Are you a professional or enthusiast gardener looking to grow succulents? Well, Springer Garden has everything you need for your succulents. We also give advice on requirements and maintenance practices for healthy and vigorous plants.
Springer Garden has almost all types of soils you need for your plants. People may ask, what is the difference between these soil types? Is soil important for plants? The answer is yes. Most succulent soils have components that help balance water retention and water drainage, but they all do it differently. Generally, Succulent Soil = Regular Soil + Granular Soil.
For most succulents: add two parts inorganic grit to one part organic (i.e., plant-based) material, like compost or coir. Or simply mix half-and-half bagged potting soil (which can be obtained from any nursery or garden center and granular soil.)
For fat succulents like cactus, euphorbias, and pachyphytums, add one part bagged soil to two parts granular soil.
For thin-leaved succulents like dainty sedums and others that don't store much moisture, add two parts bagged soil to one part granular soil.
MAIFANITUM
Tried and tested at Springer Garden, maifanitum is the most popular type of granular soil by far (because of the market promotion).
Maifanitum is formed by volcanic eruptions and is rich in trace elements. It also has the exceptional advantage of absorbing moisture from the air (hence using some as a root trap for decapitated plants), water-retaining and water-exhausting.
It is a compound mineral or medicinal rock that is non-toxic and harmless to living organisms and has particular biological role.
The main chemical composition of maifenstone is inorganic silicoaluminate. It includes SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, FeO, MgO, CaO, K2O, Na2O, TiO2, P2O5, MnO, etc. It also contains all the major elements needed by animals, such as K, Na, Ca, Mg, Cu, Mo, and other trace elements and rare earth elements, about 58 kinds.
LAVA SOIL
There are slight differences between Black Lava Soil, Red Lava Soil, and White Lava Soil apart from the color. Color is important when you use this soil as a paving stone. The black one is easy to absorb heat, so I do not recommend it.
The porous stone formed after the volcanic eruption is very precious. When erupting, the magma that erupts has gas slag, a solid magma. Temperature and pressure drop quickly and chemical and physical changes take place, so the magma becomes volcanic. It contains a large amount of silicon, potassium, sodium, iron, magnesium, 26 kinds of mineral elements, copper, zinc, chromium, nickel, manganese, and so on.
After heating, the volcanic rock releases many misty energy ions, which produce a magnetic effect, thermothermal effect, cold and hot effect.
Volcanic rocks are rich in trace elements, which are also produced by their accumulation. However, they are so heavy, thus they will sink to the bottom after watering for a while.
AKADAMA
Akadama, aka red ball earth, is a naturally occurring, granular clay-like mineral used as soil for bonsai trees and other container-grown plants. It is widely known for its weak acidity, water retention capacity, and breathability, made from volcanic ash and commonly cultivated in Japan. Noticeable discoloration after water absorption can help monitor the degree of dry and wet soil and judge the watering cycle.
Akadama's color darkens when moist, which helps the grower determine when to water a tree. However, it is easy to cause soil compaction due to pulverization, so it is not recommended to use in large amounts.
Ceramsite
Ceramsite is commonly used as pelvic floor stone, and it is poured on the pelvic floor. Most of them are round or elliptic spheres, but some imitators are not round or elliptic spheres. Still, irregular gravel shape, rigid, usually on the bottom of the pot ceramic, can prevent the root from over wetting.
Vermiculite
Vermiculite soil has a mica-like structure. It is a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral that undergoes significant expansion when heated. It breaks easily and expands after absorbing water. It is characterized by its high water retention capacity.
Exfoliation occurs when the mineral is well-heated, and commercial furnaces can regularly produce this effect.
Vermiculite forms by the weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite. It has a comprehensive feature that is slightly better than perlite, which you can use to regulate soil moisture. The quality of each peddler is uneven and the difference is big. You can feel that the color is lighter, which is better and the challenge is that the kind of brown broke usually open at ago.
Green Zeolite
Green Zeolite is a combination of pumice and zeolite, which is named based on its color, and has the same effect as pumice. It is an excellent insect control and decorative effect.
Ceramic Nutrient Soil
Ceramic nutrient soil is not granular soil but fertilizer; it has good water retention and adsorption, it can absorb moisture in the air and harmful gas. It is also used as a plant matrix, can loose breath freely, does not harden, does not pulverize, and it is generally clean.
The advantages are that there is no breeding ground for flies and rich in fleshy plants need to grow all kinds of nutrients and trace elements.
Fertilizer
It is a regular fertilizer, which is good for growing succulents.
MIX LAVA
If you are a freshman in the succulent world and the soil above makes you confused, you can choose Mix Lava Soil. We mix everything listed altogether using our formula, making sure your succulents can be well fertilized.
Kanuma Pumice
Kanuma Pumice is produced in the Tochigi and Ibaraki areas, with exceptionally high-quality soil yielded in the city of Kanuma, hence the name Kanuma soil. Its geological name is Kanuma pumice, and its primary components are silica and aluminum. It is acidic (pH 4 to 6) and mainly used for succulents, Satsuki azalea, and rhododendron bonsai. It is a rare material produced in the volcanic mountains.
The lower volcanic soil generates it. In volcanic sand, pH is acidic, has a high permeability, water retention, ventilation and the trace element level is ok, but not as Akadama. Kanuma Pumice is not very uniform in size and has many holes. I wouldn't say I like to use it as paving soil because it is too easy to pulverize the granules.
Perlite
Perlite is a volcanic eruption of acid lava, rapidly cooled into vitreous rock, named for its pearl-fissured structure. Perlite is the cheapest particle, light in weight and easily floats when watered, so many people think it is foam, so they are not very useful particles. I wouldn't say I like it.
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