Nice to meet you all from Indonesia (and an overview on my plant journey)

[Wiandry Adi]

Introduction

Greetings, members of the CactiGuide forum! I'd like to thank the CactiGuide forum team and admins for allowing me to have an account on this very forum.

You can call me Adi (Mas Adi, not Mr. Adi; or just Mas, if you don't feel like referring my name), and I currently live in Jakarta, Indonesia. I've been collecting plants since 2006, the time I was in elementary school years. However, there were many times I neglected my passion for plants in which I almost forgot to come back, though I still felt great admiration for plants. In 2019, I decided to go all out undertaking this hobby after I finally entered my last years in college. During those 3 years, during 'that unfortunate stay-in-home fiasco', I dived deep into the worlds of plants and I collected as many (affordable) plants as possible: aroids to prayer plants, as well succulents and caudiciforms.

However, after I graduated in late 2022 and eventually got a job, things seemed back to square one. I had difficulty managing time for my plants and my career + my travel plans. That's where the inspiration kicked in: succulents do the job great. They don't have to be tended often and can live in my area, which is often gets lots of heat unusual for tropical region.

What do I collect?

For years I have done lots of trials and errors and I have concluded that I fit better with select kinds of plants, in which I dubbed them 'SANAK'.

Sansevieria, Aloe, Noorses and nabooms (cacti-like Euphorbia), Adenium, and Cactus (the K is from the Indonesian word 'kaktus', self-explanatory).

These are the plants that have doing great (some are thriving) under my care and some can tolerate my mistakes of giving wrong potting mixes, wrong fertilizers, and getting toppled by critters lurking in the night. I also collect agaves, air plants, pachypodiums, and other euphorbias that are not noorses nor nabooms (such as E. milii, E. vigueiri, and E. neurobella), which aren't as glorious due to often becoming targets to pests like mealybugs or spider mites or surprisingly hard to take care of (I've lost several pacypodiums and euphorbias which I assumed were easy plants, my bad).

How about cacti? Well, I've recently got my first Ariocarpus, which has been into my wishlist in 2020, and finally I got them! In general, I adore glaucous, or blue cacti, such as Myrtillocactus, Lophophora, Astrophytum, and Pachycereus (also there are Melocactus azureus and Ferocactus glauescens which is still on my wishlist).

I was planning to build a proper house with a professional-quality greenhouse since my current home doesn't support most of them, esp. from cats and rats or strong wind, so that I needn't deal with these intrusions.

Why do I collect?

Back in the Victorian era in European countries (or the US), lots of people collected the most unique and exotic of plants, admiring their bizarre biology and aesthetics, and growing them out of their native habitat. I'd say my motivation to collect plants is similar to those people, and I have a rather silly goal to open a botanical garden that stands as majestic as Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew or Gardens By The Bay.

Of course it'd be otherwise too big of a goal but I do have other driving force: appreciation for plants. Plants are somewhat unique beings, something that kind of challenge me about the idea of 'living' and it fascinated me. I do understand why some of us going as far as reaching the unforgiving regions of Atacama Desert to the perilous terrains of southern Africa's Succulent Karoo to see and admire these 'things' we only often associate as 'mere trees and vegetables'.

Where do I collect?

Living in a tropical area have its pros and cons; yes, almost all plants can grow here (except sakura, Prunus serrulata, which needs winter) but so is almost all kinds of pests and diseases. My area gets lots of rain from August/September to February/March (it's comparable to northern South American rainforest, although after looking several sources, my area's climate is similar to Bahia in Brazil or parts of Oaxaca in Mexico), and it's during the raining season I have to stay vigilant for overwatering risks.

When it doesn't rain, as in March/April to August/September, it's hot but not so scorching. It can reach to 32°C (Indonesia doesn't use Fahrenheit) but records of 34°C have been observed. It's also windy during the dry season, which is the culprit of some of my collection got toppled over (besides cats and rats). Humidity is often recorded as 60 to 80%, although in the part of the house where I keep my xeric plants, humidity doesn't feel that much, I think it could be 50% or less (since it has tile flooring and only get shaded in the evening so water doesn't get to stay long)

How do I collect?

