A Detailed Guide to Using Yixiang Soil and Watering Techniques
1. When potting, do not press it down firmly; plant it loosely and airily. After potting and watering, the growing medium will swell and settle into a certain natural state of looseness and firmness. 2. The settling water must be watered thoroughly. Yixiang Soil uses all-natural organic materials. To reduce shipping costs and make transport easier, we dry the raw materials fairly thoroughly, so the first watering is very hard to soak through...
When potting orchids, first spread out the roots before filling in "Yixiang" soil. While potting, shake the pot and tap the pot walls so the orchid soil fully contacts the orchid roots. Do not press it down with your hands. Pay attention to ventilation, and appropriately increase light in spring, autumn and winter. After potting, you must soak the pot or water thoroughly again for 3 consecutive days (settling water) to make later care easier. After that, once the top 2-3 cm of the pot surface is dry, water thoroughly. Deworm once every six months. Do not fertilize within 1 year. After one year, you may apply some organic fertilizer as appropriate based on the orchid's growth. In summer, water after the temperature drops in the evening; do not water in the morning, to prevent water collecting in the leaf cores and causing rot. In winter, water at noon when there is sun; do not water in the evening, to prevent freezing.
1. When potting, do not press it down firmly; plant it loosely and airily. After potting and watering, the growing medium will swell and settle into a certain natural state of looseness and firmness.
2. The settling water must be watered thoroughly. Yixiang Soil uses all-natural organic materials. To reduce shipping costs and make transport easier, we dry the raw materials fairly thoroughly, so the first watering is very hard to soak through. You must water thoroughly again for 3-5 consecutive days until it is fully soaked. Alternatively, sprinkle some water before use to moisten the soil before potting; after that, it will be easier to water each time while it is in a moist state.
3. Many orchid growers like to mix Yixiang Soil with hard growing media to increase the air permeability in the pot. In fact, hard media become quite heavy after absorbing enough water, and over time they will instead press the potting soil tight, affecting air permeability. The loose, airy permeability of Yixiang Soil far exceeds what the orchid itself needs. If you must add something, we still recommend adding bark, leaves or tree-fern fiber to increase the air permeability of the potting soil.
4. According to surveys, the reason most orchid growers fail to achieve ideal results is that they grow the plants on the dry side. In spring, summer and autumn, watering thoroughly once a week or less often is not as effective as watering thoroughly once a week, and watering thoroughly once a week is not as effective as watering thoroughly twice a week. (In winter, watering thoroughly once every 1-2 weeks is normal.) The specifics should be adjusted up or down according to the environment, weather and pot type. Based on observations from my orchid garden's growing experience, with clay pots that dry quickly, about once every 3 days is best; with plastic pots, about once a week is best (once the top 2-3 cm of the pot surface is dry, you can water thoroughly). In winter, orchids grow slowly, so you can manage them slightly on the dry side. We do not recommend watering every day; even if that does not cause root rot, it will not produce natural, original-ecology roots.
5. Use light sensibly. "For the farmer's crop to bloom, it all depends on fertilizer as the master," and "all things grow by relying on sunlight." Yixiang Soil is made from entirely natural organic materials. In addition to the major elements and various trace elements it contains, a variety of beneficial microbial flora has also been added to Yixiang Soil. Without photosynthesis, the nutrients in Yixiang Soil will not be absorbed by the orchid roots.
6. Having wind is not the same as having ventilation. Ventilation means there must be moving air, not stagnant air. In recent years, most orchid growers have gradually attached more importance to the importance of ventilation. Good ventilation can help orchids suffer fewer diseases, and can also make the growing medium dry faster so you can water more.
7. The difference between moisture retention and being too wet: many orchid growers remain confused in this misunderstanding. The main reason Yixiang Soil enables most orchid growers to easily grow orchids well is that it drains quickly, yet retains moisture for a long time. All orchidaceous plants prefer to grow in soil that is moist but not waterlogged and that is loose and airy; only then can they grow well and thrive. So what is moist but not waterlogged? Let me give an example: after a cotton-padded jacket is soaked in water and absorbs enough, at that point the jacket contains a large amount of free water. If you put it in a washing machine to spin-dry it, or wring it out by hand (with no water that can drip out), then the jacket is in a moist-but-not-waterlogged state.
