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Guide

Make Own Orchid Potting Mix | Best Soil Recipe


MAKE OWN ORCHID POTTING MIX | BEST SOIL RECIPE

Posted by Orchid Plants CarePosted in Guide

Disclaimer:orchidplantscare.com participant in the Amazon Associates Program.
This means that qualifying purchases made through our Amazon.com links may
result in a commission for us. This no extra cost to you.

Every orchid grower has their favorite formula for orchid potting mix. There are
as many different orchid soil recipe formulas as there are growers. The primary
consideration is to select one which is proper for your plants.


If you want to buy a high-quality best orchid potting mix, you can get it
cheapest at your local stores or online through Amazon, but before that, read my
tips on how to choose the best one for your loving plants.

Adding several soil amendments to the commercial mix enhances its quality and
improves aeration and drainage. This type of soil will make your orchid happy
and bloom many flowers.

Orchid Potting Mix



Many indoor growers will try different orchid soil mix media, looking for that
perfect formula. Generally, it takes around one growing season to test a media
for the orchid substrate. 

The biggest threat to orchids is too much water. These plants are natively
growing on large trees, stems /branches, or rocks in tropical rainforests. Even
after heavy rains, the water recedes and dries up quickly on those surfaces.
Therefore, excess moisture is harmful to orchids.

I suggest using a balanced mix of ready-made orchid potting soil with your own
orchid soil amendments for home growers. Using that method, you can easily
manage its moisture level according to climate conditions.

 

Table of Contents

 * Do orchids need soil?
 * How to select Orchid potting medium ingredients.
 * Ready-Made Orchid Potting Mix.
 * Best Orchid Potting Mix Recipe Guide based on orchids species.
 * Orchid Potting Mix For Cattleya
 * Orchid Potting Soil Mix For Oncidium and Seedling
 * How to make orchid soil for different climates.
 * DIY orchids soil recipe.
 * FAQ.


DO ORCHIDS NEED SOIL?

Orchids do not like regular soil. So you cannot plant orchids in potting soil
that we use for typical houseplants. It needs a unique substrate. 

The majority (around 70%) of orchids belong to the Epiphytic family. As I
mentioned earlier, this variety of plants grows on top of trees. Therefore
orchids prefer large particle-size ingredients as a growing medium.

Barks is a nutrient-rich potting mix for many house plants, including orchids
and succulents. This substrate retains less moisture and takes a long time to
break down. 

With the support of a sound root system, orchids get nutrients and moisture in
the air. These airborne micronutrients are enough to thrive and produce flowers
and seeds in the plant. Due to that reason, orchids grow aerial roots.

Generally, orchids love to grow in the air than in the heavy compact soil
medium. However, when you are growing orchids indoors, this is not advisable.
Because indoor places lack airborne micronutrients and moisture. Therefore
orchid’s aerial roots dry up quickly.

 


HOW TO SELECT ORCHID POTTING MEDIUM INGREDIENTS.

 * Maintenance of pot stability. 

See also  Why are orchid roots dry shriveled?

Generally, these tropical plants grow several inches higher. Therefore your
potting media should have enough weight to maintain the pot and plant stability.
Lava rock and clay chips are reasonable solutions for increasing a pot’s
weight. 

 * Improve humidity and drainage. 

Orchids do not like to grow in low humidity and high moisture. Therefore your
orchids substrate should have enough organic and inorganic materials to balance
it. Charcoal, perlite, pumice, and coconut husk are good ingredients to improve
humidity. 

 * Airflow inside. 

Since these orchids prefer to grow in the air, it is essential to use more
prominent particle size mediums as your soil. Even if you choose the right pot
for orchids, if the substrate particles get smaller, it blocks inside airflow.
Use more than 1 inch (2.5cm) of larger particles to improve aeration. These size
particles will help orchid roots expose to air.

 * Orchid variety root systems. 

It is essential to choose the right potting mix for orchids. If the plant has
fine roots, tiny seedlings, or orchids, you must use a small particle size
medium. If you have a thick root orchid, like Phalaenopsis, use larger size
orchid bark. 

 

 


READY-MADE ORCHID POTTING MIX.

Ready-made orchid potting mix is blended depending on the orchid species’ needs
and based on the orchid type. It’s very comfortable for orchids growers. Many of
these products are sterilized to protect orchids from fungal diseases.

Some ready-made orchid potting mixes contain tiny particles less than 1/4 inch
in size—such a mix is best for propagating orchids or fine-rooted plants. Always
choose a potting mix of 1/2inch or larger for thick rooted orchids. That size of
particles substrate improves the potting mix aeration and drainage. 

So if you want your orchid to thrive and reward you with gorgeous blooms, you
should choose an orchid potting mix based on each genera’s needs. You can find
special blends for Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, Miltonia,
Oncidium, and Paphiopedilum.

After long years of experience, I have come up with very high-quality orchid
potting mixes available on the market. Fir bark classic orchid mix is a good
standard commercial mix. Though I do not use them, I always add a few extra
ingredients and make DIY own orchid soil recipes. This potting mix is blended by
the orchid’s particular need depending on the orchid type and species. 

It’s perfect for orchid growers, novices, and advanced growers because it is
already made, and it is an excellent formula for each type of orchid. 

 

 


BEST ORCHID POTTING MIX RECIPE GUIDE BASED ON ORCHIDS SPECIES.

 


ORCHID POTTING MIX FOR PHALAENOPSIS.

Monopodial orchids like Phalaenopsis will remain in the same pot for years if
the orchid potting mix does not break down and hold too much water. 

See also  How Often Water Orchid Plants?

