WHAT is the BEST SOIL for DRAGON FRUIT? / STEP by STEP on how to make GREAT POTTING SOIL & FERTILIZE

[@danielchilds1067]

Would like you to show us how you repot a mature plant in one of those big pots! I need to repot all of mine this spring.

[@tylerrobinson4598]

I second this. Please???

[@mirtugs]

He said how he does it around 4.05 minutes into the video. He leaves the plant in and takes the soil out, then he put new soil in.

[@robkeller3431]

I started my growing DF this year. I went with Garys best top pot for the medium. It's about a 45 min drive to get to LHN. A couple days ago, I made a soil run but ended up short. So instead of driving to get more soil, I added 50lbs of washed sand and perlite to the bottom of the 15gl container. Ended up with 70% sand/perlite and 30% Garys best on top. I added organic fertilizer to the layered mix and called it good. Sand was the original potting soil per Gary it's just heavy, but I'm not going to have to worry about them tipping 😉

[@Amydisla7783]

Thank you for this post! I’m in south Florida and just got into dragon fruit and I’m obsessed 😍 but I’ve noticed the dragon fruits are growing the fungus. I received my clippings from a farm that already had the fungus and I’m trying to treat and eliminate the diseased pieces. I’m getting some great results with just the fungicide BUT I knew the soil is def a factor. Thank you for this information 😍 I’ll be working on my pot mix now 🤩

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks for watching

[@anthonychanchavac]

The video we all really needed! 🔥🔥🔥🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Excellent, thanks for watching!

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Ratios: 30% Peat Moss 30% Pumice 20% Perlite 10% Sand 5% Bio Char 5% Chunky Coconut Coir Coconut Coir on Amazon amzn.to/3zJFBrr Dr. Earth Flower Girl Bud and Bloom amzn.to/3MXYABB Clear Garden Tape amzn.to/39vweB9

[@DG-cp3wt]

Enjoying the videos keep them coming. Any chance you can do a video on repotting an established plant such as yours without causing damage to the top part such as the stems? I would imagine that is a pretty difficult process without breaking any stems or new growth. Thank you!

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Hi! I’m pretty rough when I repot them, this is what I do…. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jF6vnqmYgKd3i9E I also just pull out all the potting soil and try to keep the roots intact if I keep it in the same pot. Some people use a shop vacuum to repot their existing pots.

[@howtogrowdragonfruitplant7849]

You could also put a lot of wormcastings and chicken manure, coffee grounds, fish fertilizer, etc on top. And rain it in with water.

[@Honestandtruth007]

​@@RAREDRAGONFRUIT What Country is this you are...❓❓ Looks like Hot weather

[@neridaneuman9534]

Love Dragon Fruit . Thank you for tips .

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thank you for watching

[@billsbackyard6545]

i have done the same i talk with Gary and started changing all my potted plants to his top pot but i am in menifee it’s quite the drive so i have done the same making my own with peat moss,sand, pumice,rice halls that work really good than top dress with chicken manure compost mix with worm castings and rock dust

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Sounds like you are doing it right

[@penelopetech]

Thank you for showing all this. So excited to start on my dragonfruit soil. :)

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

So nice of you. Thanks for watching. Out plants are much happier in this mix.

[@aquapros916]

Worm castings & a good tea will help prevent fungal pathogens.... fox farm (amongst many others) uses perlite... perlite over time works its way to the surface.... in turn, allowing the soil to compress & lose oxygen...... this can be mitigated by subbing perlite with something like pumice or lava rock....

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

I've used both and it does help. I read people stating that pumice floats to the top, but I disagree. I put a layer of perlite at the bottom of the pots and drill extra holes for drainage and to increase oxygen. The roots prefer to grow in the pumice layer at the bottom and hold the pumice down in my experiences.

[@lauranilsen8988]

I wonder if vermiculite is any better?

