What growing medium is best for growing orchids on a balcony?

BalconyOrchid growingWith no land available for use, you must have orchid pots and growing medium; these are the most basic requirements. There are many kinds of orchid pots on the market now, and the one I use most is the clay pot. This kind of orchid pot has good breathability and water evaporates quickly, which favors root development. Next is the plastic pot; its advantages are that it is small, takes up little space, and is relatively clean and attractive, but its breathability is poor, and if you water too much it easily causes root rot. I also use a small number of purple clay pots; their characteristics are similar to plastic pots, attractive and practical, and those with holes in the pot wall are the first choice. For growing medium, what I originally used more of was Emei Xiantu; its granular structure is good, its breathability is strong, and it favors root development. But it dries out very easily, so before use it must be soaked in water for three or four days, and only after the water has penetrated is it ready for potting. Later I also used humus soil from the mountains; it is entirely loose in texture, contains relatively more organic matter and nutrients, and also has fairly good water-holding and fertilizer-retaining performance, which favorsorchidgrowth. But it must go through two rounds of screening. First the powdery fine soil must be screened out, and then it is divided into coarse particles and small particles; the coarse particles are used for the lower part of the orchid pot, and the small particles for the upper part, and before use it must be sun-dried or sterilized at high temperature. There is also a portion of red brick granules and Tangji orchid stone, used as the medium for the above two growing media, each accounting for one quarter to one fifth, mixed and used together. Orchid pots and growing medium must be paired scientifically; water-retaining plastic pots and purple clay pots should use the highly breathable Emei Xiantu mixed with red brick granules. Breathable clay pots can use the strongly water-holding and fertilizer-retaining humus soil mixed with Tangji orchid stone; only in this way can you maximize strengths and avoid weaknesses, and give full play to their respective advantages.