soil mix for outdoor bed

[RichR]

I made a new bed for some of my hardier cacti and have put in decomposed granite and gravel, along with a custom blend of minerals and trace minerals that is available locally from an organic nursery. Do I need to add loam to this mix? Isn't the decomposed granite capable of fulfilling the function of the loam, i.e. delivery of plant nutrients to the roots?

[Charles]

I guess I have used 50 different soil mixes for outdoor cacti. The only caution is using too much organics where the plot is in the shade in the winter. It gets cold and wet in Reno area. I use "hotter" (richer) soil than most cactiphiles and I water more too. Sometimes I pay the penalty with dead cactus. Oh, I used to use gravel, but where I have, I've dug up the plots and removed the gravel with a screen.

[CoronaCactus]

DG already has micronutrients and trace elements.
DG mixed with your native soil should be all you need.