This charred little thing is a great orchid-growing treasure; mix in 2 parts and your orchid is transformed

Orchid lovers, when you care for your orchids, have you ever discovered the "orchid-growing treasures" around you? This is one of the joys of growing orchids. Today, this little gardener will share with you an "orchid-growing treasure" found by another orchid grower. Use it well, and it is a true treasure. Come and take a look (orchid photos from orchid friend Wenxiang Shilan).

1. A great orchid-growing treasure, the charred "little thing"

The orchid-growing "treasure" this grower discovered is the charred bamboo charcoal shown below. This is hard bamboo charcoal, similar to the charcoal at home but not quite the same. In fact, if you use this thing to grow orchids and use it well, the effect is like adding wings to a tiger, but if you use it poorly, it can also become the driving force behind an orchid's "death." Let's see how to use it.

2. Using charcoal to grow orchids, there are three ways

How do you use this kind of charcoal to grow orchids? Learn this little gardener's method: the larger, harder pieces can be placed directly at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, covering up to "one fifth" of the pot's height; the finer granules can be mixed into the orchid potting medium, with a ratio of best only "2 parts"; and keep those charcoal powders too. When an orchid is sick or injured, after treatment, mix it with fresh soil when repotting, and the effect is very good.

3. Using charcoal to grow orchids has three benefits

What are the benefits of these three methods? First, large pieces of charcoal at the bottom of the pot ensure air permeability at the bottom and let the roots breathe smoothly; second, charcoal granules have fine pores, drain water quickly, yet have strong water- and fertilizer-retaining properties, although the charcoal granules themselves carry few nutrients; third, charcoal granules have a certain sterilizing effect, which helps wound recovery and can inhibit wound infection, making them useful for cuttings or replanting.

4. Using charcoal to grow orchids, there are also "little tips"

Having said these benefits, many orchid growers are probably a bit tempted. Haha, don't rush. As mentioned earlier, charcoal granules themselves are not rich in nutrients. If the potting medium you use is also fairly coarse, then during care we need to prepare orchid-specific Huayu organic nutrient solution to supplement fertilizer. Only with charcoal granules combined with potting medium plus organic nutrient solution can orchid roots develop better and the flowers bloom more fragrantly.

5. Clever use of charcoal in pots, everyone who has tried it says it is good

Not only for growing orchids, when we grow other flowers in pots, we can also mix a little "charcoal granules" into the soil mix. They can make your soil mix more reasonable, improve drainage and aeration, effectively prevent compaction, and also retain water and fertilizer. However, the amount should not be too much, about 2 parts is good; too much is instead not good, and growers should remember this too.

Orchid growers, do you have this kind of orchid-growing "treasure" around you? If not, you can also try using charcoal or charcoal bits. If you have other orchid-growing "clever tricks," please also share them with all of us.