Potting method explained - Liwei Watering Series Episode 4

Liwei "Watering" - 4 (Potting) For potting I use the wet-planting method: because thoroughly soaked growing medium is dripping wet, it gets black mud all over your hands, the pot, and the roots. So I first put in a layer of large medium as a base, rinse it clean with a strong stream from the shower head, hold the orchid seedling in my hand, position it upright, then add a layer of medium along the edge of the pot, rinse it clean again with a strong stream from the shower head, and so on until the pot is full. The large-particle medium makes up 1/5 of the pot height, the medium-particle medium makes up 1/5-3/5 of the pot height, adjusted flexibly according to how strong the plant is, how many shoots it has, and how many roots it has. In principle, for plants that are strong, have many shoots and many roots, use relatively less medium-particle medium and more fine-particle medium. After filling to 80% with medium, hold the orchid seedling lightly with one hand, grip the pot with the other and gently shake the medium so that it settles firmly around the orchid roots, then rinse clean again with a strong stream from the shower head (this both washes the orchid roots and medium clean and helps the medium settle firmly around the orchid roots). When you have filled up to the base of the pseudobulb, you can add slow-release fertilizer, such as: Osmocote, Haokangduo, Magic Fertilizer, etc. Once you add more medium, there are several issues to resolve: 1 Deep planting? 2 Shallow planting? 3 Aesthetics? 4 Practicality? The books say: an orchid planted well will topple in the wind, using this as a metaphor for shallow planting. (The medium level at 2/3 of the pseudobulb is considered good.) This statement, used in old orchid books or still used today with traditional planting methods (mountain mud, mountain leaf mould, natural orchid soil, etc.) and in regions with high climate humidity, is completely correct. Because the medium used in the old traditional planting methods has fine particles, lots of leaf mould and grit, good water absorption, and high fertilizer and water retention. If used with today's pure granular hard-medium planting methods and in regions with low climate humidity, it is a bit nonsense. Everyone knows: the larger the gaps between particles, the better the ventilation, and the worse the moisture retention, and it also does not block light. The bud points of the pseudobulb only develop well, strongly, and in greater numbers in dark and moist places. And if the surface of the medium has poor moisture retention, its buds are small, few, and the new shoots have few roots. In summary, I use deep planting combined with aesthetics and practicality: fine-particle medium (diameter about like a small pea) level with the top of the pseudobulb at 0.5-0.8CM (1.5-2.0CM for Cymbidium faberi) and with a relatively high proportion of Kanuma soil (Kanuma soil has high water absorption and water retention, is both attractive and practical, the only downside being that over time it grows green moss). After potting, rinse clean again with a strong stream from the shower head, each time rinsing until clear water flows out (the water bill is a bit higher, a bit wasteful), then place in a cool, ventilated spot, and after a week put it back on the shelf as normal. Also: some people say: deep planting makes soft rot more likely, and makes the leaf core rot easily - also nonsense. Still the same saying: if it is going to get sick, it will; if you cannot save it, throw it away; if it is not going to get sick, it will not. Some people will say what I say is also nonsense, so then just take it as a reference!! Typing is too slow, we will talk about fertilizer next time. [Liwei Watering——5 (Fertilizer)