'Soil' mix: My mix is inspired by bonsai mixes which often found in the US, and it consists of lava rock/scoria, pumice, zeolite, bamboo humus, and pine bark (or kanuma if it's available). Sometimes I add silica gravels but not too much and if it's available.

Light: direct sunlight from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. and shade from 1 p.m. to the rest of the day (although it depends on the month, sometimes it can get sunlight until 2 p.m.).

Watering: Rainwater is always my go-to, although in dry season, it's hard to come by. In that case, tap water treated with anti-chlorine and pH-down substrate will do the work just fine, although I really, really prefer rainwater. Water collected from air conditioner condensation is also often used, but after reading some sources, I add a minuscule amount of fertilizer to the water just to be safe.

Fertilizing: I have been reading some of the forums here, even before I make this account (I made this account to ask several questions Google search won't otherwise give) and some of the active members here recommend NPK fertilizer with the 1-0.4-1.5 ratio or 3-1-2 diluted less than recommended strength + Cal-Mag fertilizer with 4:1 ratio. Prior to this, I err on the side for more potassium and phosphorus than nitrogen to prevent thin, lanky growth, but now I see that some of the ratio discussed in this very forum did the job done to some of my plants. I hope it is what I was looking for. Also, I applied my fertilizer in two table spoons into 100 liters of water, after I realized I've been overfertilized my plants recently (more on that later).

What's my verdict?

Well, it's not easy to take care of plants, esp. those not native to your region, but I understand that that's what makes it worth it; to see them grow, flower, and give offsets, I always feel grateful for being able to undertake this hobby again after all these years. I did this to myself, not because I want to impress certain people; I enjoy it, and it made me forget about the chaos I've been through. It helped me to feel alive. Although I wonder, do our plants love us back?

With all these typed, I'm looking forward for more knowledge, wisdom, and more inkling in regards of caring and species I can collect. Thank you for reading.

P.S. after I mastered the image requirements for this forum's threads, I'll post some of my garden's highlights. Also many, many thanks to members whom introduced me to the world of proper fertilizing and I may ask some of you about fertilizing in another thread. Since I've yet to know some of you personally, I can't mention the names. Also, I may not be able to reply often due to our time zone differences and my business as well, but I'll do my best to reach out whenever I'm available.

[ohugal]

Welcome to the forum and thank you for taking the time to write such a lengthy introduction!
I see you already dived into the cultivation section of the forum regarding fertilizer. I was part of that conversation and learned a lot from it.
I look forward to seeiing photo's of your collection.

[Steve Johnson]

Hello and welcome to the forum, Adi!

One of the blessings we have here is the ability to communicate with cactus and succulent growers all over the world. Your introduction was wonderful, and I encourage you to keep up on your blog with new posts as we join you on your journey. And we'll certainly look forward to seeing photos! Just one thing I'd like to mention -- some new members get discouraged when they start a blog and don't get much in the way of responses. Take a look at the number of new pages views whenever you post, and you'll find out that you do have people following your work over time. I'll start the ball rolling with this response...

'Soil' mix: My mix is inspired by bonsai mixes which often found in the US, and it consists of lava rock/scoria, pumice, zeolite, bamboo humus, and pine bark (or kanuma if it's available). Sometimes I add silica gravels but not too much and if it's available.

You're actually using a soilless mix -- good for you! I grew up with "old school" soil-based mixes, and when I started a new collection in 2011, I didn't know any better. Then when I got active on the forum in 2012, a member who owns a cactus nursery in SoCal recommended moving to a pure mineral mix of pumice and granite gravel. Best thing I could've done, so IMO soilless mixes are the only way to go. Some growers tend to "over-engineer" their potting media -- 2 or 3 ingredients should suffice. That being the case, I'll recommend simplifying with pumice and 1 organic ingredient. According to an expert grower I know fairly well, tree bark (pine, fir, and redwood) becomes hydrophobic after too many waterings, so my guess is that bamboo humus would be better in a 2-ingredient mix.

