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Description
succulent plant soil mix Molly's Gritty Mix for Cactus & BonsaiQuick answer: what is Molly's Succulent Mix? For: succulents, cacti, bonsai, Haworthia, Echeveria, Sedum, Jade, and any arid environment plant. What's in it: high mineral gritty blend of pumice, lava rock, and crushed bark. Low organic matter by design. Why it works: succulent roots are built to drink fast and dry out fast. The gritty structure drains in seconds and holds zero standing water, so roots don't rot. Pre rinsed and pH balanced straight
Quick answer: what is Molly's Succulent Mix?
- For: succulents, cacti, bonsai, Haworthia, Echeveria, Sedum, Jade, and any arid-environment plant.
- What's in it: high-mineral gritty blend of pumice, lava rock, and crushed bark. Low organic matter by design.
- Why it works: succulent roots are built to drink fast and dry out fast. The gritty structure drains in seconds and holds zero standing water, so roots don't rot.
- Pre-rinsed and pH-balanced straight from the bag. No salt flush required.
- Bonsai-safe. The grit profile matches what serious bonsai growers blend by hand from akadama, pumice, and lava.
More plant-specific guidance: Ultimate guide to growing succulents indoors, Potting soil vs potting mix.
Succulents and cacti evolved in arid, mineral-rich environments where water moves through gritty substrate in seconds. Their roots are built to drink fast and dry out fast. Standard potting soil holds moisture for days, suffocates the roots, and rots them from the bottom up. The fix is a high-mineral, low-organic, gritty mix.
Molly's Succulent Mix is engineered to mimic native desert and rocky-slope substrates. A blend of pumice, lava rock, and a small amount of organic matter that drains in seconds and forces the soak-and-dry watering rhythm succulents need.
The gritty-mix philosophy
Most "succulent soil" sold at garden centres is regular potting soil with sand mixed in. That's not what these plants want. The right mix is roughly 70% mineral aggregate (pumice and lava rock) and 30% structural organic (coir, charcoal). Water hits the surface and runs through within seconds. Roots get a brief, intense drink, then dry conditions for the next 1 to 2 weeks. That's how succulents stay alive in pots.
What's in the bag
- Pumice (volcanic, lightweight): the mineral backbone. Holds a tiny amount of water inside its porous structure, but lets the rest drain freely.
- Lava rock (red lava): chunky drainage and heat retention. Roots love the warmth differential it creates.
- Coir fiber (small percentage): just enough organic to retain a little humidity and prevent the mix from drying to a brick. Not enough to compromise drainage.
- Horticultural charcoal: filters salts from tap water (succulents are surprisingly sensitive to mineral buildup).
- Calcitic limestone (trace): buffers pH to the slightly alkaline range (6.5 to 7.5) most desert succulents prefer.
Low peat content, no worm castings (succulents don't want a nutrient flush), no commercial fertilizer. The whole mix is intentionally lean.
Plants this is for
Designed for succulents and cacti:
- Echeveria, Sedum, Crassula (jade), Sempervivum: the classic rosette succulents.
- Haworthia, Gasteria: they prefer slightly more shade but want the same gritty drainage.
- Aloe (vera and others): medicinal succulents, this mix prevents the rot they're prone to in heavier soils.
- Most cacti: Mammillaria, Echinopsis, Opuntia, San Pedro, golden barrel.
- Lithops (living stones): require fast drainage to stay alive year-round; this mix is well-suited.
- Bonsai with high drainage needs: juniper, pine, and certain deciduous bonsai work well.
- Caudex plants: Adenium, Pachypodium, and other swollen-stem species that need fast drainage at the base.
Not for: tropical "succulent-looking" plants like Hoya, Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera), or Easter cactus, which actually prefer humidity-retaining mixes. For those, use Molly's Aroid Mix.
Watering with gritty mix
The right rhythm: soak and dry. Water deeply, then wait until the mix is bone-dry before watering again.
- Wait until the top 2 to 3 inches feel completely dry. For most succulents in standard 4 to 6 inch pots, that's every 10 to 21 days indoors.
- Water until liquid runs clearly out the drainage holes. Don't dribble. Soak.
- Discard any water in the saucer. Do not let the pot sit in standing water.
- Wait. The plant will let you know when it's thirsty (slight wrinkling of leaves, lighter pot weight).
In winter, water roughly half as often. Most succulents go dormant or semi-dormant.
FAQ
Why is this so heavy compared to other succulent soil?
