Pictures from 1/4" sifted composts used through to mixed to moistened for use
I’ve spent the last 10+ years mixing organic super soils for cannabis, obsessing over microbial life and cation exchange capacity. But I'm shifting gears to indoor Aroids (Monstera) and realizing the game is completely different.
In the cannabis world, we want a sponge that holds life. For these Aroids, it seems like they want to breathe more than they want to eat. So, I threw out my old "heavy" recipes and engineered what I’m callin "Bring on the Chuuunk"
by MidniteGardner
3 Comments
Does this logic track for indoor Monsteras, syngonium, rubber figs, pothos, etc.? Or did I go too aggressive on the drainage?
I aimed for aggressive drainage with a “Synganic” (Synthetic + Organic) feeding strategy.
~76% Aeration / 24% Water Holding
Base: 50+ Quarts of partially composted black wood chips and my home sifted compost (Locally sourced Kodiak Tree Mix is what I call it.. figure it’s way better than bagged orchid bark).
Aeration: 1/4″ Sifted Chunky Perlite
Fines: Coco Coir + Kodiak/Home Aged Compost (Just enough to coat the chips for the microbes to live on).
I actually messed up the ratio initially and made it too heavy (doubled the fines). I had to perform emergency surgery and dump in another 32 quarts of wood chips to get the air porosity back to where I wanted it. Now it drains instantly but stays “chocolate cake” damp.
Planned Nutes
GH Armor Si + GH CaliMagic + DynaGro Foliage Pro + That Yucca Stuff + Recharge
I wouldn’t use this personally, I avoid mulch in my mixes.
Bark is great! I look for 1/2” chunks of actual bark.
I’d use that mix for larger-rooted monsteras (deliciousa, pinnatipartita, peru, etc.), mature epipremnums, and big rhaphidophoras (descursiva, tetrasperma). In fact, the mix I make myself has a similar texture. I’d wager some anthuriums would also like this sort of very open mix.
The thing with aroids is that they are so diverse, so there’s never going to be a perfect “one size fits all” substrate, but that looks really good for stuff that loves it on the chunky side.
This would probably also be a good mix for many terrestrial orchids, like cymbidium and zygopetallum.