Given the high humidity in your climate, you could go with a completely inorganic mix like the pumice-granite gravel mix I use. Why the granite? Straight pumice retains too much water, but when you add a nonporous mineral gravel to the mix, it acts as a "moderator" so the pumice dries out in a timely manner. Doesn't necessarily have to be granite, although I'm not sure if silica gravel is a good idea.

Here are the pros and cons to using a completely inorganic mix:

• Pro -- reduces the possibility of root rot compared to mixes containing organic material.

• Pro -- repotting is required only if and when plants outgrow their current pots and need bigger pots. (A nice problem to have!)

• Con -- succulent root systems won't be supported in a completely inorganic mix, so it's for desert cacti only.

• Con -- some cactus species need soil in the mix. The examples I can think of are Echinopsis (all species and hybrids), Eriosyce senilis, and all Tephrocactus species that are being grown as rooted segments.

• Con -- because a completely inorganic mix has almost no cation exchange capacity (CEC), you'll need to fertilize every time you water.

If you'd rather not go through the bother of fertilizing every single time you water, adding zeolite to the mix will give it some CEC. Any nutrients not taken up by the roots when the mix dries out will be released to the roots in the next watering. The mix I have in mind would be 50% pumice, 30% nonporous gravel, and 20% zeolite.

Speaking of fertilizer...

...and some of the active members here recommend NPK fertilizer with the 1-0.4-1.5 ratio or 3-1-2 diluted less than recommended strength + Cal-Mag fertilizer with 4:1 ratio. Prior to this, I err on the side for more potassium and phosphorus than nitrogen to prevent thin, lanky growth, but now I see that some of the ratio discussed in this very forum did the job done to some of my plants. I hope it is what I was looking for. Also, I applied my fertilizer in two table spoons into 100 liters of water, after I realized I've been overfertilized my plants recently (more on that later).

Hmmm, sounds like you read my "Fertilizers explained" presentation. You're on the right track, although you could bring the P down a bit more to the optimal 0.25-0.35 range (the K side of the ratio at 1.5 is perfect). If you'd like me to help you make the necessary adjustment, post a guaranteed analysis of your fertilizer -- not just N, P, and K, but also Ca, Mg, S, and micronutrients. From there I can give you further instructions.

Watering: Rainwater is always my go-to, although in dry season, it's hard to come by. In that case, tap water treated with anti-chlorine and pH-down substrate will do the work just fine, although I really, really prefer rainwater.

If the pH down involves a phosphorus source (usually phosphoric acid), that'll work against you since P will be above the optimal range. I've been acidifying my tap water with 5% white vinegar for years, and you can do the same. You also have the option of acidifying with citric acid -- more concentrated than vinegar, yet safe for home use. If you don't already have a digital pen-style pH meter to test your water, buy one (they're not expensive). Be sure to get a meter you can calibrate, and meters with 2-point calibrations are the most accurate.

[Wiandry Adi]

Thank you, Mr. Johnson, or pardon me, Steve, for your kind reply! Yes, I did read your thread on fertilizing and Cal-Mag and I have to say huge thank you for that, as fertilizing tips on the Internet don't do much justice to my plants and I (esp. in regards of phosphorus/phosphate which is heavily recommended by my previous sources, in Indonesian or English). Also, if I'm not mistaken, I too followed fertilizer threads posted by Mr. Mike who used the Osmocote slow-release fertilizer.

Yes, as I made this account, I'm on a battle against phosphorus thanks to my previous fertilizer routine, in which I lost some of my prized collections, sadly. Currently, I'm trying to purge the numbers of excess phosphorus that may still be around my plants (I only guess here since I can't find a place to do a soil test, or if I even can do it in the first place) by starting no-phosphorus ferts (NPK 3-0-2, which has been extremely diluted - two tablespoons to 100 liters of water) and considered using phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (which knowing nature of cacti and succulents, shall be diluted and not applied too often), hopefully I can finally get to normal level of phosphorus and start the 1-0.4-1.5 routine (or P less than 0.2). I've got sources regarding phosphorus mobility in soil - thanks to Robert Pavlis - so I decided to be more careful to add phosphorus in soil. Also, regarding acidifying water, thanks for the words! I'll look forward to use citric acid since I'm not really a fan of vinegar's smell (and my pH-down substrate is made from ingredients probably not widely known: leaves of Terminalia catappa).