[@aquapros916]

@@lauranilsen8988 vermiculite helps fluff it up a bit and does aid in drainage... I would personally substitute perlite with pumice and maybe a bit of lava rock... Although lava rock is pretty heavy. I personally use a mix of pumice,lava,sand and rice hulls, a 4 way blend of that for drainage, and then that drainage becomes 1 of 3 parts in my soil mix, the other 2 being compost/castings and peat moss.

[@lauranilsen8988]

@@aquapros916 oh ok. I use the square foot gardening method and the soil that (author) Mel recommends for my beds and some of my fruit tree pots. It’s 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost (mixture of dif types) and 1/3 vermiculite. It has worked well but I know very little about dragon fruit. Thanks for the info!

[@cburgdorf1985]

Hi Paul, Thank you for all the helpful information. I have a question about the size of the pumice that you use, there are several different sizes and wondered what size you recommend. Thank you for all you do!

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks for the support, I'd prefer the bigger, the better for pumice and perlite #4

[@rickcuster8983]

I used Foxfarm in my pot. Would love to see a video on how to replace the soil. Feels daunting. I have no idea how to go about doing it without hurting the plant.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Great suggestion! It's not so bad, it just takes time, effort and $.

[@TheBrewingMiner]

I seem to have undercut the amount of peat to mix in, but my Asunta 3 is enjoying life anyways. It’s already grown a couple inches in the past few days with this guideline! I noticed the same pattern with the coco coir. In my experience it doesn’t break down too quickly either.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks for sharing, great to hear you like it too.

[@1913smk]

Good shit Paul… love your videos

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thank you

[@technoraptor7778]

That is so crazy! It's awesome though...seeing the results speak for themselves...and I'm still going to use fox farm too...but yeah as a top soil because it still works...but its good to know it must be cycled out...I was doing that anyway but seeing what it becomes if you don't was shocking.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

The plants are much happier now.

[@lauranilsen8988]

@@RAREDRAGONFRUITdo you think Fox Farm Strawberry Fields potting soil is any different/better than the Ocean Forest potting soil you used as far as drainage and fungal issues?

[@darleneswetz8325]

Paul have you done any test with lava rock? . Having a hard time finding pumice. Manager of the garden shop I go to says he uses lava rock.

[@medo6067]

Great video as usual. I used to use peatmoss before then I stopped as it degrades by time and becomes dense. In general plants in pots needs to be repotted every few years. But topping is a great idea. What about compost? I read on spicy exotics they top their soil with compost and that's all. I like your videos as usual and great info you put out there. Keep up the good work

[@h109percent]

Compost works to. Basically any kind of fertilizer will work for the topping

[@ricshaw805]

Compost is like Fox Farm. No or less “dead trees” in potting soil. Put compost on soil surface b

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Gary said it would last over 6 years if I remember correctly. I drill many extra holes in the pots so hopefully they will last longer. Check out Gary's channel, I've learned a lot from him. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWSUe4qoq5J0fM0

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Yes, no ground up, dead trees!

[@marcusayers6305]

Can I use this soil mix for other plants? I’m wondering if I can use the leftover soil mix for my other plants(orange tree, blueberry, bush,and pear tree).

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

I use it for succulents, mangos, tropical trees and more.

[@shadwells460]

Great info. Mind listing the percentages of components? 30% peat, 5% coconut core, 5% bio char. You failed to list percentages for sand, pumace and perlite. Thanks

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Sorry about that, I added it to the description. Ratios: 30% Peat Moss 30% Pumice 20% Perlite 10% sand 5% Bio Char 5% Chunky Coconut Coir

[@Rocketman0407]

​@@RAREDRAGONFRUITI thought it was 35% peat and no coco. Has the recipe been changed a bit?

[@mjt2582]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks for watching

[@stevevernon5953]

Paul- appreciate the video! Could you post the approximate percentages of each of the components of this soil mix? Thanks.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Ratios: 30% Peat Moss 30% Pumice 20% Perlite 10% sand 5% Bio Char 5% Chunky Coconut Coir

[@Awoods22]

Have you tried grays recommendation and just use pure sand? I'm thinking about have a mix of 50% sand 25% pumice 10% vermiculite 10% peat and 5% bio char.

