Orchid cultivation should use different potting media depending on the different orchid pots

Manyorchid growers, experts and veterans alike, have drawn on their many years of experience to select a variety of usableorchid growingpotting media, such as mountain soil, pond mud, leaf mold, moss, volcanic rock, pond foundation stone, expanded clay pellets, charcoal granules and so on. These fall into no more than two major categories: one can be called soft potting media, such as mountain soil, pond mud, leaf mold, moss and the like; the others, such as volcanic rock, pond foundation stone, expanded clay pellets and so on, are hard potting media. Soft potting media have small particle size, high density, are rich in humus and relatively loose and airy; while hard potting media have large particle size, low density, excellent air and water permeability, are free of stray microbes and not prone topests and diseases. Both are beneficial to orchid root growth and both are excellent potting media. Because of their low density and excellent water permeability, old clay tile pots are highly praised by manyorchid growers, who consider them the best choice for growing orchids; their only drawback is a rough appearance that is slightly inelegant. Purple clay and plastic orchid pots with air holes in the pot walls, on the other hand, have become favored by some orchid growers in recent years because of their beautiful, elegant appearance and the advantages of being light and clean. However, because the pot body has high density and poor water and air permeability, improper handling can easily destroy an orchid overnight. How can potting media and orchid pots be used correctly? This requires us to carefully analyze and grasp the dialectical relationship between the two. As mentioned earlier, soft potting media are rich in humus and have relatively high density; if this kind of medium is used together with a coarse clay tile pot for growing orchids, the orchids will surely thrive. Conversely, if it is used with a plastic, purple clay or similar pot of equally high density, it can easily cause poor root respiration, water accumulation in the pot and ultimately root rot. By the same reasoning, if a hard potting medium with large particle size and low density is used, it should preferably be paired with porcelain, plastic or ceramic pots. If a clay tile pot is used, the overly strong air permeability of both pot and medium, together with the principle of reverse water absorption, will cause the inside of the orchid pot to remain dry for a long time, ultimately causing orchid roots and leaves to dry up and die from lack of sufficient water. In short, when using a potting medium of high density and good water retention, one should consider first choosing a clay tile pot of low density and good air and water permeability; conversely, when using containers such as plastic or ceramic, one should choose a potting medium of low density and excellent water and air permeability. Take the author and Mr. Cui Yukuan of Liaoning as an example: we both live in the cold, dry region of Northeast China, and the climates of the two places differ slightly. But our ways of growing orchids are very different. Mr. Cui is skilled at using leaf mold as a potting medium, paired with clay tile pots. The author, however, often uses expanded clay pellets, volcanic rock and the like as potting media, paired with porcelain or plastic pots that retain moisture well. Yet ourorchidsall grow very well, and we have each summarized some of our own insights on orchid growing. The reason is precisely that, in our use of orchid pots and orchid potting media, we have both, intentionally or not, straightened out the dialectical relationship between pot and potting medium. (Heilongjiang - Liu Jun)