What is the best potting material?
The simple answer: Whatever your vendor or source recommends and stocks is best. Orchids, in general, will grow satisfactorily in many different potting mixes if watering and fertilizing are adjusted appropriately. That is, if the basic requirements for moisture, root aeration and support are accommodated, the most readily available media in your particular area is probably the one that has proven to work the best. Orchids are grown today commercially in a variety of media, from straight fir bark, to sphagnum moss, to the increasingly popular peat-based mixes best exemplified by Pro-mix. Watering frequency is generally inversely proportional to the porosity of the media used; in other words, the faster the mix drains, the more often you ll have to water. Complicating the answer is the knowledge that many, if not all, of the most often seen potted flowering orchid plants in garden centers and other sales venues have been potted into larger containers in fresh media almost immediately pr
Best is whatever your vendor or source recommends and stocks. Orchids, in general, will grow satisfactorily in many different potting mixes if watering and fertilizing are adjusted appropriately. That is, if the basic requirements for moisture, root aeration and support are accommodated, the most readily available media in your particular area are probably those that have proven to work the best. Orchids are grown today commercially in a variety of media, from fir bark to sphagnum moss to the increasingly popular peatbased mixes best exemplified by Pro-Mix. Watering frequency is generally inversely proportional to the porosity of the medium used. In other words, the faster the mix drains, the more often you have to water.
Orchids, in general, will grow satisfactorily in many different potting mixes if watering and fertilizing are adjusted appropriately. At Winsome Orchids, we produce three types of bark-based potting medias geared for different types of orchids. The difference is in the chemistry and water retention of the mix.
The simple answer: Whatever your vendor or source recommends and stocks is best. Orchids, in general, will grow satisfactorily in many different potting mixes if watering and fertilizing are adjusted appropriately. That is, if the basic requirements for moisture, root aeration and support are accommodated, the most readily available media in your particular area is probably the one that has proven to work the best. Orchids are grown today commercially in a variety of media, from straight fir bark, to sphagnum moss, to the increasingly popular peat-based mixes best exemplified by Pro-mix. Watering frequency is generally inversely proportional to the porosity of the media used; in other words, the faster the mix drains, the more often youll have to water. Complicating the answer is the knowledge that many, if not all, of the most often seen potted flowering orchid plants in garden centers and other sales venues have been potted into larger containers in fresh media almost immediately pri
