Add these 5 things to orchids, and they will bloom with hundreds of flowers and a rich fragrance

Friends, if you want your potted orchids at home to grow many shoots and strong seedlings, the growing medium is the key! Choosing the right growing medium not only promotes more shoots, vigorous roots, and strong seedlings in home potted orchids, but also lets them bloom every year, with dozens of flowers at a time! Today, the editor will talk about several formulas that can help home potted orchids achieve the above results.

1. Shiitake mushroom soil. Shiitake mushroom soil is slightly acidic. Its main advantages are that its nutrient content is moderate and its fertilizer effect lasts a long time; it is light and loose, with strong water permeability and air permeability, and good water retention and fertilizer retention. Orchids cultivated with it have well-developed root systems, thick leaves, and dark green, glossy leaf color. The proportion of shiitake mushroom soil in the mixed material (volume ratio) is generally 20%-30%. Practice shows that if shiitake mushroom soil is used alone to grow orchids, the thickening and widening of orchid leaves are more obvious, especially prominent in Cymbidium ensifolium types.

2. Peanut shells. Do not throw peanut shells away randomly either; they are still a good material for growing orchids. Fermented peanut shells not only have a certain fertility, but also have strong drainage, and the gaps between the growing medium particles are relatively large, which allows water and air in the pot to circulate easily. First crush the peanut shells a bit, then after fermentation, mix them with soil, or mix them with gravel; the results are all quite good.

3. Rice husk charcoal. Adding rice husk charcoal to the mixed material not only loosens the soil, improves soil structure, facilitates drainage, and raises soil temperature, but also promotes photosynthesis in orchid plants, helps the synthesis of carbohydrates, benefits orchid root growth, prevents orchid plants from lodging, and improves resistance to pests and diseases.

4. Moss. Every year when repotting orchids or when potting them newly, use the sandwich method: first put a layer of nutrient soil in the pot, then a layer of moss. Then plant the orchid in, then add another layer of nutrient soil, and finally cover with a layer of moss. After this treatment, no matter how much water you give the orchid, you do not need to worry about root rot or yellow leaves, and the roots will grow abundantly and be sturdy.

5. Oil cake fertilizer. Oil cake fertilizer is a traditional fertilizer for growing orchids. Oil cake is the product of pressing rapeseed oil, also called oil residue or oil dregs. It belongs to plant fertilizers, is acidic, and is especially beneficial to orchid growth. Use it after composting and decomposing. Store it sealed in a plastic bag for more than half a year; exposing it to the sun can speed up the fermentation and decomposition time. After decomposition, mix it into the soil to plant orchids. You can also crush the oil cake and bury it directly in the soil far from the orchid roots. In this way, the orchids can go a whole year without fertilizing!