Plant Substrate Recipes
Recipes and info about substrates for growing various types of plants. More recipes will be added over time.
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Lithophytic
Cliff-dwelling lithophyte mix #1 (Crevice)
- Perlite
- Peat moss
- Seachem flourite
- Fine orchid bark (Pinus radiata)
- Crushed lava rock
- Coarse lime grit – to raise/balance the pH and emulate the limestone cliffs it naturally lives on
- Shredded sphagnum moss – very small quantity
Plants:
Cliff-dwelling lithophyte mix #2 (Xeric)
- Small crushed lava rock
- Pinus Radiata bark
- Perlite
- Pumice
- Fluval stratum
Plants:
- Deuterocohnia spp. (D. brevifolia)
Lithophytic mineral mix #1
- 1 part small lava
- 1 part pumice
- 1 part limestone grit
Plants:
- Mexican Pinguicula spp.
Terrestrial
Light forest mix #1
- 5 parts peat moss
- 3 parts perlite
- 2 parts fine pinus radiata bark
- Topped lightly with sphagnum to keep moisture and humidity up
Plants:
- Corybas spp. (C. sp. Philippines)
Moist Acidic Jungle mix #1
- 5 parts sphagnum moss
- 1 part fine pinus radiata bark
- Light sprinkle of leaf litter
Plants:
- Many tropical plants
Limestone Potting mix #1
- Peat moss
- Perlite
- Charcoal
- Bonsai Block (calcined clay)
- Coarse Limestone grit
Plants:
- Begonia spp. from neutral to alkaline habitats (Limestone-growers)
Swamp / Marsh
Basic swamp mix #1
- 1 part peat moss
- 1 part ripped up beech leaves
Plants:
- Cryptocoryne spp.
Rheophytic
Rheophyte Mineral mix #1
- Fluval Stratum
- Topped with 1/4″ to 1/2″ of small crushed Lava
Plants:
- Bucephalandra spp.
- Dicranopygium spp.
Hard Core Rheophyte mix #1
- Small crushed Lava
Plants:
- Bucephalandra spp.