Dear All, I have a palm (most likely Areca, but I can't rule out Parlor Palm, they look kinda similar in the pictures). It used to be a wonderful, fast-growing plant, and then it had a massive infestation of ants and scale, and I had to rudely uproot it, clean, repot, throw parts away, you name it. This was about 7 months ago, and it really isn't doing well at all. The tips are brown, no new growth for a long time (but no scale, hurray!). I'm afraid the soil is way too heavy, so I am going to repot it. I have organic compost, peat moss and perlite. I would really rather not deal with sand and frankly I've already spent a fortune at nurseries this season. Can I just make do with these? In what proportions? Thanks for any advice!
Commercial growers use a bark based potting mix. No sand, no compost. I usually use a mix of peat, perlite and cypress or pinebark. I only add grit for ballast as some are grown outdoors and need the weight.