Choose a perlite/charcoal (medium size) mix, peat mix, sphagnum moss, rock wool,
or medium fir bark for monopodial orchids if you are not a heavy waterer. Choose
tree fern, pumice, baked clay, lava rock, or cork nuggets if you tend to
overwater. 

 

Pine Bark, Perlite, Baked clay Orchid Potting soil.

 


ORCHID SOIL MIX FOR PHALAENOPSIS MONTEREY.

Phalaenopsis Monterey soil recipe ingredients. You can mix the following
ingredients. Alternatively, you can purchase rePotme Phalaenopsis Monterey Dark
Imperial commercial mix.

 * Sphagnum Moss.
 * Pine Bark.
 * Medium Cork Nuggets.
 * Large Sponge Rock.

 

Orchid potting mix

 

 


ORCHID POTTING MIX FOR CATTLEYA

Cattleya and other large sympodial orchids need a growing media that will last
several years. Large fir bark is the most popular. As the bark breaks down, the
interval between watering becomes longer. If you are a heavy waterer, check out
this orchid potting mix.

If you prefer a ready-made commercial mix, you can purchase high-quality
Cattleya Imperial Orchid Mix. This commercial mix is exclusively created for
cattleya orchids.


ORCHID SOIL MIX FOR CATTLEYA.

 * Medium Cork Nuggets.
 * Medium Pine Bark,
 * Medium Aliflor
 * Large Sponge Rock.

 


ORCHID POTTING SOIL MIX FOR ONCIDIUM AND SEEDLING

Oncidium and Seedling Classic Orchid Mix includes:

 * Small coconut husk chips,
 * Small sponge rock,
 * Chopped sphagnum,
 * Charcoal,
 * Granite chips.

This Classic Orchid Mix blend is for all seedlings and fine rooted orchids such
as Oncidium, Odontoglossum, Epidendrum, Lycaste, Masdevallia, and Miltonia.

You can easily find an all-purpose orchid potting mix on the market, but I am
not a big fan of universal potting mixes because various orchid species’ needs
differ. However, you can purchase an oncidium-specific imperial orchid mix. This
commercial mix is specifically created for oncidium orchid species. 

 

 


HOW TO MAKE ORCHID SOIL FOR DIFFERENT CLIMATES.

We must mix organic and inorganic matters depending on the climate conditions.
This ratio will balance the orchid soil mix moisture level and drainage. 

For colder climates, use more inorganic matters to reduce the moisture level.
You can use more charcoal, fired clay chips, perlite, and pumice. These
materials will help to dry to potting media quickly. The best organic materials
for colder climates are pine barks, wood chips.

For dry and less humid climates, use more organic matters to hold moisture for
longer. However, it is not advisable to use more and more water-retaining
materials. It can lead to orchids root rotting. The best organic materials for
dry and less humid climates are coconut husk chips and wood chips.

 

 


DIY ORCHIDS SOIL RECIPE.

If you cannot easily find a ready-made orchid potting mix, you can make your own
orchid soil mix with few ingredients. 

It is advisable to maintain the correct organic and inorganic materials ratio
when making your own recipe to keep the potting mix aeration, drainage, high
humidity around the roots, and moisture level.

See also  Are Banana Peels Good For Orchids? | Make Odor Free Water.

The best organic and inorganic ratio for DIY orchid soil recipes are 50:50. When
using more inorganic materials, it quickly dries out the potting media. These
materials will increase the regular watering and fertilizer. You can use fir
bark classic orchid mix as a base mix. It contains medium fir bark, medium
sponge rock, and medium stalite. You can add the following organic and inorganic
materials to enhance the quality of the potting mix.

 



 

Inorganic materials.

 1. Lava rock.
 2. Terracotta chips.
 3. Perlite
 4. Charcoal
 5. Pumice.
 6. Granite chips.

 

Organic materials.

 * Fir bark.
 * Coconut husk chips.
 * Cypress fiber.
 * Redwoods chips and fiber.
 * Peat moss potting mixes.

These organic materials have different water holding and exchange capacities,
which will influence your management once the orchid is potted. 

Therefore, always use balanced inorganic materials to maintain and absorb excess
moisture.

 

 


WHAT IS THE BEST SOIL PARTICLE SIZE FOR ORCHIDS?

The ideal size for orchid soil particles is ½ inch to 2-inch size. This range
improves the aeration and supports the plant’s aerial roots, freely growing and
capturing airborne nutrient molecules. 

However, it is not recommended to use lower than ½ inch. It makes the substrate
more compact and blocks aeration.

 


HOW TO MIX ORCHIDS SOIL INGREDIENTS. 

This is the final step of making your own orchid mix. Collect required tools and
equipment. 

Get organic and inorganic matters in a 50:50 ratio. This type of rato is
suitable for most plants. 

Using a small shovel, mix everything well. 

 


FAQ.


IS CHARCOAL GOOD FOR ORCHIDS?

We can find many benefits in using charcoal for orchids’ soil mix. It can
eliminate foul odor, absorb excess moisture, prevent bacteria and fungus
activities (which help prevent orchids root rot), absorb toxic substances on
water, and improve soil aeration. Charcoal takes a longer time to break down.
Therefore charcoal is excellent for orchid potting mix.

 

 


CAN I USE BONSAI SOIL FOR ORCHIDS?

Bonsai soil is an excellent soil alternative for orchid plants. It contains
akadama, lava rock, and pumice. These inorganic matters improve the aeration and
drainage. I recommended using 1-inch (3cm) size particle ingredients for your
DIY orchid soil recipe. 



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