Viewing post #2552567 by SamuelA

GeologicalForms said:A couple things I feel like you should know: Not all succulents have the same needs, echeveria and most of the subtropical species often used as house plants prefer far less water than sempervivum. They come from dry deserts where moisture is scarce. Sempervivum and ground cover type sedum are from alpine mountain climates, where rain is more common, but drains quickly away from the rocky outcroppings where these plants grow. Ultimately generic succulent/cactus mix is predominantly designed for desert plants, not alpines, though if you water just right it will work for sempervivum to, it's not the best. You'd be better off amending a regular potting soil by adding some inorganic materials like sand and gravel (or whatever you choose to use for drainage from the list above). Miracle Grow Moisture Control has an additive to help with the hydrophobic issue, so that's a good base to start with but any potting soil will work, I use about 4 parts potting soil 1 part gravel, .5 part sand and .5 charcoal. That gives you an easily made mix that works better than the cactus stuff.

Thanks Sol.

This is very helpful to know. I didn't think much about the watering requirements, thinking that all succulents are pretty similar. But it's good to know sempervivums need more water.

For the second part about the soil mix ratio, are those by weight or by size/volume? And also, what type of charcoal is best to use? I know that your regular briquettes aren't supposed to be used for plants but would something like this work: www.homedepot.com/p/Frontier-17-6-lbs-Natural-Lump-Charcoal-195-338-374/313319118 (can't post as a link, as I am a new user).