Advantages and Making Method of the Orchid Pot Bottom Hole Cover

OrchidsLike other green plants, the roots carry out respiration, exhaling CO2 and inhaling O2. Orchid root fungi also fix free N2 from the air; if the gas exchange of orchid roots is blocked, thenorchidswill have abnormal internal metabolism, leading to poor growth and even death by suffocation. Therefore, how to make the air exchange (convection) between the inside and outside of the orchid pot unobstructed, so as to meet the O2 requirement needed for gas exchange by orchid roots, has become an important subject in growingorchidswell. For several years, the author tried many kinds of soil and covering materials for the bottom hole of the pot, but the results were all less than ideal. Since 1992, waste plastic bottles have been cut in half crosswise and made into an "inner cover for the bottom hole of the pot," replacing the previously used hole-covering materialfor growing orchids. After several years of observation and comparison, the orchids in every pot that had been fitted with a "bottom hole cover" grew much better than those in pots without a "bottom hole cover," and the orchids in every pot grew vigorously. The reason is that the inner side of the "bottom hole cover" has a large space, forming an air storage chamber inside the pot. This makes it easy for outside air to enter (seep) into the pot through the bottom hole, then permeate through the small holes in the cover wall into the gaps among the granular material around the outside of the cover wall, then enter the loose potting soil and reach the pot surface before returning to the outside space, forming a circulation (convection) of air between the inside and outside of the potting soil. This satisfies the gas exchange needed for orchid root respiration and the N2 needed by orchid root fungi. So the effect is good. Second, the potting soil is less likely to become waterlogged. Third, the orchid pot is lighter and not difficult to move. Using it to grow other potted flowers also gives very good results. The processing of the "pot hole cover" is extremely simple. That is, after washing a plastic bottle with a diameter of more than 8 cm, cut it in half crosswise, then heat a 5 mm thick iron wire until red-hot and burn regular small holes all over the bottle wall, and it is done. If you want the "bottom hole cover" not to move inside the bottom of the pot, after determining the height of the cover (1/3 or 2/5 of the height inside the pot), use scissors to cut the lower edge of the cover wall into several 1 cm wide tabs. According to the formula: inner diameter of the pot bottom = diameter of the lower edge of the hole cover + length of the folded-back tabs, obtain the length of the tabs, then according to the obtained tab length, fold them back and press them flat, and it is all completed, kept for later use. The method of using the "pot hole cover" is as follows. Buckle the "bottom hole cover" over the bottom hole inside the pot, then take calcined coal cinder or waste refractory brick (lightweight) and crush it into particles 1 cm "square," pour them into the area around the outside of the hole cover wall up to the top of the cover, then take palm fiber and cover it over the surface of the charcoal cinder (or refractory brick cinder), then add potting soil and plant the orchids. The author's practice has proved that using the "pot bottom hole cover"for growing orchidsgives very ideal results. Specially dedicated to orchid friends who lovegrowing orchids(with soil) to try. Xie Mingxin