of the single “ingredients” properties that create the substrate and of the individual plant’s needs.

Let’s explore the topic in the following article. (…)

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