Soil
Growers tend to spend a lot of time agonizing over soil
recipes, although in my experience Conophytum plants are
adaptable to a wide
range of potting mixes. Here's what I use for potting my conos; it's
a free-draining mineral soil with a more or less neutral pH.
2 parts subsoil from a gravel pit (mainly sand with some clay,
silt and small gravel)
1 part fine vermiculite
1 part perlite
a small amount of gypsum
The final result should be quite loose and open, and should drain
quickly. If not, try adding sand and/or more perlite. Most conos
don't mind some peatmoss in the soil, if you like the stuff. They do,
however, detest shredded bark based soils. I've been
experimenting recently with adding calcined clay (kitty litter,
more or less) products to the soil in place of some of the
vermiculite and perlite. My results so far look promising.
It's best to seek out the sorts specially made for horticultural uses,
such as "Turface." The kinds sold as cat litter and oil absorbents
are fine initially,
but tend to break down into a sticky clay that most conos dislike.