This is the absolute best mix that you can use for tropicals and specifically aroids. Its chunky, aerated and very free draining while also allowing the water retention these plants need to stay evenly moist but not overly wet.

The supplies:
1/4-1/2" orchid fir bark





1/4-1/2" horticultural charcoal





Coconut fibers or chopped compressed coconut husk


Maximum expanded coarse perlite


Measuring cup (or can or your handful)


At least 2 buckets or large nursery pots

The method:
Mix equal parts of all components for epiphytes. For terrestrials, add also an equal part of good quality potting soil (or Eco Earth or Peat).

I am repotting all of the new aroids I got recently from Ecuagenera. Some I got about a month ago, some about 2 weeks ago. Regardless of when I myself got them, the plants were in Ecuador 3 weeks before they were shipped here, and were allowed to acclimate at the nursery in Apopa FL (for 3 weeks before they were sold). I allowed them another few weeks here at my house.

Now they are ready to go into their permanent digs.

I use a bucket to hydrate the coconut husk. It comes in a brick. You break off a hunk, kind of shred it up, and put it in the bucket with enough water to cover, like you are cooking beans, and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes to soak up the water. Then you shred it a little more. The idea is to get fibers, not hunks. Hunks hold too much water.













While that's cooking, use whatever measure you want to use to scoop equal parts of all the other components into another bucket or nursery pot. If you are potting up a true epiphyte, you need not add any potting mix. Terrestrials, you can add some. Then add your wet coco husk/fibers and mix it all up.



I am potting first my new Anthurium metallicum. This plant can be either terrestrial or a primary hemi-epiphyte in nature (meaning it can grow in the trees or rocks above the forest floor with no soil and the roots will go down to the ground like a Monstera deliciosa). So I add a little potting mix (I am using what it came to me in, which is basically heavy on peat with the small perlite balls mixed in). This plant was taken from a stem cutting of a huge mother plant. I unpot my plant










It has a decent root system, but the old potting mix is sort of compacted around them. That's ok though, I shake off as much as I can. The ingredients in the new mix will work to wick all the unneeded water away from there. I orient the plant into the new container. I always use open wire baskets or plastic pond baskets with hundreds of holes for max drainage, even if I don;t hang the plants up. I set them into decorative containers on the ground if I don;t hang them





I've filled in around the plant with a goodly amount of mix. I water once, then hang it up


And wait for new growth!

Gina, this is a great tutorial!

Thank you Lin! Where have you been I have not seen you lately! Did you have a great holiday??

Gina, we had a very nice holiday; my youngest sister drove down from South Carolina and left to return home yesterday. Our family has dwindled the last 15 years ... many are no longer with us so it's wonderful when the few remaining can celebrate Christmas together!

I agree...we used to travel to Dallas for Thanksgiving every year when my daughter as between the ages of 1-7. At the height of the family numbers we would have 40 people at dinner. Now that number has dwindled down to about 12-14, and THAT is pulling in 2nd cousins!

This is very helpful. I actually have some coco husk that I haven't tried yet. And I didn't know that larger perlite was available. I'll have to try that too.
I've never used charcoal before. What is the purpose? Does it absorb?

It does a few things. It serves the same purpose as perlite and lava rock in that it lightens the soil and creates air pockets. It absorbs odors from decomposing material. It helps to absorb harmful stuff like bacteria, molds and other nasties. It can help soil resist nutrient leaching and also help with salt buildup. It also draws water away from roots and helps prevent wet feet

It sounds like I need it for many different reasons. It was on my list today and I completely forgot it.

Gina, is this mix also okay for a succulent type plant? I'm not seeing any perlite in my Pilea Peperomioides but it was also bought from someone who bought it from an outdoor plant garden. I'm curious cause this was so helpful!

You know I am not sure. I don't grow hardly ANY succulents. Used to grow them in Los Angeles years ago when we lived there, they made total sense in the single digit humidity and in the era of severe water restrictions back then, here in Florida I usually managed to kill them with overwatering so I ditched them in favor of 'total tropicals' which had always been my real passion anyway.

