Hoffman 10410 Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix, 10 Quarts (5-(Pack))

This is mostly peat moss which is terrible for cacti and succulents. There is a little bit of perlite and a tiny amount of sand but most of it is peat. Peat moss retains moisture and is horrible for drainage. When peat moss finally dries up, it is hard and stiff which make future waterings even more difficult (as the water will simply sit on top of the soil) and may end up choking the plant's roots as the soil will be too stiff for the roots to branch out.It is also full of more useless junk that is bad for cacti including twigs/branches and watering agents.If you did the same mistake of purchasing this like I did and have no choice but to use it, mix it with a bunch of perlite or pumice.

After reading all these highly-rated reviews, I purchased this soil for my succulents. Unfortunately, the biggest problem I had with this is that it does not drain well (cacti and succulents need well-draining soil as to avoid root rot). Its texture is reminiscent of dry ground coffee that is used in a drip maker. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a peat potting soil that has been finely milled with a few tiny twigs thrown in for good measure. When I water my plants, the water just sits on the surface. I usually take a stick or a fork to encourage the water to go all the way down the container and eventually out through the drainage holes. When the soil dries out, it becomes very stiff and impervious to water; it has to be prodded with a tool in order to break it up.I would only recommend this soil if you were going to cut it with perlite and/or grave/pumice to increase drainage. As a potting soil, it's great in the sense that it's light and fluffy but as a cactus/succulent soil, not so much.I wish this product worked as well for me as others, but it didn't. :(

I naively thought this was good when it first arrived, but then after finding real soil in a local gardening store I realized this is just a bunch of sticks and peat moss. It clumps together and becomes hard and tough after the first watering dries up, making future waterings a huge pain (it no longer soaks in). I regret planting anything in this soil.

I previously purchased the smaller bag, but needed more soil to repot my aloe vera plants. My aloe vera plants have done well with the soil, I grew them from they were seeds and they're fine now. I would've needed 2 smaller bags, but found this instead. The smaller bags are 4 quarters each. This bag is 10 quarts and cheaper than the 2 smaller bags combined.

Pros:It's a very rich and untainted soil! Unlike my experience with the succulent Miracle-Gro mix, there's no gnats and yellow mushrooms growing!Cons:It retains moisture a little too well. I plant my succulents in a pot size too large (newbie mistake) so there's no root to absorb the moisture. I water by submerging the soil in water and wait for the pot to dry. I ended up with moist soil lasting over 2 weeks. I'm sure if there's more root in the soil it would dry up faster. It's definitely a recipe for root rot. The #1 killer of succulents.VerdictBuy. However here's some advice -- I bought the Hoffman's perlite and made a 50-50 mix with this soil for a grittier mix for faster drying time. I also used a smaller terra cotta clay pot so it's about 1" wider than the root ball of my succulent. The clay will absorb moisture too. This allows the plant roots to have air to breathe and avoid root rot.

DO NOT BUY! I had the most beautiful Dragon Fruit and Prickly Pear Cactus until I decided to buy this product. A week after I added this soil mix to the pots, my fruit producing 2 year old cactus were DEAD!

Horrible cactus mix. This is more suited to African Violets than cactus. It's mostly peat moss, a little bit of pearlite, and some large stones and twigs! I am so unhappy. If you do end up using it you will have to watch your cactus/succulents very closely so they don't rot. Back to the fantastic other brand I usually use!

After making it through the entire first bag, I reordered this soil. Other cactus soil tends to have a lot of bark in it which has been starving my plants. This soil has no bark. I’m no expert but I would assume the bark helps with drainage but since all my plants are potted and small, other soil (with bark) can’t give my plants enough nutrients. Cacti and succulents store food in their their leaves which is why they’re so sturdy and can survive in harsh environments, so a very nutritious soil is super important. I’ve used this soil to grow 3 lemon trees, 1 grapefruit tree, and an avocado tree from the seed/pit. I even found some succulents that looked dead and with this soil and lots of water and love they are happy and healthy again with plenty of new buds. I’ve had more seeds sprout than not in this soil so I’m not using anything else. The first time I ordered (and reviewed) this soil I was bummed the bag came slit open but I’m guessing that was from some postal or shipping check. The second time the bag was intact but keep that in mind, you may need a back up storage container.