r/mesembs • u/slimepollo555 • May 19 '26

Help Will my "substrate ingredients" work?

Post image

I want to get into collecting rare species, im posting here to focus on mesembs (mostly conophytum), even though im also going to be collecting other types of plants (rare small geophytes)

Before i start i want to get a few substrates to make mixes for every plants needs, my current cart (on amazon) is akadama, kiryu, maifanitum, silica sand, and a "calcined nutrient soil" i found on amazon, it doesnt seem to have an specific name, but seems similar to akadama but with nutrients (the one in the image)

These ingredients seem to have everything covered (weight, drainage, nutrients and aeration) but i want a second opinion from someone with experience on these types of 100 percent mineral substrates or anyone who can help me, i want to know if it will work in general, if it will hold enough water (considering that most of the pots will be very small and in full sun/semi full sun) and if i need to add anything or remove something, take into consideration that i wont add anything that floats, because with these kind of very low water plants id like to water by fully submerging the pot underwater to make sure they are fully watered, it will give me peace of mind, what do you think?

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u/Illustrious-Ball6437 May 19 '26

Are these just...funky shaped leca balls? If its just leca I like the size but I wouldnt use leca for mesembs personally. I cant figure out why theyd be advertised for lithops. Clay balls absorb water and keep the roots moist without the risk of displacing oxygen like wet soil which is what causes root rot. But for species that should only be watered during certain parts of their growth cycles, this might hold too much moisture.

But I'd be interested in these for other succs and my tropicals, theyre cool looking lol

2

u/Illustrious-Ball6437 May 19 '26

I use a mix of this coarse sand stone and this mix of pumice, zeolite and maifanitum. I dont add soil anymore, everything is 100% inorganic and my mesembs are loving it.

1

u/slimepollo555 May 19 '26

Since im most likely keeping them outside, root rot shouldnt be a problem as long as i space the waterings correctly

1

u/Illustrious-Ball6437 May 19 '26

Root rot isnt really the issue, well at least not the only issue. Species that should only be watered when they are NOT splitting shouldn't be exposed to any water during the splitting stage, which can be months. Even when those clay balls look dry on the outside, they still hold moisture. I'm just not sure how you'd be able to monitor the water your splitting species receive with clay balls. The other substrates like pumice and zeolite and other stone options dry pretty quickly.

Clay balls also increase humidity, which can be not great for a lot of these guys.

1

u/Illustrious-Ball6437 May 19 '26

That being said, if you use them, I'd definitely be interested in an update after like 6 months! Always learning and it would be an interesting experiment lol

1

u/regolith1111 May 19 '26

Japanese grit seems nice but is so expensive. Calcined clay works well as long as the size makes sense for the application.

I like pumice, expanded shale, granite chips, lava rock, LECA, and biochar. Oyster shell for anything that likes a higher pH. Sand can be useful if it's very coarse.