Detailed Explanation of the Method and Steps for Making Your Own Three-Mix Soil Planting Medium

Nowadays,growing orchidsthere really are quite a few planting media. In the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, there is traditionalorchidmud for sale; at the Qingshiqiao flower market in Chengdu, there is "Leca" produced with patented technology introduced from Switzerland; Sichuan Emei Mountain's Xiantu, Taiwan, China's Tangji orchid stone and pine-cypress orchid stone, and imported tree fern are all available at large and small flower markets everywhere. Interestedorchidenthusiasts might as well buy some and give them a try; it is said thatgrowing orchidsthe results are quite good. Working-class orchid enthusiasts who are not in a position to buy these (Leca is currently sold only in a few specialty stores in Chengdu, Deyang and other places) had better mix their ownorchid-growingplanting medium. Buying soil has the advantages of buying soil, and making your own has the pleasures of making your own; growing orchids is all about the word "joy." Mixing your own orchid planting medium should follow three principles, namely, easy access to materials, simple production, and low price. Based on my own and others' orchid-growing practice, and after repeated trials several times, I finally succeeded in making a three-mix soil planting medium. Mix old soil from repotting or other soil (saline-alkali soil cannot be used), sawdust or broken dry leaves, finely crushed rapeseed cake or soybean cake, and sesame oil residue (available at farmers' markets and small grain shops, and not expensive), in a volume ratio of 10:(7-10):(3-5), and stir evenly; then put the mixed material into a vat or plastic bucket, add water while stirring with a wooden stick, and at the same time drip in a little household seasoning vinegar, stirring until it becomes a muddy slurry. Then place it in a corner and let it ferment naturally. After several months, take the mixed material out of the vat or bucket and put it in the sun to dry. After drying, crush it and sift it. The granular soil is placed separately in bags by size for later use, while the fine powdery soil is kept for the next batch to be composted again. At this point, the three-mix soil is fully prepared. The raw materials for making three-mix soil are easy to obtain, the production process is simple, and the price is not high. If you calculate the cost carefully (excluding labor costs), the three-mix soil orchid planting medium is about one or two jiao per kilogram. This is something everyone can afford. The only drawback is that the preparation time is too long. Objectively speaking, if there is space to store it, a longer preparation time is greatly beneficial. If it can go through one summer of sun exposure and then one winter of freezing, the soil quality of the planting medium will certainly be improved even more, and using such a planting medium to grow orchids will surely produce even better results. Most of the soil used by the famous senior orchid growers in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area was piled up for one or two years before use. To sum up the preparation process of the three-mix soil planting medium: mix -> compost -> sun-dry -> sift. The prepared three-mix soil is fertile and loose in texture, slightly acidic, with good drainage and aeration, and it feels very light in the hand. Put it into water, and it first floats on the surface; after absorbing enough water, it sinks to the bottom. At the bottom of the water, it remains entirely granular for one or two months. From many years of orchid-growing practice, three-mix soil should be regarded as an economical and practical orchid planting medium. (Jiangsu - Tong Ligen)