Though I haven't mentioned that my math skill is rusty so my calculations may be off. But, for the sake of my collections, I'll do my best to work my math out so I can precisely measure my fertilizer's nutrient amount. Knowing I already fell down the rabbit hole of collecting xeric plants, it's only a matter of time I'll master fertilizer calculation like you, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Mike, or Mr. Smith - Jerry Smith (I don't exactly have background in chemistry nor soil science; but I do have experiences and interest in biology). I'll post my fertilizers and my soil mix here if I got time to do so.

Again, thanks again for your kind words and knowledge!

---

Also to Ohugal, thanks for the kind reply! It's been a while I haven't taking any photos of my collection, but since I was asked for, I'll gladly do so! Please kindly wait while I find a time to take photos of my plants as well as my fertilizers and 'soil' mix (also, knowing the forum's maximum image size requirements, I'll need to adjust to make my photos small since I rarely, if not never, edit photos and downscale their size to somewhere around 1024x768).

[Steve Johnson]

Also, if I'm not mistaken, I too followed fertilizer threads posted by Mr. Mike who used the Osmocote slow-release fertilizer.

Yes, and it's unfortunate -- the only slow-release fertilizer properly formulated for cacti and succulents, but we can't get it outside of Australia. With that said, Mike did all of us a tremendous service by giving us the knowledge to supplement fertilizers the right way. By the way -- if you haven't already done so, go to my "Fertilizers explained" presentation and read through the exchange between Mike and SDK1 on page 1. The science they discuss is fascinating, yet very few people even know about it. We certainly do, and it's another blessing thanks to the forum.

Again, thanks again for your kind words and knowledge!

My pleasure, and I'll be happy to help whenever I can!

[zpeckler]

Welcome to the forums, Adi!

[jerrytheplater]

Welcome Adi. Please feel free to call us by our names: Jerry, Steve, Mike. We are not offended by it.

You mentioned Euphorbia. I've been growing a number of Malagasy Euphorbia. E. decaryi, E. tulearensis, E. cylindrifolia, E. ambovombensis... These are all really cool looking plants and are really pretty easy to grow. They do like to be watered and fed during the summer growth. I store them indoors during our winters. Indoors does not go below 63F or 17C.

You have a fellow countryman that grows many cacti and succulents. He's a member of a cacti club. I don't know how close he is to you, but you can check that out. He'd be a great source of culture information for your climate. He does grow in greenhouses though. His YouTube channel is Cactoponi.

This one on Root Trimming Euphorbia is amazing. https://youtu.be/3FhnW4vFaFA?si=vAcBgxTOJuuPvPa4 Some have English subtitles. Some don't. I wish they did. I've commented on a few, Jerrytheplater.

[Wiandry Adi]

You have a fellow countryman that grows many cacti and succulents. He's a member of a cacti club. I don't know how close he is to you, but you can check that out. He'd be a great source of culture information for your climate. He does grow in greenhouses though. His YouTube channel is Cactoponi.

This one on Root Trimming Euphorbia is amazing. https://youtu.be/3FhnW4vFaFA?si=vAcBgxTOJuuPvPa4 Some have English subtitles. Some don't. I wish they did. I've commented on a few, Jerrytheplater.

Thank you for your kind reply, Jerry. It’s surprising you mentioned Cactoponi, as in an unexpected crossover! In terms of closeness, we’re acquaintances, but rather on a familiar term, since I actually purchased some of his collections several times and I joined a cacti club on Facebook in which he also joined.

My purchases from him include Euphorbia seedlings (E. rossii, a lost-ID hybrid, and E. neohumbertii. There was E. pachypodioides, R.I.P., I suspect due to my phosphorus madness back then ), several Lophophora williamsii seedlings which are doing great now while growing so slowly, Aloe humilis, and Myrtillocactus geometrizans default form. His collection is in the city of Blora, Central Java, which is hundreds of kilometers away from my home.

