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luv_daises

Chicken Grit?

luv_daises
9 years ago

Ok, I read somewhere that you could put chicken grit in your soil mix for Christmas Cactus? Trying to make a good soil for my Christmas Cactus and couldn't remember for sure about the chicken grit. Didn't want to open the bag until I had some comments on it.

Comments (6)

  • pirate_girl
    9 years ago

    For succulents maybe, but I wouldn't use that for Holiday cacti, they're tropical not arid like most cacti. It'll be too heavy for them, I'd use perlite instead, like cut your mix w/ half perlite & that'll be fine.

  • Danielle Rose
    9 years ago

    I have mine in cactus mix cut 50/50 with perlite, as pirate girl has already offered. It doesn't put on much growth, but flowers twice a year for me that way (in a west-facing window).

    I tend to skip over the holiday cactus threads, as mine is happy, but I've noted that many people in the know over on the succulent/cacti forum use a bark-based mix for their Christmas/Easter cacti. Since I've got lots of that around for my orchids, I may do that next time I repot mine. My two cents: use perlite or bark in your mix, and save the chicken grit for the succulents that prefer zero organic matter.

  • luv_daises
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks, wanted to repot some cacti anyways..lol So use 50/50 for the cacti?

  • Joe1980
    9 years ago

    I wouldn't use it for anything that needs to hang, because of the weight. But functionally, tropical or not, grit used in your mix properly is not a problem. I have tropicals growing in only grit and turface, in varying ratios, and they do great. However, I do not grow a Christmas cactus, and never have, so I can't speak for that.

    Joe

  • tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
    9 years ago

    Your Christmas cactus doesn't care what the soil is made of, as long as it holds the right amount of air and water, and not too much of either. A mix of equal parts of bark, grower size grit, and Turface would be an excellent medium for your Christmas cactus. As far as nutrition, a smart container grower doesn't depend on the medium as a source of nutrition - that's what fertilizer is for. When you think of soils, focus on structure instead of nutrition.

    If you decide to go that route, please don't get under way with only a partial understanding of how to combine ingredients to make a soil that allows you to easily maintain a healthy root system - an absolute prerequisite, without which a healthy plant isn't possible.

    {{gwi:1295}}

    Al

    Here is a link that might be useful: About soils - click me and I'll take you there.

  • patchyjack
    9 years ago

    Hello!
    In my experience, the Christmas cacti are not very fussy at all about their soil.
    I have grown them in pure potting mix, 50/50 perlite and soil, cactus mix (with rocks), soil mix with orchid bark, and plain sphagnum moss.
    The best growth I've had has been with long fibre sphagnum moss with chunks of coir mulch mixed through. Because this medium has no nutrients in it, I give slow release fertiliser every few months. I don't need to water much with sphag moss because it can hold a lot of moisture.
    I know it seems an odd choice for a cactus, but Christmas cacti naturally grow in the moss on tree branches in rainforests, so they take to sphagnum quite well.

    Ultimately, my recommendation would be to use a growing medium that you feel you understand the purpose of. If you have a good feeling for what the soil mix is like then you're less likely to make a mistake like overwatering.

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