[@h109percent]

I've tried it but the only difference between your mix and mine is i used perlite instead of vermiculite. The df loves it. In about two weeks I had 15 new growth.

[@captainsalmonslayer]

I use just sand and bio char they are all very happy in it. I'd leave vermiculite out of the mix if I was you and replace with more perlite or pumice.

[@Awoods22]

@@captainsalmonslayer Do you have to water often since your mix is just sand? Why do you think I should leave out vermiculite?

[@captainsalmonslayer]

@@Awoods22 my pots are basically huge buckets/drums and I drill my drainage holes an inch or so up from the bottom leaving a small reservoir of water at the bottom. They usually get a water everyday anyway as it rains a lot where I live. I have not tried vermiculite I just base that on Gary matsuokas advice to leave it out of a dragon fruit mix as it essentially acts as a clay in the mix. I haven't tried using it but from my experience I can say it isn't necessary to add. Can't hurt to experiment though.

[@Awoods22]

@captainsalmonslayer I can't remember which video Gary talked about it but he said you could add up to 10 percent in a mix. I don't get a lot of rain so I figured adding it would help with water retention.

[@skipper3069]

what's up Paul, been watching your video for a while now. I finally have flower on my dragon fruit now, in Vegas. I just order 5 verity and want to follow your soil mix . were I can buy those 20 gallons container and pumice can't fine anything here. keep up the good work.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

That is awesome! I like to get mine at the local hydroponic store. They tend to be too expensive online.

[@michaelhoffmann4712]

If you don't mind me asking what local shop did you get your biochar from?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

I like Black Owl Biochar and get it at a soil store nearby for $45 bucks a bag.

[@GreenParadise5]

Very well explained 👍🏻

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thank you 🙂

[@rosasotelo1687]

Hi, nice video, nice t short

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks for watching!

[@susanarios7180]

Hi great video. How do you repot your dragon’s? I will be a big help if you make a video about it.thank you for the info

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Sure, we will work on that this week.

[@Rocketman0407]

Fantastic I just started making top pot as well. I am wondering do you know the recipe for Acid Mix. Faintly remember Gary said it was Peat and Pumice in equal amounts. Is that correct?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

If I remember correctly, you are correct, 50% Peat moss, 25% perlite, 25% pumice

[@Mochi88981]

I bought cactus mix . Inside has 1/3 pumice , 1/3 sand and 1/3 redwood shaving. Do I need to add peat moss or perlite ? Please advise . Looks like gray top soil doesn’t have redwood shavings inside. What should I do .

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

It's not as bad as compost, the redwood will decompose slowly and is ok. I like peat moss, pumice, and sand the most for dragons.

[@vidnand2002]

Thank you very much for the awesome video. 4:04 - is that a 15 or 20 G pot?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

That is a 15 gallon pot. I have a few in the mix but prefer 20 or 25 gallon pots. I drill extra holes that are small enough to keep gophers from going into the pots.

[@IkramshahbakraTVLahore]

Wow amazing 👍🥰

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks 🤗

[@SacredLotus1006]

Beautiful plants and flowers. I wish I had come across your video before transferring my plants this afternoon

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks for watching

[@tristanamacker733]

Is okay if I just mixed foxfarm soil with coconut coir? I ask because I had have had my dragon fruit growing in the foxfarm soil for about 2 years know

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

It will be fine for 3-5 years. keep adding worm castings a few times per year and it will probably last even longer :) If they start to have problems, repot the, with something that retains less moisture and is free of composted forest products.

[@antonioperez119]

Where did you get your pumice. It's pretty expensive where I look.

[@mannyvargas5071]

Have u used an air pruning pot?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Yes, they are great to root plants, but don’t retain enough moisture for my climate to grow in them.

[@howtogrowdragonfruitplant7849]

Love your dragon fruit farm. Have you ever tried giving them aood ash from a fine place?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks, no, I like to use bio char.