It’s fun knowing he has international audience too, though I have to point out you live closer to the native habitat of some of his collections than he and I do (esp. Agave titanota and North American cacti), which I interpret as better access to resources required for their care. I’ll keep in touch with Cactoponi on this occasion! (He said thank you and warm regards for sharing this thread to him)

Also, if you’re interested with other related growers, I recommend Joy's Garden, https://www.instagram.com/joys_garden/ based in Surakarta, Central Java (his collections are also as fancy and I have purchased some cacti from him).

Also also, I recommend onlyplants, https://www.youtube.com/@onlyplants/ (hosted by Sean Williams), which is fluent in English and has bridged Indonesian (local) growers to worldwide audiences.

I'll post about my fertilizer and soil mix recipe on the weekend as I need to prepare the photos and figuring out how to upload them first. I have a lot to ask.

[jerrytheplater]

Wow! Pretty cool you are acquainted with Cactoponi!! Well, maybe one of these days you'll be able to make the trip to see his collection. It would kind of be like me making a trip to the desert southwest.

[Wiandry Adi]

I've composed my fertilizer recipe and soil mixes. Let's start with the fertilizers:

The first one is inspired by 3-1-2 ratio, which its ingredients can be seen in this image:

The second one is phosphorus-free ratio, 3-0-2:

The third one, inspired by 1-0.4-1.5 ratio:

All these fertilizers are applied every watering (once in 7-10 days) when I watered my collection with treated tap water (I don't add fertilizers when I use rainwater), applied by two teaspoons per 100 liters of water. I also use 35% hydrogen peroxide, also two teaspoons per 100 liters.

Next is slow release fertilizers, applied when I'm mixing the potting mix and on top of the already-established plants' mixes. Here are the ratios:

I found out Mike's Osmocote slow-release is sold in Singapore, which may be able to be exported to Indonesia (Australia, not so much). I'd consider buying it in the future.
Next is Cal-Mag, which is this one, a powder fert:

Though I found a UK-imported Cal-Mag being sold here, should I buy it? It's quite pricey so I may consider keep using Vitala unless there are another considerations.

The final one is this micronutrient fert (as a complementary for the absent micronutrients in my 3-0-2 mix):


Now, we're into mixes:

This is my 'alkaline mix', 100% minerals (scoria, pumice, zeolite, kanuma, and silica by 1:1:1:1:1) plus dolomite and gypsum powders:

This mix is applied to Astrophytum, Lophophora, Ariocarpus, and other collection native to North America and Mexico.

And this is my 'acidic mix' (scoria, pumice, zeolite, and kanuma by 1:1:1:2) with added pine bark, bamboo humus, and additional organic content (coco peat or leaf/twig litters), though in select species, I add more of these additional contents. Also plus only gypsum powder:

This mix is applied to Gymnocalycium, columnar cacti, and non-cacti collections.

Here's the granule size of both mixes:


All the materials for my mixes are sifted, though I may consider washing them first.

Is there anything I missed or should add? Any suggestions?

[Steve Johnson]

I found out Mike's Osmocote slow-release is sold in Singapore, which may be able to be exported to Indonesia (Australia, not so much). I'd consider buying it in the future.

Regarding fertilizers, keep it simple -- your cacti don't need 7 different ferts. If you can get the Osmocote slow-release from Singapore, it'll make your life a lot easier. If you can't, let's go through the fertilizers you listed:

01_4350617ef0e23647f194e1617e18ff35.jpg (52.54 KiB) Viewed 358915 times

Multiara GROWER looks pretty good, and we'll break it down mathwise:

• 9% P2O5 x 0.436 = 3.924% P

• 20% K2O x 0.83 = 16.6% K

The P and K sides of the ratio are:

• 3.924% K/15% N = .26 P

• 16.6% K/15% N = 1.11 K

On the lower end of the optimal P and K ranges, but IMO that's acceptable. Grow More 32-10-10 -- no, that's a horrible NPK balance.

02_fb16588cf8a4af1a4d4e4987e9a24a88.jpg (51.98 KiB) Viewed 358915 times

This appears to be the same product in 2 different forms. Either form is fine as long as it can be diluted in water, although my preference is always for liquid concentrates. If the 2nd form is a slow-release fert, you'd be better off with the Osmocote.

