Orchid friends often ask: How to choose planting materials for growing orchids? Nowadays, there are countless ways to prepare various planting materials for orchid cultivation. Especially for those who have just started to cultivate orchids, they are even more confused and don’t know who to listen to. What is the best orchid planting material to use?
In fact, there are still standards for choosing orchid planting materials. As long as you can meet these six requirements, you will have a culture soil suitable for the growth needs of orchids. The main standards for orchid planting materials are: loose, breathable, moisturizing, suitable for pH (pH 5.5~6), slightly nutrient-containing, and not too fine. As long as the culture soil meets these requirements, it can be used. The formulas of many orchid planting materials are also prepared according to this requirement.
So, which planting material is suitable to choose? I think this should also be considered based on personal economic conditions, local environmental conditions, climate conditions and other factors. Specifically speaking, there are four aspects: first, whether it is convenient to obtain materials. It is best to be able to obtain materials locally, which is convenient and economical; second, whether personal economic conditions allow it. If the economic conditions are good, you can buy special orchid plants. Materials are worry-free, labor-saving and convenient; those with financial difficulties can use local materials or choose cheaper planting materials; third, whether the humidity and ventilation of the orchid-growing environment are good. If the humidity is relatively high and the ventilation is good, It is suitable to use granular coarse planting materials; in dry environments, it is suitable to choose plant materials with fiber and good moisture retention; fourthly, whether the air permeability of the orchid pot is good, and the mud pots have good air permeability, you can choose those fine ones. A small amount of planting material should be used; coarse-grained planting materials should be used in porcelain pots, plastic pots and other pots with poor air permeability.
Specifically, there are the following formulas for reference only:
1. Prepared with 30 celestial soil, 50 gold-planted stones, and 20 ceramsite or red brick grains. This proportion of granular plant material is loose, breathable, easy to manage, contains nutrients, and can retain moisture. It is suitable for purple clay pots, porcelain pots, and plastic pots. The fairy soil in this formula is naturally developed in Mount Emei, Sichuan, and the second best is artificially synthesized. We need to remind everyone that once the fairy soil is completely dry, it will not easily absorb water. You need to soak the fairy soil for more than 2 days before preparation, and then use it after the interior of the fairy soil is completely infiltrated. When maintaining orchids, special attention should be paid to preventing the orchid potting material from drying out and losing water.
2. Mix and prepare 20 pieces of mountain mud (or immortal soil, nutrient soil, granular pond mud), 20 pieces of red brick particles, and 60 pieces of weathered stone (purple rock soil) or soybean-sized pebbles. This formula not only has the characteristics of the previous formula, but also has good heat preservation, is economical, easy to use local materials, and has good effects. Suitable for purple sand basins and porcelain basins.
3. 40 decomposed sawdust, 40 purple rock soil, 10 red brick particles, 10 loose mud. This recipe has the lowest cost and is a commonly used formula by orchid farmers in rural areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. However, if the sawdust is not mature, because fresh sawdust contains oil, it is not easy to absorb water when it is first watered, and it is very easy to dry. However, after a few hours, it becomes extremely water-absorbent. If it is not watered in time, the sawdust will absorb the orchid roots. If you are not careful, the orchid roots will become dehydrated if you are not careful. Therefore, the purple rock soil in this formula should be mixed with coarse and fine soil to enhance moisture retention. It is best to accumulate and ferment sawdust first, and then use it after it is mature.
4. Mix and prepare 50 pieces of Songliwang and 50 pieces of river stone (or plant gold stone). This formula is very suitable for novices to grow orchids; while veterans of orchid cultivation mostly use a mixture of peat soil and Songliwang, or use all Songliwang to grow orchids. Pine and Chestnut King is a mixture of fully decomposed pine bark and chestnut bark. It is not only in granular form, but also rich in probiotics, which is very suitable for the growth needs of orchids. In recent years, most orchids grown in China prefer to use soft planting materials to grow orchids, because everyone has found that orchids grown with granular soft planting materials not only have a high seedling rate, but also have green leaves and are easy to bloom, and the flowers have a fragrant fragrance. It is also richer than orchids grown on hard planting materials and contains sufficient fertilizer, which can fully meet the growth needs of orchids. However, its disadvantage is that its air permeability is relatively poor, and watering is difficult to control. Therefore, it is not recommended for novice orchid growers.
In short, the choice of planting materials for growing orchids should be adapted to local conditions. You don’t have to stick to one method, but you can’t just do it in a haphazard manner. If you hear that this kind of soil is good today, you will replace it with this kind of soil, and tomorrow you will hear about that kind of planting method. If the material is good, then changing to that kind of planting material will cause the orchid to toss quite a lot, which is extremely detrimental to the growth and development of the orchid. Especially for friends who live in urban buildings, if they are cultivated on the outdoor roof, the plant material used should be better in moisture retention; if they are cultivated in a damp environment or indoors, the plant material used should be better in air permeability and drainage. Nowadays, more granular plant materials are used in the south, while humus soil containing bark and leaves is used more in the west. Orchid friends are reminded here that no matter which planting material is used to grow orchids, they must remember: "Those planting materials should be wet pipes, and fine planting materials should be dry pipes." Do not put the cart before the horse.