[@howtogrowdragonfruitplant7849]

@@RAREDRAGONFRUIT Alright!

[@danielmolina9373]

Hi Paul, enjoyed the video. I read the ratio you listed. But since I'm new, how do you recommend measuring to percentage? I'm thinking 1 gal equivalent to 10% ratio. What do you think, please advise.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Just eyeball it like I do :) If you are a little bit off, these plants will still thrive in my opinion.

[@joLicata91]

Hi man! I have a question! 2 weeks ago I cut the tip of my dragon fruit because it's reached the top of my trellis. But I only see 1 new branch coming to life and no more. Is this normal? Thank you. You really have beautiful plants!

[@axelcantu9572]

Greetings, that's normal, sometimes several sprouts come out, other times two or one come out but after those sprouts are bigger and mature they sprout more again.

[@joLicata91]

@@axelcantu9572 thank you so much! Another one appeared two days ago

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Thanks, it happens but more should follow soon if the plant is happy.

[@rosgriffiths]

Hello! Love this video. I'm in Spain and the Biochar is expensive. I'm wondering if I could reduce the peat moss to say 25% and use 10% worm castings which does contain 13% organic charcoal plus lots of other nutrients of course...or do we really need 30% peat moss? Thank you. 😊

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

It sounds like that should work fine. It should be well draining.

[@rosgriffiths]

@@RAREDRAGONFRUIT Thanks. I might throw in another handful of pumice, just to be on the safe side! 😄

[@mauriciodiaz1310]

Im here!!!!

[@TJenhilo]

I cannot find any pavestone in Home Depot. Can I use any playground sand? Can I use Sakrete sand???

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

It’s very fine, I think the sand near the gravel and concrete is a better option. It’s the brand quickcrete.

[@axelcantu9572]

Greetings, I really admire your dedication in the cultivation of dragon fruit but I think that so many things are an unnecessary waste of money, I have plants, around 34 varieties and so far I have had no problem in terms of growth and very little in terms of diseases , but the person from whom I buy the cuttings here in Puerto Rico has many very vigorous and healthy varieties, and he only uses soil from his garden mixed with perlite, compost, sheep manure and vermicompost and these last three are produced by himself in his house.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

It depends on the soil in your region, hopefully yours is sandy loam and not like our clay and DG soil. I don't recommend mixing manure into potting soil. This is our method for a more long term solution to potting soil and it's having great results so far.

[@justhackitfpv]

Is this the latest mix you use or theres another revision to this ?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

This is my preferred mix but it’s expensive. Another one almost as good is peat moss, sand, and Sunshine Mix #4

[@drawingangel2]

What about Happy frog potting soil?

[@khilam5926]

I bought horticultural sand instead of paver sand.Does it make a difference?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Is it course or fine? I prefer to get the biggest grains I can find.

[@khilam5926]

@@RAREDRAGONFRUIT Course sand

[@praysing77]

Do you have any advice for planting in the ground? I found have enough space for anymore pots.

[@lauranilsen8988]

You could do more of a raised bed for better drainage. Lowe’s and Home Depot have these cement corner connector things and you just slide a board in .

[@whalerbw1107]

Can u use it in ground instead of potting????

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

I use it for our mango trees, bananas, and succulents both in pots and in the ground to ammend the soil

[@poisonivysaurr]

Will the perlite eventually float to the top of the soil? Should I replace it with more sand or pumice?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

If the perlite is really small, some may float up, but the roots grow quickly with these plants and they prevent the perlite from rising up. I prefer to use perlite #4 or just add more pumice instead.

[@JohnCatt]

is it okay to increase sand to 50% volume (to lessen cost) ?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

I'd say yes so far with our experiments... Keep compost and manure as a top dressing.

[@JohnCatt]

@@RAREDRAGONFRUIT Thanks for the reply! Do you think coco peat is good addition(40%) for aeration and drainage?

