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soil medium for succulents Molly's Succulent Mix: Gritty Cactus Soil | VeryplantsQuick answer: what is Molly's Succulent Mix? For: succulents, cacti, bonsai, Haworthia, Echeveria, Sedum, Jade, and any arid environment plant. What's in it: high mineral gritty blend of pumice, lava rock, and crushed bark. Low organic matter by design. Why it works: succulent roots are built to drink fast and dry out fast. The gritty structure drains in seconds and holds zero standing water, so roots don't rot. Pre rinsed and pH balanced straight
Quick answer: what is Molly's Succulent Mix?
- For: succulents, cacti, bonsai, Haworthia, Echeveria, Sedum, Jade, and any arid-environment plant.
- What's in it: high-mineral gritty blend of pumice, lava rock, and crushed bark. Low organic matter by design.
- Why it works: succulent roots are built to drink fast and dry out fast. The gritty structure drains in seconds and holds zero standing water, so roots don't rot.
- Pre-rinsed and pH-balanced straight from the bag. No salt flush required.
- Bonsai-safe. The grit profile matches what serious bonsai growers blend by hand from akadama, pumice, and lava.
More plant-specific guidance: Ultimate guide to growing succulents indoors, Potting soil vs potting mix.
Succulents and cacti evolved in arid, mineral-rich environments where water moves through gritty substrate in seconds. Their roots are built to drink fast and dry out fast. Standard potting soil holds moisture for days, suffocates the roots, and rots them from the bottom up. The fix is a high-mineral, low-organic, gritty mix.
Molly's Succulent Mix is engineered to mimic native desert and rocky-slope substrates. A blend of pumice, lava rock, and a small amount of organic matter that drains in seconds and forces the soak-and-dry watering rhythm succulents need.
The gritty-mix philosophy
Most "succulent soil" sold at garden centres is regular potting soil with sand mixed in. That's not what these plants want. The right mix is roughly 70% mineral aggregate (pumice and lava rock) and 30% structural organic (coir, charcoal). Water hits the surface and runs through within seconds. Roots get a brief, intense drink, then dry conditions for the next 1 to 2 weeks. That's how succulents stay alive in pots.
What's in the bag
- Pumice (volcanic, lightweight): the mineral backbone. Holds a tiny amount of water inside its porous structure, but lets the rest drain freely.
- Lava rock (red lava): chunky drainage and heat retention. Roots love the warmth differential it creates.
- Coir fiber (small percentage): just enough organic to retain a little humidity and prevent the mix from drying to a brick. Not enough to compromise drainage.
- Horticultural charcoal: filters salts from tap water (succulents are surprisingly sensitive to mineral buildup).
- Calcitic limestone (trace): buffers pH to the slightly alkaline range (6.5 to 7.5) most desert succulents prefer.
Low peat content, no worm castings (succulents don't want a nutrient flush), no commercial fertilizer. The whole mix is intentionally lean.
Plants this is for
Designed for succulents and cacti:
- Echeveria, Sedum, Crassula (jade), Sempervivum: the classic rosette succulents.
- Haworthia, Gasteria: they prefer slightly more shade but want the same gritty drainage.
- Aloe (vera and others): medicinal succulents, this mix prevents the rot they're prone to in heavier soils.
- Most cacti: Mammillaria, Echinopsis, Opuntia, San Pedro, golden barrel.
- Lithops (living stones): require fast drainage to stay alive year-round; this mix is well-suited.
- Bonsai with high drainage needs: juniper, pine, and certain deciduous bonsai work well.
- Caudex plants: Adenium, Pachypodium, and other swollen-stem species that need fast drainage at the base.
Not for: tropical "succulent-looking" plants like Hoya, Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera), or Easter cactus, which actually prefer humidity-retaining mixes. For those, use Molly's Aroid Mix.
Watering with gritty mix
The right rhythm: soak and dry. Water deeply, then wait until the mix is bone-dry before watering again.
- Wait until the top 2 to 3 inches feel completely dry. For most succulents in standard 4 to 6 inch pots, that's every 10 to 21 days indoors.
- Water until liquid runs clearly out the drainage holes. Don't dribble. Soak.
- Discard any water in the saucer. Do not let the pot sit in standing water.
- Wait. The plant will let you know when it's thirsty (slight wrinkling of leaves, lighter pot weight).
In winter, water roughly half as often. Most succulents go dormant or semi-dormant.
FAQ
Why is this so heavy compared to other succulent soil?
Because it's mostly minerals, not peat or coco coir. The weight is what makes it work. Light bag means light drainage, which is the opposite of what succulents need.
