Remember 2 things when mixing soil for orchids: don't be afraid to use soft potting medium, and avoid hard potting medium

Hello to all you orchid growers. Today, Little Gardener will continue talking about the issue of mixing soil for orchids. Generally speaking, orchid soil mixes are either coarse granules or fine soil. Today, Little Gardener wants to talk about one detail within this, which is that when you growers are mixing soil for orchids, you must neither "fear soft" nor fail to "avoid hard." Take a look.

1. When mixing soil for orchids, don't "fear soft"

Let's first talk about the matter of "fearing soft." Nowadays, in orchid groups or among orchid enthusiasts, most of the soil mixes commonly mentioned are granular mixes, which leads many beginner growers to not dare use fine soil to grow orchids. In fact, soil is the source of all things. When caring for orchids, if soil is lacking, it is very hard to grow orchids with fragrance. We should not be afraid to use "fine soil." Used properly, it is the key to making orchids grow strong roots and increase fragrance.

So, how should fine soil be used? If you are a beginner orchid grower, Little Gardener suggests mixing just 3 parts fine soil into the potting medium for orchids, with other potting media making up 7 parts. Soils that can be mixed in include leaf mold, peat soil, coconut coir, and so on. They are soft soils, fine soils. Little Gardener also knows that quite a few skilled growers use all fine soil to grow orchids. This has relatively high requirements for the environment and for care, and Little Gardener does not recommend beginners use it this way.

2. Mixing soil for orchids is closely related to top dressing

In fact, the nutrients in fine soil are more abundant than in coarse potting media, so when we are caring for them, top dressing can appropriately be delayed a little. But if you use large potting media or hard potting media to grow orchids, then we must do a good job with top dressing. Hard potting media paired with organic fertilizer for root growth can strengthen and nourish roots, and hard potting media paired with organic fertilizer for flower promotion can promote flowering and preserve flowers. Keeping two bottles of plant-fermented organic nutrient solution at home is enough.

3. When mixing soil for orchids, you also need to "avoid hard"

Let's now talk about the matter of "avoiding hard." What Little Gardener means by avoiding hard is actually a good habit from the older generation when mixing soil for orchids. They would use granular stone or other granular materials, but they all used them only after "processing." The older generation said that they soaked red bricks in water for several days, then took them out and crushed them into gravel; afterward, if a slight squeeze by hand did not form a sharp edge, they then added 1/3 pine bark to plant orchids. After a few months, by comparison, they found that the orchids grown this way were in better condition than those grown with Kanuma soil.

One point that many beginner growers do not notice is that the older generation would specifically process these granular stones a bit, grinding off the sharp cut edges so that they did not form blade-like edges. In this way, when potting, there is no need to worry about them cutting the orchid roots. Orchids have fleshy roots, so we must pay attention to this detail. When using large potting media, during the vigorous growth period, organic nutrient solution must be used promptly for top dressing. This step is necessary.

That is why Little Gardener says that when you growers are potting orchids, you must not "fear soft," but you must "avoid hard." In fact, this is what these two details of soil mixing are about. Fellow orchid growers, do you agree with what Little Gardener says?