There are few things worse than spending a bunch of time at the plant nursery picking out your favorite succulents just to bring them home and plant them in regular old potting soil, or even worse, dirt from your backyard. Not all soils are created equally and, especially for succulents, some planning is required to give your plump plant pals the best environment for their survival. Not saying you can’t get away with it for a while but ultimately the plants will suffer.
The main thing to consider with succulent soil is balancing good drainage with water retention. If you live in a hot dry climate, it’s better to use soil that will retain some water to allow the plant to draw up moisture. You can achieve this by adding more organic matter such as peat moss, compost, or even potting soil to the mix. On the flip side, if you live in a cooler or humid climate it is better to stack the mix with more draining materials like sand, perlite, or small pea-sized rocks. Ensuring the plant isn’t sitting in the water longer than necessary can cause the plants’ roots to rot. There is no one size fits all approach to growing succulents and each plant has its own characteristics and water requirements.
Watering succulents is its own beast in and of itself but it does go hand in hand with the soil to provide an environment that is conducive to good root growth and airflow for healthy roots and ultimately a healthy plant. We use a soil blend for our succulents that is well-draining and contains organic matter, and you can find it in our shop here. If you would like to make your own, feel free to use our recipe below and make your own tweaks depending on your climate and preferences.
Suburban Succulents Soil Blend Recipe:
Peat Moss 15%
Coco Coir 25%
Perlite 20%
Vermiculite 10%
Sand 10%
Gravel 5%
Worm Castings 5%
Compost / Wood Mulch 10%