You need a fast draining soil, with perlite, or pumice as the base, then add 30% coarse washed construction sand and another 10% orchid mix, or red wood bark.

Your plant will need the same temperatures that you need to live. It will need water when dry but not completly dried out, like once a week in the Summer, and fertilizer once a month in the summer. It needs to be groomed and kept clean and you need to be it's doctor, all San. are not equal, just like your students. It needs sun, and air circulation just like you. When it out grows it pot it will break it, so each year repot the plants and give it some leg room. Take out any growth that has flowered that growth will not flower again, save it then plant. it will make new offsets for you to give away, or trade. I listed here the 5 componets that will give your plant a chance to thrive. Grow Semi-Shade-some light so it will flower, and photosynthense food for engery. These plants are known to release oxygen for us to breath. Norma

Thank you for your help Norma. Please tell me if I understand you correctly in regards to the soil. You're suggesting that I use approximately 60% potting soil with a perlite or pumice base, 30% construction sand, and 10% bark. If I have that right, I will do my best to aquire these ingreidents.

Can you expand on what you mean by this: "It needs to be groomed and kept clean and you need to be it's doctor." Can you suggest specific things that I should be looking out for?

Thank you again for your sage advice.

Al

Hi Al,

I'm not Norma, but am friends w/ her & one of her mentees on Sansevierias (we call them Sans. for short).

Pls. read her advice again, there is no mention of potting soil WHATSOEVER. I believe she means use a base of perlite or pumice & the other ingredients she mentions, but NO SOIL.

Potting soil will be too rich & too water retentive for these plants. That is why the recommended mixes are so high in non-soil materials.

Crazy,
The topic of potting mixes is a volatile one; everybody has an opinion, it seems. You don't say where you live, but I live parts east and many persons here find a peat-based mix quite acceptable. If you live in eastern US and are going to grow a few plants, I would suggest a bagged soil meant for cactus. Such is found at Walmart and Lowes. Delete the sand, or other additives. Drainage is key. If you plan to put plants outside, avoid direct sun fort a few weeks until plants get acclimatized to sun. Keep soil moist like a well wrung out dishrag, Use a balanced fertilizer of your choice.

I'm in Massachusetts. My experience with cactus soil is nasty quasi-peat dirt that doesn't absorb water (I think it was MG). Water just puddled on top of it. Gross. I think I'd like to try to build something "ideal" like many of the soils mentioned on these forums. If I were to get a cactus mix, is there a brand you would recommend?

I just made some of Al's famous gritty mix (or something close to it) that I'm trying some jades in. I'm curious to know if this would be appropriate for sans or if they need something else. Mine are in potting soil right now, and seem to be doing pretty good. I have one mama that is pushing up all sorts of babies. I'm just trying to become knowledgeable in plant-keeping.

Thanks for the help

Al

Yeah, the soil question will start a lot of discussions. I always use potting soil. I like dirt. I may add sand or decomposed granite or cactus mix or just use it out of the bag, depends on what I'm potting up and what I've got on hand. I never use perlite for anything, hate the stuff and it floats off every time we have 8 or 9" of rain in an hour or so. I think I like that rich black earthy stuff because our yard is sand and oyster shells, you can build a sand castle out there.

I'm in Galveston, hot, humid, salt spray, hurricanes, drought, rain for months at a time, more heat, what works for me doesn't work for some of the others and what works for them rots plants for me.
Good luck with them, they are tough and will thrive even in horrible conditions, I had one that lived on a bookcase for 2 years without any soil!
Tally HO!

From All I've heard & read about it, I'm guessing that Al's gritty mix will be just fine for this. Very fast draining.

Personally, Sans are plants I sometimes use recycled soil for 'cause they can handle it. But the recycled soil is a pumice based mix I make to use for my Succulents.

Al, I did my best for you, this is a beginners basic mix.
For one Sans. I use a crushed oyster shells. Some I use Orchid Mix, with pumice, others decomposed granite. Some Sand Stone, others qaurtzite, if you are experienced then you will know what else to mix into the soil. Often it depends what you can obtain. I can't win them all will not try again. Just use what is convient for you. Norma

I meant exactly what I posted. Most people can't get pumice except in very small bags. Tell me what is available to you. Ideal San conditions are where they are growing in Africa. Thailand grows them differently than I do, they are very tropical looking, water with G_ds' water, every day from the skies. The will look tropical and plumped up like chickens that you see on advertisments, full of salt water. Do not use peat moss when it hardens and dries out, it is difficult to get water in, when you do water make sure you do it thoroughly. I don't know if NY has soft water or hard water? If hard water, ad just a few drops of vinegar to the water to soften it. All the professional growers are doing this, that is where I learned this little trick. Now if you can get pumice or volcanic grit use 60% pumice 30% sand and only 10% organic
redwood bark the small size, or decomposed oak leaves. Potting mix is acceptable if you can't get oak leaves.When you have experience you may want to experiement with soil mixes. First get the experience before making corrections. use your own judgement/common sense with the suggestion we all give you, don't stress out over this. Norma