8. Treat whatever disease there is, and kill whatever pest there is. Never use medication casually, and you must also treat the cause and follow the proportions. Do not casually increase or decrease the proportions: a large amount causes harm, a small amount is useless.
Precautions for Using Yixiang Soil:
When potting orchids, first spread out the roots before filling in "Yixiang" soil. While potting, shake the pot and tap the pot walls so the orchid soil fully contacts the orchid roots. Do not press it too tightly with your hands. Pay attention to ventilation, and appropriately increase light in spring, autumn and winter. After potting, you must soak the pot or water thoroughly again for 3 consecutive days (settling water) to make later care easier. After that, once the top 2-3 cm of the pot surface is dry, water thoroughly. Deworm once every six months. Do not fertilize within 1 year. After one year, you may apply some organic fertilizer as appropriate based on the orchid's growth. In summer, water after the temperature drops in the evening; do not water in the morning, to prevent water collecting in the leaf cores and causing rot. In winter, water at noon when there is sun; do not water in the evening, to prevent freezing.
More on How to Use Yixiang Soil
1: Pour the opened bag of Yixiang Soil into a container and stir it a few rounds first, in order to mix it evenly for later use.
2: If it is a purple-clay pot or clay pot, place a drainage cover in the bottom of the pot as a base. For plastic pots with no holes in the walls, skip this and use it directly.
3: With your left hand, hold the orchid by the pseudobulb area and put the root system into the pot. With your right hand, first grab 2 handfuls or scoop 2 small scoops of the large chunks of Yixiang Soil and fill them into the pot, then continue filling it full. Turn the pot or tap the pot walls so the roots and Yixiang Soil fit closely together. You may press it lightly firm, but do not press too tightly with force, so as not to affect air permeability and drainage speed.
4: With the pseudobulb level with the pot rim, Yixiang Soil can be mounded into a steamed-bun shape, about 3 cm above the pot surface. Then find the large chunks of peat in the Yixiang Soil, tear them into a fluffy mass and spread it over the pot surface (replacing the role of sphagnum moss on the pot surface). The purpose is to keep soil from floating or spilling out when watering later.
5: After planting, it is time to water the settling water. No matter the season, and no matter the variety, the settling water must be watered thoroughly. For 3 consecutive days, not three times in one day; the purpose is to moisten it so it is easier to soak through. (In winter, when it is very cold and below zero, be sure not to water, to prevent freezing damage to the orchid roots. Water only after there is no temperature below zero for the following three days.)
6: If the orchid after planting is in the high-temperature season of June-August, keep it in slightly shaded conditions for 2-3 days. If the root system is good and the orchid is healthy, it can also be placed directly in the sun with normal care. In spring, summer and autumn, water thoroughly 1-2 times a week; in winter, water thoroughly once every 1-2 weeks or give a light watering, depending on whether the pot is too dry. (Growers who keep orchids outdoors need not worry on rainy days; even 20 consecutive days will not cause root rot.)
7: Pay attention to ventilation at ordinary times; orchids are afraid of being stuffy. Once stuffy, they easily get diseases. Orchids like light, especially Cymbidium faberi; give more light and they will be tough and sturdy!
8: As long as you understand the above steps and our key management points, growing orchids well is very simple and easy, and you will succeed at orchid growing! (Orchid growers who do not understand may consult us.)
9: As long as they are not hormone-treated plants, greenhouse plants or plants carrying pathogens, there will absolutely be no collapse of the plants, soft rot or similar phenomena. Do not blame Yixiang Soil whenever there is a slight problem. Normal, healthy plants will quickly adapt after potting during the growing season and begin to root and sprout, and after half a year they will begin to regain vigor.