Knowledge of succulent plant cultivation: The soil used for living stone flowers
This article provides a brief introduction to the experience of cultivating living stone flowers, specifically discussing the soil used for growing these succulents, as follows:
In March, it is the peak growing season for living stone flowers, and changing the pot and soil after their skin peeling is a considerable project. Many beginners wonder about soil mixing ratios and ingredients, but I don't have any special proportions or planting materials. In rural households and small to medium-sized cities, it's common to see the remnants of honeycomb coal (also called coal balls or coal cakes) everywhere. Burnt honeycomb coal looks like this.
Crush the honeycomb coal, either by hitting it with a hard object or stepping on it with shoes, then sieve out the dust with a sieve. Sieves are available in general stores and supermarkets, with small holes to remove dust. I used two plastic baskets, one with larger holes (about 8 mm), first sieving the crushed coal slag through the fine sieve to remove dust, then through the larger sieve to leave behind larger particles, which can be used as potting base or crushed again. After sieving, wash the coal slag with water to remove some of the dust and reduce the fiery nature of the coal slag. At this point, the coal slag is relatively clean and the particles are evenly sized. Let the wet coal slag particles dry first.
The coal slag above has not been washed and is still dusty, while the washed coal slag is below, waiting to dry.
Prepare the peat, ceramsite, perlite, vermiculite, and pumice that you have purchased. Sieve the perlite to remove powder, and wash and dry the pumice. With these simple planting materials ready, mix them as follows: 5 parts coal slag + 1 part perlite + 1 part vermiculite + 3 parts peat, blending them evenly. Note that none of the planting materials have been sterilized. My method is to add an appropriate amount of furadan to the mixed materials and blend them again. The amount of furadan depends on the amount of material, and it should be clearly visible in the mix. The furadan I use is purple, so you will see purple specks in my planting materials. This is furadan. For expensive varieties, I haven't dared to try using this type of soil mix and instead use akadama soil, replacing the coal slag with akadama. Actually, there are many ready-made planting materials available now.
If you live in the countryside with limited access to transportation, you have to use local materials, which is also a form of waste utilization. Some flower friends have told me that if there is no coal slag and akadama soil is expensive, they have to use other planting materials as substitutes, such as pumice, which is cheap and commonly used in industry for slag removal. It has excellent breathability and can replace coal slag for larger succulents. Since living stone flowers are small, smaller particles should be used as planting materials when they are young. You can also use river sand mixed with a little peat, but I won't go into detail here. The above formula can be adjusted according to your own planting materials, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and no planting material is万能. No matter how you mix the soil, the most important thing is to ensure it is breathable and water-permeable.
Lastly, let's talk about the sterilization of planting materials. Whether using potassium permanganate solution or a microwave oven, the goal is the same: to reduce bacteria. Only by reducing bacteria and killing insect eggs can plants grow healthily in the soil. All sterilization and disinfection methods have an expiration date. It's not that once you use a fungicide, furadan, potassium permanganate, or other methods, you can be worry-free. These routine disinfection methods are effective for about 3 to 6 months, during which we should frequently spray fungicides. Pay close attention and you will be able to care for your plants better. Bury furadan once every 3 to 4 months and regularly use fungicides for prevention, which is never a bad thing.
The above () introduces the detailed information about the soil used for growing living stone flowers in succulent plant cultivation. Did you get it?