After years of trial and error, I finally came up with the perfect succulent potting mix recipe. This is the best soil for succulents, and it’s super easy to make too! In this post, I will share my recipe and show you exactly how to make your own succulent soil.
I don’t buy succulent soil, I make my own. It’s much cheaper than buying a commercial cactus and succulent potting mix.
Plus, I think the commercial soil mix for succulents and cacti (at least the stuff I’ve purchased in the past) are light on sand, and hold more water than I like.
Making your own succulent soil is not only cheaper than buying the commercial stuff, it’s super easy.
My DIY succulent soil is perfect for growing succulents in containers
The Best Soil For Succulents
Choosing the right potting soil for planting succulents in containers is crucial! When readers reach out to me about problems with succulents, most of the issues they have are caused by overwatering.
Overwatering is the number one cause of death for succulent plants, and that is why it is super important to make sure you use the right type of soil to plant succulents.
The best potting soil for succulents is a well draining potting mix. Using a good potting mix of porous soil for succulents is super important to prevent overwatering.
Using the ideal potting soil mix to grow succulents
Benefits Of Making Your Own DIY Succulent Soil Mix
The main benefits of making your own DIY succulent soil mix are that it’s cheaper, and you control the ingredients.
Making your own bulk potting soil mix is cheaper than buying a pre-made commercial succulent soil. Plus, since you control the ingredients, you can modify this succulent soil recipe to get the perfect soil mix that your succulents will love.
How To Make Succulent Soil
Like I said, I find that many commercial succulent soil mixes aren’t coarse enough for my liking. So, over the years I’ve played around with making my own succulent mix, until I figured out an easy, inexpensive recipe that I love the best.
I wanted to make sure the ingredients were all easy to find in your local garden center, or online. Plus, I use these ingredients to make my other homemade potting soils too, so they are all very reusable.
DIY Succulent Potting Soil Ingredients
To make your own succulent soil, you only need three ingredients, and you can find them at any garden center or home improvement store that has potting soil for sale:
- Potting soil
- Coarse sand (turface or poultry grit also work great)
- Perlite or Pumice
DIY succulent potting soil ingredients
All Purpose Potting Soil
Any type of all purpose potting soil for indoor plants will work as the base to make your own succulent soil. Use whatever you have on hand (as long as it’s fresh, sterile potting soil).
The brands of potting soil I use varies depending on what’s on sale at the time I need to buy potting soil. When making potting mix for succulents, it’s best to use a light, porous soil as your base.
Don’t use heavy garden soils, and don’t use potting mixes that contain vermiculite, or any type of moisture control potting mix that says it retains water longer than other mixes. Succulents need a well draining potting soil, not one that holds moisture.
Related Post: 7 Easy DIY Potting Soil Recipes To Mix Your Own
Use all purpose potting soil as base ingredient for succulent soil
Coarse Sand
Succulents grow best in a porous sandy potting soil, so amending your potting soil with sand is super important.
You could use any type of sand, but to ensure fast drainage for succulents, I recommend buying a coarse sand rather than the really fine stuff.
Just don’t use sand from the garden, the beach, or a sandbox (you never know what nasties will be in that sand).
If you prefer, you could use turface or poultry grit instead of sand. Either of those make excellent alternatives to sand in this recipe.
Adding sand to potting soil for succulents
Perlite or Pumice
Perlite is a very lightweight organic soil amendment. It’s the white pieces that look like Styrofoam that you see in many commercial potting mixes.
Perlite retains very little moisture, prevents soil compaction, and helps add better drainage for succulents. In other words, it helps the soil drain faster which is exactly what we want for succulent potting soil.
You can usually buy perlite or pumice at any garden center or home improvement store in the same section as you would find potting soil for sale, but sometimes it’s hard to find in stores, so I usually buy it online.
Mixing perlite with potting soil for succulents recipe
Supplies Needed:
Along with your succulent potting mix ingredients, you’ll need a few other supplies to help you measure and mix your ingredients. So grab these items before getting started…
- Measuring container
- Trowel
- Container for mixing (I use a bucket or my table top potting tray to mix mine)
Supplies needed to make DIY succulent soil
DIY Succulent Soil Recipe
The succulent potting soil recipe* I use is:
- 3 parts potting soil
- 2 parts coarse sand (turface or poultry grit)
- 1 part perlite (or pumice)
* My recipe for DIY cactus soil mix is very similar, and it’s easy to modify this recipe to make potting soil for cactus plants instead. To make the perfect cactus potting soil mix, I add about 1/2 – 1 part more sand and perlite in my succulent potting soil for extra drainage.
