
Title image above is copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
First published 29th March 2025
Using an Air-Pot® requires a different approach to that of regular pots, and I wrote of this here.
In this older post I mentioned how quite a bit of medium will fall through the bottom until a natural bridge forms across the base, and that this is quite normal.
But some mixes bridge better and more quickly than others! For example, the typical mix I use, as described here, is far easier to work with than this looser and more open succulent mix
But I persevered, as xerophytes love Air-Pot containers!
And then bonsai artist Kel told me her trick for keeping her even looser akadama-scoria-fine bark mix in place — she lines the base with fine peat coir! What a forehead-slapping lightbulb moment that was! Thanks heaps Kel!
My wonderful pen-pal friend Helen had sent some stunning succulent cuttings in the meantime, and I could not wait to get started!
Not much coir was needed, so I wetted up a small brick for this:
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
It stays in place really well!
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
It was too easy to fill the rest of the tray with my loose succulent mix, and Helen’s cuttings couldn’t be happier!
Thank you ladies both!
copyright © Kristi Ellinopoullos
Kristi Ellinopoullos
BSc(Hons), U.Syd. - double major in biochemistry and microbiology, with honours in microbiology
PhD, U.Syd - soil microbiology
Stumbled into IT and publishing of all things.
Discovered jujube trees and realised that perhaps I should have been an agronomist…
So I combined all the above passions and interests into plant-related websites and blogs, on which I write about plants, gardening, botany, soil chemistry, soil microbiology and biochemistry!
If you have any deep interest in microbiology and/or biochemistry, and how these apply to plants, I’m writing a deep-dive online book From Soil to Fruit here.
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