I just repotted my AV's in a mix suggested in the AFSA magazine. When finished I realized I had used fine vermiculite instead of course. Can anyone tell me how big of a mistake I made. I am wicking my plants.
Potting Soil
My mix is about half perlite, which I think holds less water than vermiculite. It doesn't seem to me like there would be that much difference in drainage properties between fine & coarse vermiculite, but just keep an eye on them to be sure they don't seem soggy. AVs with wet feet will act just like ones that need water, and they'll start to look droopy... It may also help to let your water reservoir go dry for a few days every so often.
Hey! Thanks for responding. The formula I used was 1.1.1 + potting soil, perlite, vermiculite + charcoal. It's been two days now and everything looks OK. I'm fairly new to the AV scene but I love them. The top soil doen't feel to wet. What else should I look for beside droopy leaves?
Sounds like they're doing fine! I've never used the charcoal, but probably should, especially in the self watering pots. Thanks for the "recipe." :-)
My pleasure!
Charcoal is 2 cups. The others are 8 dry quarts each.
fine vermiculite woud just make it a denser mix. I think you'll be fine because you also have the charcoal to help with drainage and aeration.
Thanks for bring up this subject ,and sharing info.
Patti