Because it's mostly minerals, not peat or coco coir. The weight is what makes it work. Light bag means light drainage, which is the opposite of what succulents need.
Can I use this for bonsai?
For tropical bonsai, no, they want a moisture-retentive aroid-style mix. For drought-tolerant bonsai (juniper, pine, certain deciduous species), yes, this mix or a 50/50 blend with finer organics works well.
Will the mix break down or stay porous over time?
Stays porous. The mineral components (pumice, lava rock, charcoal) don't decompose. The small organic fraction breaks down slowly. Most succulents in this mix can go 2 to 3 years before repotting.
Should I add fertilizer?
Sparingly. Succulents are slow growers and don't need much. A diluted (~1/4 strength) cactus-specific fertilizer once during the growing season (spring) is plenty for most species.
Packaged in a heat-sealed resealable bag. New formula released April 2026, see the formula release announcement for details on what changed.
Related care guide
Watering, light, and repotting fundamentals for succulents and cacti.
Have questions? Read the Molly's Succulent Mix FAQ for detailed information on watering, repotting, and which succulents this mix works best for.
New: the complete soil guide
Not sure if you need cactus soil or succulent soil? They are the same thing. Read: Best Soil for Succulents and Cactus →
Not sure which mix your plant needs?
Take our free 60-second Soil Finder quiz → Diagnose the problem and get the exact Molly's mix and amount for your plant, plus 10% off.
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4.6 ★★★★★
Based on 10 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 2
In the trash after a single use
Size: 11 Holes
For context, I’m a seasoned woodworker and always evaluate tools with the price in mind. This seemed like a good deal and in fact when it arrived, it looked and felt like reasonable quality for the price. Unhappily, the first bookshelf I drilled was off from side to side by almost 3 mm which would make a really wobbly shelf situation. It took a while to figure out what was happening, but I finally realized the metal bushings that guide the drill bit are so soft that they cored out from contact with the bit even though I was cautious to not put the bit in under power but to get it in the bushing and aligned before drilling. Still, the bushings started angling immediately. So when you then use those angled bushings to set the pin for the next series, it’s off by a little bit. Then the next is off by a little more…. By the time I drilled holes up and down a 6’ high shelf, the bushings were out of square, the holes were 3 mm out of alignment, and the shelf sides were firewood. Back to the drawing board and this goes in the trash, I’m afraid.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Finally, A Great Trackball for Macs
After reading the other Amazon reviews, I thought I would respond to some of the issues other reviewers raise from a Mac user's perspective. I run a new PowerBook 15" with OS X 10.3.2.
Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't notice any directional/orientation problems--the cursor follows the ball movement very well, even before installing the included Logitech software. Perhaps the necessary drivers are now universally available, or perhaps the Mac version is just better. Also, the "finger layout" has not proven to be an issue for me--I can use any or all of my fingers to control the ball without any cursor-direction problems.
The wireless function has proven flawless on my Mac. The reciever is a couple feet away and actually off the desk (no line of sight) and works fine. It was essentially plug-and-play on the Mac--I didn't even have to push the 'Connect' buttons to establish a signal, it just worked.
The software is necessary, however, to re-assign new functions to the several buttons on this model. As a former PC user, I can't go without a right-click button (one of the reasons I bought an external device for my notebook at all). The Mac software is very easy to use, and one can re-program all of the buttons and the wheel if one so desires. You can set a button to automatically double- or triple-click, or select keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Command and W to close the current window). Very easy, and quite useful--I use buttons to close windows, quit programs, delete files, and still have a handy web-browsing 'Back' button.
The only possible drawback to the Mac software is that one cannot "train" the ball's orientation (from what I can gather from other reviews, this option is not available on PC either). This really only matters if you know you hold trackballs at a different angle than most people do.
Please note that the software I'm reviewing is for Mac OS X only; the program for those running OS 8.6-9.2 is a different piece of software, which is also included in the package.
Those are all the Mac-specific comments I can think of at this point; if you're a Mac-user you're probably used to things "just working," and this device is no exception.
I'll also comment on some of the more universal issues raised by other reviews:
Ergonomically, there is a period of adjustment--anyone moving from a conventional mouse to any trackball or from one trackball to another should expect that. It's never a bad idea to try one out in-store to see how they feel, especially since trackball models vary from one to another much more than mice do.
This is not, as some have termed it, a 'disadvantage'--all new things take some time to get used to. If you've never used a trackball, it's weird for a while; it's also ergonomically superior/healthier in the long term.