What is a “part”? – A “part” is just a generic unit of measure to use for your potting soil mix ratio. You can use anything you want to measure your ingredients, as long as you use the same type of measure for each “part”.
If you use a scoop measure for 1 part, then use the same scoop twice for 2 parts, and three times for 3 parts. So, for example if you use a 1 cup measure, then this potting mix recipe would convert to 3 cups potting soil, 2 cups sand, and 1 cup perlite.
Combine Succulent Potting Soil Ingredients
How To Mix Potting Soil For Succulent Plants
Mixing your DIY potting soil for succulents is super easy. All you need to do is dump everything into your mixing container (bucket, potting tray, wheelbarrow… whatever) and stir it all together.
Use a trowel, or your hands to mix it. Just make sure the ingredients are evenly mixed once you’re done.
That’s it. Told you it was easy to make your own potting soil for succulents.
Related Post: How To Make Potting Soil For Indoor Plants
Mix ingredients for succulent potting soil
Storing Your Leftover Succulent Soil Mix
One of the things I love the most about making my own DIY succulent potting soil is that I can mix up a big batch, and store the leftovers for later. Succulent soil can be stored on a shelf in your basement, garage or garden shed.
You could mix a bunch of homemade potting soil ahead of time and store it for later use, or just mix it as you need it.
I like to mix up a big batch, and then I store it in a plastic bucket in the garage so I always have succulent soil on hand when I need it.
Make sure to store your succulent potting soil in an air-tight container. You don’t want pesky bugs getting in there. If you don’t have an air-tight container you can use, I recommend you buy one of these bucket sealing lids, which work with a five gallon bucket.
Diy Succulent Potting Soil Ready To Use
This DIY succulent potting soil can also be used for propagating succulent cuttings.
My succulents (and cactus plants) grow very well in my homemade potting mix for succulents, and making my own saves me tons of money (It seems like I’m always potting succulents and cactus plants!).
If you want more information about growing and caring for succulents, read my detailed succulent plant care guide. It has everything you need to know about growing succulents, including watering, light, fertilizing, pruning, pest control, propagation, and even a list of some of the easiest succulents to grow!
Products I Recommend
Recommended Books On Succulents
- Succulents Simplified
- The Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents
- Idiot’s Guides: Succulent Care
- Growing Succulent Plants Indoors
- Winter Houseplant Care
- Houseplant Pest Control
More Posts About Growing Succulents
- Gritty Succulent Soil Mix Makes Growing Succulents A Snap!
- How To Care For A Jade Plant
- The Ultimate Guide To Aloe Vera Plant Care
- How To Make An Indoor Succulent Garden
Do you make your own succulent soil? Share your succulent potting soil mix recipe in the comments section below.
Christine says
Is this mix good to start with seeds as well?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Only if you’re starting seeds for succulents or cactus plants. Otherwise, you should use my recipe for seed starting mix instead.
Clara Zuniga says
Could it be possible to use an orchid potting soil and then adding a bit of sand and perlite? Could the succulents thrive in that?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I would not recommend using an orchid potting mix for making succulent soil. Orchid potting medium is made to retain moisture, which is not good for growing succulents.
Christina says
Hello! I used your recipe for succulent soil about 2 weeks ago and replanted all my random succulents because they were starting to die from rot. I used all the right ingredients and the soil definitely gets and stays wet the right amount of time but, my succulents still seem to be dying. I know they aren’t overwatered bc the leaves and such are not squishy and plump like they were in their other pots when they were rotting. They feel like they are dry and they are drooping and shriveling up. The soil feels SUPER gritty. Did I maybe use too much coarse sand? I can’t figure out why they are acting like they are underwatered when the soil I made stays wet for a couple of days like it should.
