Cactus potting mix

[AngelMango]

Can anyone give me a good recipe for cactus potting mix? I want a mix I can make myself and not having to buying them from homedepot all the time. Thanks

[imafan26]

One part peat moss
One part compost
Two parts perlite
About a tablespoon of dolomite lime
1/4 cup osmocote slow release fertilizer for each 5 gallons of mix.

Cactus need a well drained mix. I like half my mix to be drainage. Perlite or black cinder are the easiest for me to get. Coarse sand would also work but it holds more water and is heavier than perlite. I don't use vermiculite because it holds more water than perlite. I prefer to use vermicompost, instead of bagged compost. Compost holds water but is more likely to be slightly alkaline. Peat moss is acidic the dolomite lime helps with that.
I aslo will plant cactus in pure crushed cinders and just add fertilizer. I prefer to use pots that breathe and have large holes so I prefer to use terrra cotta and cement. Cement pots leach calcium so it is good if you want an alkaline mix. Cement pots are heavy though. I sometimes have to shave the holes so they are larger.

[AngelMango]

Thanks for the reply

[Gary350]

I had a very large cactus garden when I lived in AZ with many different cactus. I moved to TN soil needs to be well drained 50% sand mixed with your yard soil. You need to learn growing conditions of each cactus. Cactus native to high elevation can tolerate more water than cactus native to low elevation desert. Cactus can survive the worse growing conditions you can think of, ice, snow, blizzard, wind, sun, and no water for 6 months. Desert cactus can not survive too much water 1 table spoon per week is enough.