“Now, they’re gonna tell you that the best potting mix is a dark, sturdy loam without too much sand.  Don’t you fuckin listen to ‘em.  Maybe if you’re tryna grow stem rot.  Go get you some sand.”

“This is supposed to be a summer crop, but this far south what with the gulf stream and all there’s no such thing as seasons anymore and you can just do whatever the hell you want.  Who’s gonna stop you?  The government?”

“Look up pest control tips on how to get rid of springtails and do whatever the exact opposite of that is.”

Tell me more about this man

Oh, gladly

That there is a springtail. Springtails are little bugs that can jump really high all over the place, hence the name. They thrive in moist, organic soil, and a lot of people (wrong) think that they’re pests, but they’re actually Friends because they primarily eat mold and fungus, so they help keep your plants healthy.

They also make awesome microfauna for enclosed terrariums, and they’re great fish food.

For the record, where I come from, friends do not feed friends to fish.

I’m coming from Florida

That is absolutely a thing we do in Florida

When using sand in potting mix, or for that matter topsoil, MIX IT IN!! I see all these people talking about drainage layer this, drainage layer that- with sand. First of all, get a pot with holes. Secondly, because of the way water travels through different media, a layer of sand under potting media or soil will actually drain more slowly than it would through the same soil/media it’s already in.

Sand is useful for drainage because the grains are massive (compared to silt or clay) and are non-porous/don’t have a lot of surface area for their size. This means water doesn’t stick to them as well as it does to other particles. Also, their size means there’s lots of space between them for water to travel through. So sand mixed into soil or potting media will help water get through faster so your plants don’t rot.

As a professional soils analyst, let me just say that ☝ ☝ yes ☝☝ all of this 💯💯 *chef’s kiss* thank you