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
Here’s what you’ll find in this step by step guide…
Table of Contents
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. 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.
Barry Gilbert says
Can I use regular play sand such as found at the big box stores, or no? Thank you in advance
Amy Andrychowicz says
It depends. Play sand can be too fine to use for this mix, and it can be hit or miss on whether or not it has been sterilized/washed. You would have to check the package to see if it’s clean, and also look at the grain to see if it’s coarse sand.
Bob says
Hi amy, i hv a succulent was dng good in winters. I watered frm above, it went on fine but suddenly the top part is drying. I dnt knw the reason, indian summers r very hot. How to send u the picture, dat way u cud c n gauge the problem. Is this succulent shade loving or sun. Loving i dnt knw. Meanwhile i hv just removed frm direct sun to a less sunny area.
Amy Andrychowicz says
If it’s really humid where you live, then watering from the top could have caused it to rot. It’s best to water succulents at the soil level, to prevent rot and fungus problems. However, if it’s drying like you mention, then it could be sunburn – especially if you just moved it outside. As for the sun exposure… it depends on the type of succulent you have. You can post a photo on my Facebook page if you want, and I’ll do my best to help. Also, see my guide for growing succulents for more details about care, and to see some of the most common varieties.
Bob says
Thanks amy. I blv i could be sun burn coz it was all lush n green in Winters. As summmer approached the poblem started. Moreover i received a reply on one forum. It is copy pasted below, please advise if it is true.
Meanwhile i wl post the picture on FACEBOOK.
It has nothing to do with the drying up in the center. It’s more the lush growth and heat. As the plant grows bigger the stems sort of collapse and show the dead foliage underneath. As they collapse they also expose the formerly shaded stems to the sun and they burn. Eventually new growth will fill in the bare center.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, the answer you got on the forum makes sense. I’m not sure what type of succulent you have. But I would try cutting it back and see if that helps the center fill back in again.
Geoffrey Ross says
Your succulent mix is 3 parts potting soil. I presume you mean regular potting mix, not soil. Bunnings etc have soil, which is more earthy and much more dense than potting mix which is lighter, less earthy. Can you confirm?
Cheers
Geoff Ross
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, use a general purpose potting mix for indoor plants.
Jinny Sonah says
When to transfer germinated seeds…I mean which size the plant should be? Also composition of soil mix for plants to be transferred. Thank you for your advice?
Amy Andrychowicz says
If you’re talking about succulent or cactus seedlings, then use this soil mix to pot them up. Otherwise, here’s information that will help you…
How To Make Your Own DIY Seed Starting Mix
How To Repot Seedlings Into Larger Containers
How & When To Transplant Seedlings Into Your Garden
Dee says
Can I add more potting soil to succulent mix to propagate other plant cuttings
Amy Andrychowicz says
If you’re rooting succulent or cactus cuttings, that would work. But for others, it’s best to use a mix that holds more moisture.
Vuntha Nula says
I use vermin compost,cocopit,perilite and coarse sand but is vermin compost a bad consistent?
Amy Andrychowicz says
There is no need to add the vermicompost to your succulent soil mix. But, as long as you don’t add so much that the soil will end up holding too much water, then it shouldn’t hurt. I would just skip it though.
Shamir says
Is it okay to use river rocks instead of coarse sand?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I would not recommend that substitution, river rocks are way too large.
M says
How much water do you add when first transplanting a jade into a new pot.
I thank you for the simple recipe and will try and get the coarse sand at the hardware store, how much water do I add, v. Beginner with jades
.
Thank you
Amy Andrychowicz says
If the soil in the original pot was fairly wet, then don’t water your succulent after repotting it into the new soil. Otherwise, if it was really dry, then you can give it enough water to cover the top of the soil. Be sure to allow it to completely drain out the bottom, and don’t water again until after the soil dries out.
Reina Gonzalez says
I have sand fron the beach. Can I use that one? It is dry already.
Amy Andrychowicz says
I don’t recommend using beach sand in your succulent potting soil mix. You never know what creepy crawlies are in there. Also, beach sand could contain things like salt or pathogens that can harm your plants. It’s best to buy it at the store to avoid any problems.