03_fdcb1b6ec8870f8eaff416eb6a13caea.jpg (49.71 KiB) Viewed 358915 times

No -- it adds way too much nitrogen to what your cacti are already getting from the Multiara and Grow More.

04_af0add915debc6533d7a911d81485661.jpg (76.11 KiB) Viewed 358915 times

No -- once again, you'd be better off with the Osmocote.

Neither one of the Cal-Mag ferts you have on the list is worth using. Look for a nitrogen-free Cal-Mag with a Ca-Mg ratio of 3 or 4 to 1. Regarding your micronutrient fert -- I can't see the guaranteed analysis on the label you posted, so please give me the breakdown by element and ppm.

My big concern is that you've been overfeeding your cacti. Unless and until you can start using the Osmocote slow-release, I 'd like you to flush all of your pots with pure water (that means distilled water or rainwater) and nothing more. The process:

• Water until it comes out of the drain hole like a faucet.

• Wait for an hour, and flush again.

• Wait for an hour, then flush 1 more time.

This will flush out any fertilizer salts that may have (and probably did) build up in the pot. Unfortunately you committed to the Russell Cote, so you'll need to wait until it's used up before you start your cacti on a "liquid diet".

Once the roots of your cacti have a clean slate (so to speak), proper dosage of nutrients in your watering solution is very important. Assuming that you'll go with Multiara GROWER liquid concentrate, the dilution is 0.5 mL per L of water. That'll give your cacti 75 ppm N with each feeding, and the right amounts of P and K will fall into place. Cacti don't need much to live well on -- the last thing you'll want is a bunch of overfed cacti, so what I have in mind for you here should keep them happy, healthy, and growing in the long run. By the way, when you water with rainwater, you'll still need to fertilize.

[Wiandry Adi]

Thank you for your kind advice and the calculations, Steve. I really appreciate it.

I’d like to give some clarity in regards of the ferts I have listed on my previous post and several follow-up questions:

- The Mutiara GROWER, the KnO3, and KARATE ferts are all produced as granules, which are soluble in water

- About the 3-1-2 ratio, which involves GrowMore 32-10-10, I was expecting that it’d raise the N number so that it’s not lower than the K; though according to what you’ve posted before, I should’ve just discarded the GrowMore

- I apply all of my water-soluble ferts as: one teaspoon per fert, not two teaspoons; so, it come as two teaspoons in total (e.g. one teaspoon MUTIARA Grower, one teaspoon KnO3)

- I’m still not certain on how the Cal-Mag fert I’ve been using is not advised to be used. Are there any concerns behind it? Or is it because of KARATE fert?

- Here is the METALIK micronutrient fert’s value (in hundreds or thousands ppm):

• Mg: 500 ppm

• Fe: 5.751 ppm

• Co: 405 ppm

• Mn: 24.425 ppm

• Zn: 4.573 ppm

• B: 2.152 ppm

• Mo: 1.920 ppm

• Cu: 4.488 ppm

• Ni: 441 ppm

• 4.5% organic acid (the manufacturer doesn’t precisely list what kind)

• 5% protein (not a necessary component but it may be useful for calculations and considerations)

Knowing the ingredients of this fert, I think I should add them once a month or three months, and only half a teaspoon per 100 liters.

- In regards of watering: yes, I’ve been flushing my collections before (about months ago after I realized I add too many phosphorus-rich ferts), but just recently, due to rainwater started to get scarce here, I decided to add ferts as a mean to mimic rainwater which has nutrients, at least in a minute concentration but it’s still there. I read in various sources that tap water or distilled water lack nutrients needed for plants as well as said waters have undesirable effects on plants’ nutrient uptake system, that’s why I fertilize, but in really small quantity

- If fertilizing every watering is not desirable or doable to various reasons, I’ll plan to fertilize them bi-weekly (first watering will be distilled/treated tap water only, second one will be fertilized, and repeat) and stop it altogether when it starts to rain more often (when I can properly collect rainwater again)

- In regards of adding fertilizers to rainwater, what’s the ideal/preferred ratio? And why do you suggest so?