[@azijulrahman2650]

How many variety do you have?from New York..I want to buy cutting..

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Too many to count these days

[@user-cu4vo1do9u]

Hi Paul. Which store carrys pumice in socal? Thanks

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

soil stores, Green Thumb Nursery, some hydroponics stores. Call your local nurseries. If you live near the 78, I know many places :)

[@TimHoSD]

Hi Paul, I'm in San Diego, where can I get the Uni-Gro Pumice? Thx

[@biomechanicalclone]

Your Coco Choir link leads to a variety of products. To me, it looks like you are using "Compressed Coconut Fiber" which they call "bricks." They also have "mulch," which they call "chips." For 3X the price, they also have "peat" that they call "briquettes." Thanks in advance for clarifying.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

The chunky bricks, don't get the fine pith. amzn.to/3RuyZ5t

[@steveniannelli2756]

Whats wrong with using cacti and succulent mix?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Most have composted forest products, which is mulch. It can cause problems in the long term when used in pots.

[@ChrisChinners]

whats the ratio you used for the pumice and perlite?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Sorry, I should have been more clear, here are the ratios: 30% Peat Moss 30% Pumice 20% Perlite 10% sand 5% Bio Char 5% Chunky Coconut Coir

[@ChrisChinners]

@@RAREDRAGONFRUIT hmm can’t seem to find a big bag of pumice biggest was 8qt

[@feemcdonald4423]

Why are they in pots and not in the ground?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

We have pocket gophers that will kill the plants in the soil. The are unstoppable here.

[@ChrisChinners]

where do you find those large pots

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Hydroponics shops in my area or nurseries.

[@Honestandtruth007]

Where is this in what Country ..❓❓❓

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

California, USA

[@tzurtex6336]

Where do I buy pumice and how much

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

A few different places. Local nursery or soil store

[@V.Oakley]

How in the world do you repot a dragon that big?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Like this... kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4Hbd4uMo9x7mK8

[@davidcasillas3845]

So garys top soil is great. Why do you keep saying fox farm? Is better

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Fox Farm is a great top dressing. Only putting it on top of the potting soil. It’s what Gary recommended

[@montepr803]

14 bucks??? Damn......here in Puerto Rico a 3.8 cubic foot of peatmoss with a bit of perlite is close to $80 dollars!!! That's Home Depot btw. And forget about finding pumice here either. I'm buying leca beads and breaking them up to replace pumice for my dragonfruit.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Volcanic rock works too if it's not too large. What about coconut coir?

[@montepr803]

@@RAREDRAGONFRUIT I haven't tried that yet. I'll look into it. I just try to replicate Gary's top pot mix like you showed us in your videos. Every plant I have swapped to that mix, the change is night and day difference provided I add good nutrients. My worst problem is sourcing pumice here. Nobody has it but Amazon and I'm not paying 65 bucks for 20quarts.

[@nidasOrganicGarden]

Google said Peat Moss decomposed after 2-5 years compared to cocopeat decomposed after 10 years. So in my opinion, cocopeat is much better than peat moss. You are using peat moss because your country have huge amount of peat moss compared to Asia has many coconut Farms and can produce Tons of cocopeat or coco coir.

[@TJenhilo]

Why are you not responding to my questions?

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

I try, I work 3 jobs, have 2 kids, over 1,000 plants. Thank you for your patience.

[@visceratrocar]

Perlite is kind of pointless. Pummus does the same thing and doesn't rise to the surface.

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Some people don't like it. I like to use #3 but also have some pots with no perlite and earth worm castings were replaced at the same percentage as in this video.

[@jasonluobo6849]

man, you had really complecated this staff... way too complecated and useless

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Here is a simple one, useless is mean kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJqpepmDZ7RgaNU

[@dschannel5273]

that's hella expensive setup ;/

[@RAREDRAGONFRUIT]

Which one? It's not bad if you make it yourself. The Key ingredients are 1) sand 2) pumice 3)Peatmoss 4) biochar 5) Perlite (not as important as the other ingredients above)