Please excuse the marginal camera work. I wasn’t planning on doing this post and wasn’t prepared.
While potting up some newly acquired streps, it occurred to me some people might not realize how important soil preparation is to successful cultivation. IMO it is the single most important aspect of cultivating AVs. Hope this post helps.
This soil is 5 parts perlite, 4 parts MiracleGro potting soil. Yep, good old, found everywhere MiracleGro. The stuff people love to hate on. I’m potting in self watering pots. That’s why I’m using so much perlite. If I were going to manually water, I’d probably go 4 parts perlite and 5 parts soil.
After mixing in the perlite I added small amounts of water until the soil reached this consistency. Photo 1 shows how the soil looks when scooped. Photo 2 shows the soil after being squeezed in my hand.
To use, I just scoop it in the pot and use a chopstick and taps on the pot to arrange and settle it around the roots. I do not press it in. Then I gently but thoroughly top water which further settles the soil.
While many folks are aware of the benefit of adding perlite, I seldom see mention of soil moisture before using the soil. Having the proper moisture at potting time can prevent a lot of problems. Soil that is very dry will not adhere to the perlite and will wash off when watered. This can leave you with pockets of dense soil that can suffocate any roots in them, starting root rot which can then spread. Additionally the dry soil particles will expand when watered. If they expand in the pot, that’s going to force out air. Soil that is too wet at potting time can compact under its own weight, reducing aeration.
The fine roots of AVs (and streps) just aren’t designed by nature to grow in dense soil. Adding perlite and making sure the soil is moist before potting will help ensure you’re giving your plants just the right conditions to thrive.
by Stunning_Prize_5353