I have another blog post with a Hoya soil mix (click here) that I have been using for the last year or so. When I changed my tent set up to be enclosed, I noticed it was a little too moist for my updated set up. I am currently testing out a new recipe from a very sweet Hoya friend Sara (twin_sprouts). The new mix is chunkier and airy. I am hoping it works well for me. If it doesn't, I have already repotted all of my collection YOLO. The recipe consists of horticultural charcoal, coco coir croutons, coco coir, perlite, worm castings. I decided to substitute pumice for perlite as a personal preference. I was also told to only add the worm castings when you are ready to pot. Additionally, I have started using Osmocote (14-14-14) so I added that into the mix as well. Small Batch Recipe: 1 cup coco coir croutons 1/4 cup charcoal 1/4 cup coco coir 1/4 cup worm castings 1/4 cup pumice I got my charcoal and pumice from Bonsai Jack and the rest from Amazon. I did notice that Amazon definitely did not have the cheapest price for the coco coir croutons. Once I've been using it for a while, I will do an update on how my Hoyas are like it! P.S. My tents smell like a BBQ because of the charcoal. 10/26/21 UPDATE It has been exactly a month since I switched all my Hoyas over to this mix and it was a learning experience. I definitely do not recommend switching ALL your plants over to a mix you haven't tested in your environment but c'est la vie. My personal environment: -location Southwestern Pennsylvania -Hoyas live in basic greenhouse (average humidity 80-90%, average temperature 70-80%) After I repotted my Hoyas, the majority of the collection got root rot pretty quickly. I had only watered them once, which was right after I had moved them to the new mix. This new mix definitely does not need watered often as it tends to hold onto moisture. Since it is a chunkier mix, I was expecting it to dry out faster. I ended up chopping up all my Hoyas and completely re-rooting everything in pon. If you want to try making your own pon and need a recipe with links click here. The one thing I do like this mix for is freshly rooted cuttings. I had cuttings that were rooted in LECA. I moved them to this mix and they are loving it unlike my established Hoyas. I notice the roots seem to grow thicker and it is nice knowing that I can go 10+ days without needing to water. Basially, the morale of the story is always test out new mixes before you go gung ho.
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