Amy Andrychowicz says
I would check the stems and the base of your succulent plants to make sure they aren’t rotting. If the stems are soft, mushy, or hollow that means they’re rotting/have rotted. It could be that they started rotting after being overwatered even before you repotted them. It’s a very common problem with succulents. Here’s a post all about caring for succulent plants that may also help you out… Succulent Plant Care Guide
Dee says
Love your site! I ordered some succulents that I would like to plant in my garden, not in pots, but in the earth. Do you know if I can use “Dr. Earth’s Exotic Blend Cactus and Succulent Potting Mix”? Or is this just for pots? What would you recommend I use instead if this is not the best medium to work with? I’ve never planted succulents before, and I’d like them to thrive outdoors. Thanks!
Amy Andrychowicz says
If your soil is already sandy/rocky, then the succulents should grow very well there. I would be sure to choose a location that doesn’t get a lot of water, and rainwater drains very quickly. If you don’t have sandy soil, then I would amend it with coarse sand, and maybe some perlite or rocks before planting your succulents.
Phong Huynh says
Thanks !
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome!
Rod M. says
Hello, great post, I just bought some fat plant san diego succulent specific soil. 1 gallons worth and thinks it quite expensive. Still have different species of top cuttings drying. I have read alot lately about water propagation and people have great succuess and even leave them in water and grow them permanently via hydroponics. Can you do an article on this and or your thoughts. They say they thrive as the water prevents fungus and infection as they stay immersed in water. Also, since I am tight on $$ an I poke some holes in stryo and or plastic cups for planting the cuttings once the bottom dries out? Then once they root a bit replant into normal pots/containers. You can really make containers out of anything as long as you can poke holes, correct? Now, I have an aloe in a 3″ pot that has so many pups I think it needs to be seperate and replanted. Do i simply seperate, let dry for a few days then replant the pups and mother in other containers. She seems to be struggling lately with no changes other than the pot is literally overun with pups to the point the soil cannot be seen at all. Thoughts. Thanks.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Succulents don’t like a lot of water, they prefer dry conditions. You could root cuttings by suspending them above water, and the stems may even root in water. But, I suspect that the stems would eventually rot if left in water for too long. As for separating your aloe plant, here’s an article with all the details of how to do that… How To Propagate Aloe Vera By Division.
Shawn Hamilton says
Hi there,
I live in Florida and get occasional rain. Would this mix work for rainy weather? Thank you
Amy Andrychowicz says
This succulent soil is fast draining, so it won’t hold water for too long. Occasional rain won’t saturate the soil, and will be perfect for your succulents. 🙂 Just be sure your pots have drainage holes.
sean says
i know its not the most organic stuff on the planet but woul crumbled Styrofoam do justice instead of perlite?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes you’re right, it’s definitely not organic. But that aside, I still wouldn’t recommend replacing the perlite with styrofoam in your succulent soil. Styrofoam can become compacted over time, where perlite is hard and will not become compacted.
Gabriel says
I’ve been using a somewhat similar method yet with 50% potting soil and 50% coarse sand.
Recently, I’ve purchased a bag of perlite. I grow succulents, but the most notable ones are Aloes, Haworthias and Gasterias. Aloes are no big deal, but Haworthias and to some degree Gasterias have tendency for root rot, especially varieties of H. Truncata. They mostly do well, but I think my potting mix has to be improved somewhat.
My question is whether it is a good idea to replace more of the potting soil with perlite, or do another change for that. My climate is Mediterranean. It rains a lot in winter. I can get high rainfall for days in a row, but frequency, intensity and time are unpredictable and the average is not very high. I have no frost in winter, which is good, considering the size of my collection and no sheltering space available.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, I would try mixing more perlite into your succulent potting mix. That will definitely help with drainage for your more sensitive succulents.
Bryan Godfrey says
Hi, I live in Zone 9b. San Jose, Ca. My area I want to plant is about 15 square ft. outside. How deep do I need to have the soil mix and is the recipe the same as the one you gave?
Amy Andrychowicz says
This succulent soil recipe is for potted plants. For the garden, I would check your soil to see if it’s already sandy and fast draining. Since you live in CA, your soil might already be perfect for growing succulents. If your garden soil isn’t sandy, then I would amend it with coarse sand and perlite for your succulents.