I have been reading about what cactus need for a soil and there is a lot of different ideas on this. Some books say sand is bad some say good. Others say peat and organic material will make the soil acidic when it breaks down, but most cactus mixes have large ratios of this. I have noticed that a heavy peat mix when dried out is very difficult to water. Sand seems to help but then I have read that it holds moisture and prevents airation and should be avoided. Can anyone bring some clairity to this?
The only hard and fast rule is that the soil can't hold a lot of water. Adding sand or pumise or perlite to soil lowers the amount of water it retains.
Jamey, The sand issue is really one of defining what sand is. I have used sharp coarse builders type sand for years with excellent results. Much sand that is sold is too fine and/or too rounded and compacts so badly that it provides unsatisfactory results. Beach sand from salt water is a no-no because of salt and most lake or river beach sand is either too fine or too worn to be effective. Especially for C & S. My mix is made from two parts of a non-peat potting mix, 1 part pearlite and one part coarse, sharp sand by volume. Here is a pic of the sand that I use. Hope you find this helpful. Bill
I generally use equal amounts of a standard potting soil, course sand and small 1/8" +/- stone mixed well. Has worked for me for over twenty years. Red
