Question
Hi... In a place where we do not get vermiculite and perlite what do you think is the best soil that we can use. I tried mixing sand and vermicompost but it looks like the soil has become very hard around the root. But when I pulled out a dying plant the root looked completely soggy. What am I doing wrong?. However, I removed 4 out of my new 12 plants and repotted them with peat moss, biofarm(fertilizer cum pesticide)and red soil. I tried removing all the dead leaves and repotted them.

Answer
Vermiculite and perlite lighten the soil.  If you can not get this, this is what I suggest:

Can you get stryrofoam drinking cups or plates?  Chop these up as finely as you can and add to the soil, add sand.  Vermicompost is mostly peatmoss with worm castings.  The Worm castings will help.

You can put in small stones or pebbles to airate the soil and allow water to run through.

When using peat moss only the peat tends to keep the moisture for too long which makes the roots rot so make the soil as light as possible using the above.

Is the red soil you described clay?  This will hold water for too long and rot the roots.  I would leave this out completely.  I am not familiar with biofarm but would not use a pesticide until I have evidence of pests.

Fertilizer for Africans should be given at every watering.  Most growers use 1/4 teaspoon fertilizer in a gallon of warm water and water with this every 7-10 depending on the humidity in your home.

Nancy