Good soil mix?

[friendowl]

just use lots of perlite and have lots of holes for drainage
i use regular potting soil and lots of perlite in 5 gallon bux
and it works out good.

[latewood]

go to walmart and buy orchid mix...It is 7 bucks and you can buy a bag of peat and perlite for about 3 bucks ea.
so all you need for a plant for 13.00 this is enough perlite and peat to go with about 6 bags of orchid mix.
1 bag is good for 3 gallon pot...oh yeah, you should layer lava rock in bottom of pot.

I use orchid mix 50% perlite 30% peat moss 20%

It works great...If you cannot afford this then go to true value or the dollar store and buy pure topsoil (hyponex is the brand around here)1.49-1.99 a bag...follow above recipe substituting,
hyponex for orchid mix.

Look at my NL#2 pic...or sneekpeek thread in the hydro forums...the potted plants the pix are growing in 1.49 hyponex topsoil, perlite & peat...works for me also. lw

[Sparrow]

The only thing with layering lava rocks is that you will not be able to lift it and tell if she needs water that easily. If you want air to the roots pine chips are light an support microbial life. Cheaper then lava rocks aswell.

[Garden Knowm]

just use lots of perlite and have lots of holes for drainage
i use regular potting soil and lots of perlite in 5 gallon bux
and it works out good.

yeah, what he said..

YUMMY PERLITE!!!!

[latewood]

With just potting soil I would ad 80% peat moss to it so the roots can breath.

peat moss tends to stay too wet, used alone. Not enough drainage...hence the love...of more perlite!!!
really you definitely get great the drainage that was mentioned here. imho.

Use perlite not peat moss, alone

[betterhomesandgarden]

With orchid mix(from Wal-mart)- just add Perlite, Perlite, and more Perlite. It takes the headache out of overthinking problems by removing the problems. When I started adding Perlite years ago, a majorty of problems also vanished. For soil, in the summer anything will do, but in the winter I use Moisture Control Miracle Grow for Fungi reasons. Allthough, some people speak bad od MG.

BHG