How to Mix Gardening Cacti Soil

Cacti aren't your ordinary potted plants. They can make an eye-catching, conversation-starting addition to your potted garden, thanks to their odd shapes, prickly appearance and brightly colored blossoms. Unlike traditional potted plants, cacti need a well-drained, coarse growing substrate that simulates the dry, porous soil in which they grow in the wild. If you don't want to buy commercially prepared cacti soil from a nursery or garden store, you can mix your own cacti soil at home.

Potting soil or garden soil
Oven and baking pan (optional)
Bucket
Coarse sand
Spoon
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Determine how much cacti potting soil you need by checking the pot in which your cactus will be growing. Its capacity is often printed on its label or stamped on the bottom of the pot. Common sizes include 1 quart, 1/2 gallon and gallon-sized pots. For the sake of this example, we'll pretend your pot holds a gallon.
- 2
  Divide the capacity of the pot by two. In this example, that would be 1/2 gallon. Pour a measurement of potting soil equal to this amount into a bucket. If you don't have potting soil on hand, you can substitute outdoor garden soil, although this is inferior. If you're using outdoor soil, sterilize it first by layering an inch or two of it in a baking pan and cooking it at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
- 3
  Add an equal part of coarse sand -- in this case, 1/2 gallon of sand.
- 4
  Stir the potting soil and sand with a spoon or similar instrument until the two ingredients are well mixed.
- 5
  Test the resulting cacti mix to make sure it's suitable for your cactus. Sprinkle water on the mixture until it's evenly moist. Grab a handful of the mixture and squeeze it, then open your hands. The potting mix should fall apart. If it retains a clumpy form, add more coarse sand until it falls apart when moistened and squeezed.

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