Can I use this for bonsai?
For tropical bonsai, no, they want a moisture-retentive aroid-style mix. For drought-tolerant bonsai (juniper, pine, certain deciduous species), yes, this mix or a 50/50 blend with finer organics works well.
Will the mix break down or stay porous over time?
Stays porous. The mineral components (pumice, lava rock, charcoal) don't decompose. The small organic fraction breaks down slowly. Most succulents in this mix can go 2 to 3 years before repotting.
Should I add fertilizer?
Sparingly. Succulents are slow growers and don't need much. A diluted (~1/4 strength) cactus-specific fertilizer once during the growing season (spring) is plenty for most species.
Packaged in a heat-sealed resealable bag. New formula released April 2026, see the formula release announcement for details on what changed.
Related care guide
Watering, light, and repotting fundamentals for succulents and cacti.
New: the complete soil guide
Not sure if you need cactus soil or succulent soil? They are the same thing. Read: Best Soil for Succulents and Cactus →
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4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 11 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Quality
Size: 60 Count (Pack of 1)
Vitamins are the best vegan option available at this time, which is not made with coconut oil.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Really effective supplement combo I trust
Size: 60 Count (Pack of 1)
I've been very happy with this vitamin D3 and K2. The plant-based D3 and vegan K2 are great for my health. Max absorption with organic olive oil makes a difference. I feel better overall, and my bones and heart seem healthier. The 60 softgels pack is convenient. Overall, a high-quality product I recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Most Illuminating Psych Book I've Read
Format: Hardcover
As a psychiatrist, I have yet to read a more illuminating book on how mental illnesses can develop, and how to help patients' to become free of them.
Existential Psychotherapy presents a theory of the existential forces that drive all human beings--knowledge of death, of our aloneness in the world, and of "meaninglessness" (the utter inconsequence of our one life in the entirety of the universe). It shows how these forces are powerful influences in shaping human mental health and illness.
Other reviewers here point out that the basic existential issues Yalom presents are well-known to academics and to many literate people who are exposed to them in that good, broad, liberal arts education we (still?) get in college. But what Yalom achieves in this book, has not to my knowledge been accomplished before (nor since): a presentation of these ideas to an audience of clinicians in a lucid, beautifully written, way that is salient to the daily practice of psychotherapy.
Yalom is a rare psychiatrist who is not only a master of the art of teaching and practicing psychiatry, but for this book, ventured into philosophy, literature, history, and sociology, and then integrated the wisdom each brings to the study of human nature, into a clear and cohesive whole, a beautifully written theory of the existential dimension of men's fears, drives, and actions, and how this dimension creates mental illness or health, depending on how each person handles it.
What is amazing is how such a book is now buried in the archives of (relative) obscurity, while others, recycling the same old tired ideas, reign on.
So what do these lofty insights in Yalom's book contribute that is unique and powerful to us lowly practitioners toiling daily in our offices in the (seemingly more banal) task of helping patients with daily crises, complaints, resistance to change, and painful repetitions of self-destructive life choices?
One very important tool: a true understanding of the power of existential concerns, not only in creating mental illness and self-destructive life paths, but, by shining a light on them-- capturing that elusive force of change: MOTIVATION. This force, and how to harness it to help patients overcome their suffering, has for me been one of my greatest challenges as a doctor. And one for which most books on psychotherapy have fallen short in helping me tackle.
In the sections "death" and "will", (two of the four main sections in the book), Yalom forges a path that I could follow, to help my patients free themselves of the fears that block motivation for change. In short, Yalom shows how the anxiety about, (and thus avoidance of) awareness of our death and aloneness, can cripple us into denial, and resistance to changing those of our behaviors that shield us from these truths. But, these very fears, when faced and reframed--as the awareness of one's finite limits, and of the freedom that comes along with one's aloneness, become extremely potent engines for change. Other peoples' judgements, and fear of failure, lead us to believe that the human "judges" are the most important threat in our lives. But in Yalom's world, these feared judgements pale in comparison to the the consequences of inaction. When we live with acute awareness that we waste our only life when we are beholden to judges who are after all, mortal and alone just like us, this can shake us up to MOVE and LIVE, in this finite life, in a way other insights cannot.
