Soil & potting mix
Best soil for Cat's Jaws (Faucaria felina)
Also called Cat's Jaw Faucaria.
More about cat's jaws
About Cat's Jaws
Faucaria felina · also called Cat's Jaw Faucaria · houseplant
Faucaria felina is a small South African clumping succulent whose paired, triangular leaves carry soft, hair-like teeth along their margins, resembling a tiny open jaw. The toothy edges are flexible, not sharp. It rosettes low to the ground and produces golden daisy-like flowers in autumn. Easy and compact, it needs bright light and very sharp drainage.
Preferred mix: Gritty cactus and succulent mix
Watch for — Stretched, gaping rosette: Leaves elongate and the pairs splay apart in low light. Move to a brighter, sunnier spot to restore the compact, tight-toothed form.
Why cat's jaws needs this mix
Cat's Jaws stores water in its leaves and stems, so it wants a free-draining, gritty mix that dries out fully between waterings — not a moisture-holding one.
- Cat's Jaws carries its own water supply in its thick tissue, so the soil's job is to drain fast and then get out of the way.
- Its roots are adapted to short wet spells followed by long dry ones — a mix that stays damp removes the dry phase they depend on.
- A gritty mix also keeps the plant compact and well-coloured rather than soft, leggy and prone to collapse.
For the full picture on what makes up a good mix, see our guide to the main types of soil and potting media — it explains why each ingredient above behaves the way it does.
What goes wrong with the wrong mix
The wrong soil is one of the most common reasons cat's jaws struggles, and the damage often shows up weeks later as a watering problem. For this species specifically:
- Standard potting compost on its own stays wet far too long for cat's jaws; the lower leaves and stem base go soft and translucent first.
- Big plastic pots full of dense mix hold a wet core long after the surface looks dry — that hidden wet zone is where rot starts.
- Anything sold as "moisture control" is the opposite of what this plant wants.
Treating cat's jaws like a leafy houseplant and using plain compost. It needs at least half its volume as grit, perlite or pumice to survive long term.
pH — does it matter for cat's jaws?
pH is not a concern for cat's jaws — anything from mildly acidic to neutral (6.0-7.0) works. Get the drainage right and pH looks after itself.
If you want to check or adjust it, the soil pH guide walks through testing and the safe ways to nudge a mix more acidic or more alkaline.
DIY mix vs a bagged one
A good bagged "cactus and succulent" mix works for cat's jaws if you add roughly 30-50% extra perlite or grit. Mixing your own from the ratio above gives you full control of how fast it dries.
Drainage and the pot
Use a pot with a drainage hole and empty the saucer within minutes of watering. Terracotta is more forgiving than glazed or plastic because it dries the rootball faster.
This mix decomposes slowly, so cat's jaws only needs repotting every 2-3 years — mainly to refresh the grit and check the roots are firm and pale. When the time comes, our repotting guide for cat's jaws covers the timing and technique step by step.
Cat's Jaws soil — frequently asked questions
What is the best soil mix for cat's jaws?
2 parts standard cactus or succulent compost : 1 part perlite or pumice : 1 part coarse grit or coarse sand. Cat's Jaws carries its own water supply in its thick tissue, so the soil's job is to drain fast and then get out of the way.
Can I use normal potting soil for cat's jaws?
Standard potting compost on its own stays wet far too long for cat's jaws; the lower leaves and stem base go soft and translucent first. A good bagged "cactus and succulent" mix works for cat's jaws if you add roughly 30-50% extra perlite or grit. Mixing your own from the ratio above gives you full control of how fast it dries.
Does cat's jaws need a special pH?
pH is not a concern for cat's jaws — anything from mildly acidic to neutral (6.0-7.0) works. Get the drainage right and pH looks after itself.
Should I buy a bagged mix or make my own for cat's jaws?
A good bagged "cactus and succulent" mix works for cat's jaws if you add roughly 30-50% extra perlite or grit. Mixing your own from the ratio above gives you full control of how fast it dries.
How often should I refresh the soil for cat's jaws?
This mix decomposes slowly, so cat's jaws only needs repotting every 2-3 years — mainly to refresh the grit and check the roots are firm and pale. Use a pot with a drainage hole and empty the saucer within minutes of watering. Terracotta is more forgiving than glazed or plastic because it dries the rootball faster.
Keep reading
- Cat's Jaws care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water cat's jaws — the schedule the mix feeds into
- Repotting cat's jaws — when and how to refresh the mix
- Soil pH guide — test it and adjust it safely
- How often to water succulents — the soak-and-dry method
- Overwatered plant — signs and recovery
- Root rot — how the wrong soil starts it, and how to save the plant
- Best soil for snake plant
- Best soil for dracaena
- Best soil for peperomia
- All 1284 soil and potting-mix guides in the Growli library