Also, I use trackballs for computer drafting/design, and find superior control to mice--finger-control is just more precise than either thumb-controlled trackballs or wrist/arm-controlled mice.
The optical ball-tracking technology requires almost no cleaning, and there are zero moving parts to clean. Just pop the ball out and blow any collected lint out of the socket if necessary--which very rarely is.
For any pointing device that's wireless, optical, and has this many buttons, this price is pretty decent--lower, I think, than my previous trackball that was wired and lacked the wheel.
As for Logitech's reputation/reliability, I have had good experiences. My first trackball had to be replaced during the warranty period, but its replacement has lasted the four years since--I only replaced it now because it wasn't Mac-compatible. Now Mac-users can rejoice with a high-performance trackball that works seamlessly in OS X.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2004
★★★★★ 5
A treasure that desperately needs a reboot.
I love this mouse. I greet it every morning and give it warm caresses as I drink my morning coffee. I catch myself staring longingly at it daydreaming of using it sitting on a beach sipping a drink with an umbrella. I call her Bridgette. Is she perfect? Probably not - otherwise they'd still be a lot more popular. Is she perfect for me? Yeah. She is.
So first the bad and then the good: This mouse is big. For folks with normal to big sized hands, that's a win in a world of tiny mice built for Hobbits. If you have the hand size of a large doll could you still manage it? Yes. It's not THAT big.
The surface finish is...temporary. Dynamic. Fluid. I think of it more as patina at this point. Most of the painted surfaces (except for the left click button) on mine are still the same color they were when I bought it. I seem to remember a "soft touch" satin coating on the black parts but that has worn off mine years ago. She still turns heads though.
Some people say that these mice have reliability issues. We've been together for a good 17 years and she's still going strong. There was a scare recently where her buttons stopped working but a careful dose of electrical contact cleaner in the switches and a few hours rest and she was right as rain. She's not bullet-proof but hopefully will be around another score or so before parting for good.
What I love about this mouse is the feel. It's just right. Trackball people are a finicky group and rarely do we find something that suits us to little complaint. The size of this mouse fits me perfectly. All the buttons are where they should be, I don't have to strain and move and fight to make stuff happen. There's enough flexibility in programming the buttons you can set it to do most tasks easily with one click. It's not so complex that it introduces unwanted drama in your life trying to figure out the minutiae of endless setup options.
The trackball is perfectly placed. It's far enough forward my fingertips don't have to hunt for it and just enough to the side that I don't have to twist my wrist to reach it. I can swipe easily from one side of the screen (or across screens) without a thought but still have enough control to be precise when needed. All without straining my wrist.
I like the action of mouse clicking left/forward/back with my thumb as it's more natural than the thumb-driven trackballs. I either suffer from twitchy thumb or it's just a bad design for precise movement. The right click button is naturally placed just to the underside of the trackball and feels effortless to click with my ring finger.
The scroll wheel is small but cushy and comfortable. There are soft indents to the scrolling so it doesn't get away from you. If you prefer the smooth scrolling feel the "cruise" buttons above and below get that done easily. The drag lock button can come in handy if you're constantly copying multiple files back and forth. I generally don't so it's easily remapped in the software.
Battery life is really good. I usually go several months on a set of cheap AA's. It has an auto sleep function instead of a power switch which is handy. The nice thing about AA batteries is that you can easily find them anywhere. I think that's one of the main reasons mine has lasted so long.
Dear Logitech or any other company that may stumble across this - please bring this model back with a reboot. People obviously loved it and they sell like hotcakes. I've seen used ones go for upwards of $400 now. Surely there's some profit in doing another run of these beauties!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021
★★★★★ 5
Simply the best input device I've ever used
I've been a long time fan of trackballs - most especially and specifically those made by Logitech. About five years ago I started having pain in my wrists from the constant side-to-side motion of using a mouse. I picked up a Logitech Marble Mouse and loved it for years. It instantly helped by wrist issues and I didn't get so strained and hardly ever got soreness.
The only thing I didn't like was that there weren't enough buttons. I envied things like a scroll wheel found on regular mice. The thumb trackball was horrid in my thought (all that stress where your thumb meets the wrist; Ouch!) but had the extra buttons I longed for.
Then this one came along. Wow. I saw it in the store and I'll admit, I was a bit intimidated at first. Did I need a cordless? Could I get used to moving it with my hand in a slightly different position? And I know I wanted buttons, but woah, there's a LOT of buttons on it!
