Do my pots drain too well?

[JohnAndSancho]

Piggybacking off of a thread from the main forum. Can soil drain _too_ well? I expect it from the soil-free medium my L. Weddelaniums are in (US version of the @Pal Meir mix) - but the majority of my palms are in a ballpark 50/40/10 mix of cheap garden soil/Repti Bark/LECA now. My outdoor palms are cool as the other side of the pillow, growing and vibing hard. I do worry about my Kentias though since I've killed so many - I've literally misted them and watched water come through to the saucer.

 

As a counterpoint, I just had to move my spindle palm to the patio due to fungus gnats - I threw some Mosquito Dunks in the soil, threw it in the shower to wash the bacteria into the soil, and put it outside. My new Aloe Dorotheae in my office is also a hotbed for fungus gnat activity even though I hardly watered it after the repot. 

 

Am I doing anything wrong?

[Collectorpalms]

Try to get your hands on Fox Farms Salamander Soil. It work wonders for my plants, should do fine for palms. Also remove the top inch or two of soil and replace with expanded shale. As long as the surface of the soil is dry you will not get fungus gnats. I get my stuff at the producers in Bryan,

Edited May 26, 2022 by Collectorpalms

[JohnAndSancho]

On 5/25/2022 at 10:13 PM, Collectorpalms said:

Try to get your hands on Fox Farms Salamander Soil. It work wonders for my plants, should do fine for palms. Also remove the top inch or two of soil and replace with expanded shale. As long as the surface of the soil is dry you will not get fungus gnats. I get my stuff at the producers in Bryan,

Good looking out. I've used Fox Farm Ocean Forest before and it's a quality product. What's funny (not really laughing) is I spend just as much, if not more, amending crap soil as I woulda spent on good soil to begin with.