How to Use Willow Bark as Orchid Growing Medium
A new flower collected in Hubei, its bloom appearance is very close to the Chunlan (Cymbidium goeringii) cultivar (Cui Yipin), named by orchid enthusiast yuesha.
Author: Fushi
Willow bark, as the name suggests, is the bark of the willow tree. Whether in ancient China or Western countries, there are records of using willow bark as medicine. Willow bark contains natural salicin, which after absorption is converted by enzymes into salicylic acid, making it a natural painkiller. Before modern Western pharmaceutical technology became widespread, "Willow Bark Extract" was the only pain-relieving liquid at the time.
The salicylic acid contained in willow bark is a natural plant hormone, and as an orchid growing medium it has the effect of promoting roots and strengthening seedlings. Many orchid enthusiasts have also been seen using willow bark, with mixed results. So is willow bark actually good or not?
As a discussion post, I will also share how I use willow bark. Everyone can share their thoughts and supplement each other.
In 2008, I went to visit a local orchid-growing friend, Jinling Shanren. Watching him repot, one pot had a large piece of willow bark as a drainage layer at the bottom, and I saw the orchid roots directly passing through this willow bark, which left me stunned. That was when I fell in love with this growing medium. Collecting it takes a lot of effort; later I bought several woven bags of it at the medicinal herb market in Bozhou, Anhui, and shared them out among close local orchid friends. The result of using it directly was seedling collapse. I summed up 2 reasons: 1 was that it had not decayed at all, 2 was that the proportion was too high. When the growing season came, the whole pot was full of mycelium, all beneficial bacteria, yet the seedlings still collapsed. Too much is not a good thing.
Gradually I adjusted the proportion, and gradually I became more proficient. Now I use it like this: semi-decomposed willow bark makes up 5 to 8 percent, not exceeding one tenth. There are two reasons. First, among barks, willow bark is relatively active in performance and easily breeds fungi. Too much instead affects the permeability inside the pot, and the fungi take over as the main presence. Second, if it is fully decomposed, then the salicylic acid that willow bark is proud of will also be lost along with it.