- Knowing it’ll rain more often here, I decided to stop fertilizing to reduce or prevent numbers of unwanted organisms that may flourish with extra humidity and water such as non-beneficial bacteria and fungi, as well as diseases, that’s why I think fertilizing during the dry season is more favorable. Is this OK?

Again, many thanks for your advice and calculations. I’ll try my best to follow, though I may be off-track often since I’m still a beginner on chemistry of fertilizers and soil science. Also, for anyone else who requested my collections' photos, this week I'm into a major garden retouching or 'renovation', so at the moment it looks not really pleasing. I'll keep in touch when I'm finished tidying my garden up.

[Steve Johnson]

Thank you for your kind advice and the calculations, Steve. I really appreciate it.

My pleasure! I'll get back to you and give you some feedback over the next day or so. In the meantime...

I just need to find out about how many liters of water you use per watering session, then I can give you more accurate dilutions. This is important because fertilizers need to be used right away when they're diluted in water. I found that out the hard way about 10 years ago when I let a gallon of water-fertilizer solution sit for a couple of weeks only to discover that algae in the water were having a feast.

[Wiandry Adi]

Thank you for your kind advice and the calculations, Steve. I really appreciate it.

My pleasure! I'll get back to you and give you some feedback over the next day or so. In the meantime...

I just need to find out about how many liters of water you use per watering session, then I can give you more accurate dilutions. This is important because fertilizers need to be used right away when they're diluted in water. I found that out the hard way about 10 years ago when I let a gallon of water-fertilizer solution sit for a couple of weeks only to discover that algae in the water were having a feast.

OK, this is for the upcoming time you'll reply to me: I use 100 liters of water (about 26,4 gallons), that is two 50-liters buckets. Last time I counted, I water about 150-200 liters per watering session (this may give you and anyone else here a clue about the size of my collection).

By the way, with that posted, I wish y'all a nice week and since there's an upcoming plant event in Jakarta (all kinds of plants, but I'll focus on cacti, succulents, and xeric plants), I'll share some of the highlights from that event in another thread. Also posts about my garden and collections after I'm finished polishing them.

[Tom in Tucson]

I've composed my fertilizer recipe and soil mixes. Let's start with the fertilizers:

The first one is inspired by 3-1-2 ratio, which its ingredients can be seen in this image:

The second one is phosphorus-free ratio, 3-0-2:

The third one, inspired by 1-0.4-1.5 ratio:

All these fertilizers are applied every watering (once in 7-10 days) when I watered my collection with treated tap water (I don't add fertilizers when I use rainwater), applied by two teaspoons per 100 liters of water. I also use 35% hydrogen peroxide, also two teaspoons per 100 liters.

Next is slow release fertilizers, applied when I'm mixing the potting mix and on top of the already-established plants' mixes. Here are the ratios:

I found out Mike's Osmocote slow-release is sold in Singapore, which may be able to be exported to Indonesia (Australia, not so much). I'd consider buying it in the future.
Next is Cal-Mag, which is this one, a powder fert:

Though I found a UK-imported Cal-Mag being sold here, should I buy it? It's quite pricey so I may consider keep using Vitala unless there are another considerations.

The final one is this micronutrient fert (as a complementary for the absent micronutrients in my 3-0-2 mix):


Now, we're into mixes:

This is my 'alkaline mix', 100% minerals (scoria, pumice, zeolite, kanuma, and silica by 1:1:1:1:1) plus dolomite and gypsum powders:

This mix is applied to Astrophytum, Lophophora, Ariocarpus, and other collection native to North America and Mexico.

And this is my 'acidic mix' (scoria, pumice, zeolite, and kanuma by 1:1:1:2) with added pine bark, bamboo humus, and additional organic content (coco peat or leaf/twig litters), though in select species, I add more of these additional contents. Also plus only gypsum powder:

This mix is applied to Gymnocalycium, columnar cacti, and non-cacti collections.

Here's the granule size of both mixes:


All the materials for my mixes are sifted, though I may consider washing them first.

Is there anything I missed or should add? Any suggestions?

Great choice of soil ingredients !