How to grasp the suitability of orchid potting medium for different groups
Promote Chinese orchid culture, spread orchid knowledge
Potting medium is the very foundation for an orchid plant to establish itself and continue growing. Through the ages, orchid growers have never dared to treat it lightly; their strictness in selecting soil bordered on the harsh, showing how highly they valued it. Yet when studying ancient texts, what is valuable is not to be bound by antiquity, but to keep the essence and discard the dross. Therefore, for orchid growers, potting medium should be chosen with an awareness of its suitability for others who may later introduce the plant and divide the seedlings, and when it comes to such suitability, humus soil ranks first.
The second point, finding soil: although superior humus soil is not easy to obtain, knowing where it is found is not difficult. You can look beneath rocky cliffs in high mountain mixed forests; the higher the cliff face, the better the humus soil. The reason is simply that such places easily accumulate dead branches and fallen leaves.
The third point, taking soil: when taking the soil, sweep away the undecomposed leaves on the surface layer, and take the thoroughly rotted soil below. Where the soil layer is thick it is about one chi, where shallow only half a chi. Its color is black, appearing earth-white when dry, and undecomposed leaf veins can still be seen in the soil clumps. When taking it, it is best to take it mostly in clumps.
The fourth point, soil properties: this soil is loose and porous, strong but not overly rich, and its fertility is long-lasting. It moistens easily when dry, and its moisture-holding power is long-lasting. Compared with other soils, it is heavy when moistened by water and light when the water dries. Its virtue lies in holding enough water without leaching out; its only shortcoming is that over the years it easily breaks apart.
The fifth point, selecting soil: before sieving the humus soil, it should first be sun-baked so that it clumps first and is then sieved. If the quantity is large, it can be divided into three grades: large, medium and small. For variety seedlings, grades large and medium can be used; the small grade can be used for hope grass and the like. Among it, thoroughly rotted dead branches that crumble easily when pinched and are rather loose and porous can also be mixed into the humus soil; they are truly a superior fine material for growing orchids. Only the undecomposed leaves should be discarded and not used, for fear that when planted in the pot another day, they may lie flat and cause water accumulation, and excessive moisture may produce stuffiness, harming the orchid. If sun-baking for disinfection still leaves you uneasy, it can be steamed once more, then dried in the shade for later use.