More Or Less Pumice For Succulents? – A Guide For Planting Succulents With Pumice

If you tend to overwater your succulents, consider planting them in a soil mix with a high ratio of pumice. You can also plant your succulents in 100% pumice if you live in a humid environment or want to grow your succulents indoors. Because pumice doesn’t hold water, you will need to water your succulents daily, or the best is to let your succulent rest on pumice after a full succulent water therapy. Failure to water your succulents daily will lead to dehydration. To save your succulents, they will need to undergo water therapy.

Should I Plant Succulent On 100% Pumice?

Since pumice does not retain enough water, the water your succulents absorb will be minimal. For this reason, your succulents will hardly develop strong roots if you use pure pumice in planting.

Richard from Succulent City

Succulents planted in pure pumice will survive but not bloom as you want. That said, pumice is better than perlite if you live in a stormy environment, as it does not wash away quickly.

Instead of a 100% pumice planting pot, pumice works best as a part of a succulent soil mix or is used as one of the top dressings for succulents. As a part of a succulent soil mix, pumice helps drain the water faster and, therefore, reduces the risk of root rot. And as a top dressing component, pumice makes the pot look neat and clean. You can always replace pumice with other top dressings like pebbles, gravels or rocks.

What Ratio Should I Use Pumice In A Succulent Soil Combination?

You can enhance the soil’s drainage capacity using a mixture of 25% pumice, 25% garden soil, 25% sharp sand, and 25% compost.

Most succulents’ best soil mixture ratio is half-part bagged potting soil and half-part pumice. Regarding plump succulents such as Pachyphytums and Euphorbias, the best mixture is one part bagged potting soil and two parts pumice.

For succulents with thin leaves, such as dainty sedums, one part pumice and two parts bagged potting soil is the best combination.

Plant cacti and other plants that retain moisture, like fat euphorbias (like Euphorbia obesa or Euphorbia mammillaris) in berms with a 50% mix of pumice.

If your succulents are affected by soggy soil, you can add pumice to the soil. To do this, use any sharp object to form a circle around the succulent and make vertical tunnels 4 to 5 inches deep. About 12 to 15 inches apart, these tunnels will serve as air holes. After creating the tunnels, you can add pumice to the soil without possibly damaging the roots during the process. This way is a helpful aid for treating nearly overwatered or overwatered succulents.

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Where To Buy Pumice For Succulents?

Well, pumice is not gold, so you can find it available everywhere and affordable. Remember to choose medium-size pumice (1/4 to 3/8 inch or 6 to 9 mm diameter) to work with various succulents. Try this Amazon product as nowadays, everyone has access to the Internet, and you can easily order some pumice and get it shipped to your front doors in a few clicks:

Last update on 2023-12-03 / Amazon

Or you can pick it up locally, anywhere you can find the product.

Final Words

Pumice is a fantastic natural material that knowing how to use it properly can be a real game-changer for your succulent garden. It helps prevent problems like overwatering and root rot by improving the soil’s ability to drain and provide air to the roots. The post also mentions different ratios of pumice to use in soil that better suits different succulents. I hope you will find that helpful!

If you have any questions or comments, just let me know in the comment section below!