Moving Outside

Discuss repotting, soil, lighting, fertilizing, watering, etc. in this category.
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blondeofthedead
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Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:13 pm
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL, USA

Moving Outside

Post by blondeofthedead »

Since it's getting consistently warm outside and I've moved to a place without any convenient windows, I've decided to try incorporating my cacti into the outdoor garden I'm working on. I have a Notocactus magnificus, Opuntia microdasys, Mammillaria gracilis, and an Echeveria Lola that have all been doing well inside (gotten some growth from them all, and even flowers from the mammillaria), and I want to make sure that transplanting them won't compromise their health.

The place I'd like to plant them is on the southwest side of the house and gets some partial shade from around 12-3 thanks to some taller plants. Living on the Florida coast the soil is already pretty sandy, but I was planning on mixing in some more sand and potting soil just to get the consistency I want, then adding a layer of small shells on top for looks and to keep everything from getting too saturated.

Any advice on transplanting and mixing soil would be appreciated! :mrgreen:
- Blondie
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greenknight
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Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Moving Outside

Post by greenknight »

It's a good idea to create a raised bed to insure good drainage. If you don't want to make a big project out of it, even mounding the soil up just a few inches to insure water can't puddle around your cacti when it rains will help.
Spence :mrgreen:
iann
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Re: Moving Outside

Post by iann »

Are you going to leave them out all year round?
--ian
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greenknight
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Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Moving Outside

Post by greenknight »

Anyway, if you amend the soil significantly, you need to be careful not to create an abrupt boundary between layers of soil with very different textures. Water doesn't readily cross such a boundary, so it can impede drainage.

You need to put down a thin layer of your soil amendments and mix it in deeply. Then apply another layer and work it in to a lesser depth, repeat as needed. It sounds like a lot of trouble, but it's what's needed to insure drainage - and trying to incorporate a lot of material in one go doesn't work well, in any case.

When building a raised bed, you can create a transition layer at the soil surface. Put down a layer of the mix you're using for the raised bed and stir that in before you add the rest.
Spence :mrgreen:
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