I played with it and daydreamed about it. I finally ended up getting it for my birthday in May 2003. It honestly did take me a few days to adjust to the change (even from one Logitech trackball to another), but now I can't imagine ever going back. The sheer convenience of being able to not only left-click/right-click, but scroll AND easily go Forward and Backward through webpages with a click of a button amazes me everytime. Trackballs already cut down the amount of round-about pointing you need to do by making it much smoother and easier because of less motion required, but this cuts it down way more then that.
Some thoughts from other reviews:
*Lefties -- I'm sorry, but it really is designed for a right-hander. Like most mice/trackballs on the market today, they aim for the majority. It's usable on short term for lefties (my boyfriend's a southpaw and he can maneuver it, but couldn't really use it every day, day-in/day-out). HOWEVER, a nice option is the Logitech Marble Mouse since it is neither left nor right hand specific.
* Cordless issues -- I've had ZERO interference with it and I have a USB Wacom tablet as well as digital camera hookups and other usb items in my usb hub. NEVER a problem. The manual recommends that if you have problems, move the receiver away from the monitor. Mine sits two or so feet away and works perfectly.
* Battery life -- WONDERFUL. Mine went for about five months or so on the original batteries it came with. And I am a hard-core user, driving my trackball way over ten hours a day. The program even warns you on-screen that your batteries are getting low. How cool is that? You don't have to wait until things die leaving you without a mouse, wondering what went wrong - it tells you!
* Weight of ball -- I have to say that one of the best aspects of the Logitech trackballs is that the ball spins VERY smoothly and easily. It's also not heavy. This sounds weird until you try one of the HORRID Kensington ones which has such a heavy ball that you literally get fatigued fingers from trying to push the darned thing around the screen. It's such a battle with inferior ones whereas, with the Logitech ones, it's easy. I can zoom around the screen as fast as I wish with the slightest touch of my fingertips (*note: the speed and such can also be edited if you like a slower cursor, but it still will have the lightweight Logitech is known for)
* Range of Use -- I agree with another user here - this thing has a range that's far more then you'd need. I sometimes use it on my lap and can stand up and control it from several feet away.
* Cleaning -- IMPORATANT. Every now and then, pop the ball out (by pushing from underneath) and clean the gunk which gets on the points the ball rests on. It will help keep your ball rolling smoothly.
In sum: ergonomic, comfortable, works great and a real Logitech winner. Well worth the cost.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2003
★★★★★ 3
Great, yet, not so great
I never bother leaving reviews, but this one gave me an opinion that was strong enough that I had to say something.
Much like many other reviews out there, a lot of people complain about the placement of the buttons. Actually I think for the most part everything is fine except for the scroll wheel and the default left click. My problem with those two is, if you're using your index finger to use either feature, you have to really stretch your finger outwards to access it. If you tilt the whole device so that it reaches more easily, then the thumb buttons are now at an odd position. I do have to say though, I originally thought that a non vertical hand position would kill my wrist but surprisingly it didn't. It didn't save my wrist either. But creating finger pains isn't exactly a good alternative due to the uncomfortable positioning. Yes I know you can remap the buttons to different functions but that's settling for less as that means you're opting out on using the uncomfortable buttons.
A quick little history on my previous devices. I've used regular mice like everyone else before all these problems creeped up on my hands. The most comfortable regular mouse for me is the logitech mx revolution. But eventually using that started to cause pain. I then moved onto the evoluent vertical mouse 3. That mouse is great and I still use it depending on what I need it for. However I recently ordered the zero tension mouse and I find that for overall usage, that one is the most comfortable since your wrist is at its most relaxed state. No twisting of any kind. Not only that, the fingers curl naturally along the device to reach the buttons. Some people palm their mice leaving their fingers straight, but for others with longer fingers it's a bit difficult to use a mouse without curling your fingers backwards a bit to accommodate positioning.
What is the whole point of that long paragraph? This trackman doesn't allow your hand to be in a resting state and *may* cause more strain, or a different type of strain in addition to whatever problem you may already experience.
While it sounds like I'm claiming that this is the worst pointing device ever, I'm just stressing on the bad points. It's definitely a solid piece of technology. Doesn't feel cheap, the ball is super easy to clean along with the insides where some dust may collect. All the buttons feel solid. Overall it's got heft so that the whole thing doesn't slide around during use. But build quality and maintenance takes a backseat if comfort isn't there.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2010