I do have ONE plant that is quasi-succulent like growing in something akin to this mix but mostly just orchid bark.....Sanseviera 'Bantel's Sensation'. This one never did well for me in soil but when I placed in into bark it took off and now does fine. Also I do grow some epiphytic juggle cacti and they are mostly in either moss, mounted or in the case of a ric rac growing as a total epiphyte in leaf litter and detritus on a cross slat in my greenhouse.

The place to ask about soil mix for succulents might be over there on that forum, there are TOMS of growers over there who seem very knowledgeable

Thank you! I appreciate the help!

I purchased a little Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides) in March 2019 and had it indoors for about 3 months and it didn't do well at all. It was dropping leaves right and left for a few months so I repotted it, using a mix of potting soil, perlite and orchid bark mix and moved it out to the screened pool area where it seems to like the humid environment. It still loses a leaf here and there but for the most part, it seems okay. I thought about bringing it back indoors and planting it in a terrarium but since it's still alive and seems happy outside, I think I'll leave it alone.

Why is moss good for jungle cacti? Next to aroids, jungle cacti are probably the plant I own most.

My Ric rac, orchid cacti, tons of rhipsalis, dog tails, etc are in my basic soil which is a dash of basic mix with perlite and bark added. Should I be getting some moss?
And can they also benefit from charcoal?

No no Adrienne! Mine are not potted that is the difference, or if they are they are just kind of stuck into empty clay pots. Most of them are wedged into mossy pockets on totems and allowed to grow as epiphytic plants

Oh, ok. I didn't know they could just perch on an empty pot. I remember your ric rac that a squirrel possibly took up into the top of your greenhouse area. That one is fun.

I think most of mine are in pots that are larger than necessary but EA packs them into that heavy moisture retentive soil and I always hesitate to disrupt the root system too much when I remove the nursery pots.

These are a few of mine that are just hanging in the wind. There is a very thin layer of old old moss and maybe a few chunks of bark in the bottom of the pots, just something to let their roots have something to hang onto. I am by NO MEANS any kind of expert on these....I started growing this this way after they tried to rot in soil (from my overwatering). I asked advice from the peeps on a terrarium/vivarium bard I am one and they said make them epiphytic like an orchid. It worked great! I have others, but these are the most photogenic ones at the moment ha ha. I'm pressure washing the greenhouse walls and trying to wait to take any real photos until the algae is gone. Its so slow and labor intensive because I have plants actually rooted the the wall I have to avoid, totems I have to avoid, hanging baskets I have to avoid....







And of course this one is my most resounding success and I can;t even take credit for it, I think Mama Squirrel propagated this for me

Yes! The squirrel ric rac! the others are beautiful too! I hope mine get that big one day.

I'm too terrified to repot this giant hurricane cactus (lipismium cruciforme spiralis. I'm afraid I'll break something.


All the others are planted in the barky perlite mix
This one seems happy enough to bloom, rhipsalis pilocarpa


Back in the distance there's a lipismium cruciforme non-spiral.




My next project is to pot all of these rhipsalis paradoxas together to create a larger plant. I have four small ones.



And these.

Hello all, wonderfull post i use almost use same soil but with also a bit of blonde peat moss H3 size, i use few for philodendron but i ve noticed other aroids like anthurium clarinervium love a bit more because they absorb a lot of water, conversely Anthurium Cristallium want the opposite, and hate heavy mix.
I use it also because i have to keep plant inside in winter (here is -1° today ) and also i keep humidifier at 60 70 so pot drain to fast without peat

But depends also on light plant use more water if outside or in greenhouse, if are inside they take much less light, light is inversely proportional to the square of the distance so inside is never enought. If you check with par meter or mobile phone lux meter you ll see.

Franci, Crystallinum is actually highly epiphytic. In the wild it grows is shallow scree and detritus that tops karst, with the roots growing down the rocks into crevices. Overwatering an doverpotting is not good for Crystallinum, you are correct about that.

I really don;t think there is any 'BEST mix for Aroids' as a blanket statement. Each and every species should be researched to determine how it grows in nature, and then those conditions emulated as best as possible. Mineral substrate and lava rock or Aliflor (Leca, Hygroton etc) is good for lithophytes, moss or chunky loose mix is good for epiphytes, and potting mix blended in to add substance is good for terrestrials.

Thanks for always sharing your knowledge in the forum Gina is always very useful