This example of how avoidance of existential fears leads to anxiety, low self-worth, and depression, is but one vignette in this book. Yalom applies his theory to the gamut of mental illness, and includes discussion of how narcissism, perversions, obssessions, masochism, sadism, ...the list goes on, are fueled by existential concerns. Yalom argues that they all boil down to one of two main strategies we humans employ to "forget" Death, Aloneness, and Meaninglessness: Either we escape too much into the protective cover of the GROUP, and become mindless group robots who drone through life until illness, or loss forces us to suddenly face our mortality, at which point many of us panic, or become depressed, OR, we get sucked into this defiant delusion : "I am SPECIAL"...smarter, more rebellious, unfettered by the social conventions of meek men, thus free of death's jaws". This reaction then can lead to reckless, impulsive, pseudo "powerful" behaviors that are often the fuel of many "acting out" mental problems: addiction, sociopathy, sadism, and narcissism.
Enough of my words-read and feel the power of Yalom's words in this great book.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2006
★★★★★ 5
A Great Work on the Dynamics of the Human Condition
Format: Hardcover
Irvin Yalom, Professor Emeritus at Standford in psychiatry, has written a masterful book on the human condition (published in 1980).
"Existential Psychotherapy" is singularly one of the best books I have ever read. Why? Yalom has combined 1) his intellectual insights in psychology with 2) his practical observations in therapy with 3) existential thought. He seeks to show that much of the anxiety we face as human beings, and seek comfort for in psychotherapy (or religion), originates from the existential facts of being a mortal, free being. He focuses on four main areas:
death (our inner structure will go to nothing),
freedom (we are forced to make momentous decisions without full information),
isolation (we are alone in many fundamental ways) and
meaninglessness (we don't have a clear picture of what it really means).
From literature, psychology, philosophy and some theology (Tillich), Yalom has created a definitive text on what it means to open our eyes fully to our existential situation. It is not a depressive text, as the goal is to come to terms with our condition. And ironically, facing the truth of death, for example, makes life richer. This is much more than a self-help book, it is a philosophical-psychological masterpiece.
I have a Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion and have published several articles in leading journals and don't give out the kind of praise I am giving here easily. It is one of the best books I have ever read, and I think a wide range of people would profit from it. Yet it's a difficult book, not an easy self-help read. But Yalom is such a clear writer that most readers could follow it. When he uses technical psychological or philosophical terms, he usually explains them. Otherwise, the dictionary must be used.
This text would be helpful for people in the helping professions in giving an existential aspect to their work. Religious thinkers and those interested in philosophy should pick it up at any cost. Any educated person could profit from it greatly. It's a long text, and I had to break it up by carefully reading some from each of the main four parts simultaneously to get a view of the whole. It's a bit dry at times, but thoughtful, perceptive, educational in many fields, --it's ....wisdom literature....I can't think of a higher compliment.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2013
★★★★★ 5
The best of its kind.
As a clinical psychologist who has been practicing, doing research on, and teaching assessment and therapy for more than 25 years I have encountered many books and many more articles and research papers on psychotherapy. While some have real value, most do little more than take up space and help the people who wrote them advance their careers. All too rarely one comes across a book that changes one's way of looking at things and helps one to approach this field in a new and qualitatively better fashion. Yalom's book on Existential Psychotherapy is one such book. I first read this when I was in graduate school in the early 1980's and just learning about psychotherapy, and about life. This book opened my eyes and gave me an over-arching way of thinking about myself, my patients, and the things that I was doing. Unlike most texts on therapy, it was not limited to the parochial "theoretical orientations" and mechanistic models of therapy technique that I was learning then and have seen proliferate ever since. Since this time I have re-read this book many times, and each time I have gotten more from it.
Yalom tries to go through the collected wisdom of mankind, not just in the narrow world of scientific psychology, but in philosophy, art, and religion, to explain how everyone must face certain existential realities such a mortality, temporality, resonsibility and isolation, and how the struggle to face these basic issues underlies many of the symptoms and complaints that lead people to seek the help of mental health professionals. Unfortunately, as Yalom points out, all too often we fail to see these as such, and offer help in the form of superficial, pseudoscientific psychologizing, technical trivialities and medications that often do more harm than good. While, used humbly and wisely, these things are not without value, their value is often fatally limited by their failure to see the larger context of life and its challenges. Once having read and really thought about Yalom's book, that becomes much harder to do; and thereby inevitably enriches one's practice and one's life.
Regardless what kinds of therapies and what kinds of patients one works with - or even if one's practice is limited primarily to assessment or research - this book provides a philosophical and conceptual bedrock that can inform and enrich what one does. I am so happy to see that this book is still in print, and I would encourage anyone who plans to make a living trying to be seriously involved in other people's lives to avail themselves of this book. It is a treasure and a masterpiece. I intend to us it in my classes this year and for as long as it remains in print.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2013
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