How to mix orchid soil better
This article introduces how to mix orchid soil better and a brief description of the best orchid soil formula related to green plants and flowers, as follows:
Plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum are known as the four famous flowers of China, especially the noble and elegant temperament of orchids, complemented by their unique fragrance, making them essential potted plants for many flower enthusiasts. However, orchids are delicate and have high requirements for soil, so ordinary garden soil is not suitable for growing them. Today, I will teach you how to mix soil suitable for orchid growth, allowing your orchids to thrive!
Orchids have high requirements for soil. As the saying goes, "First, take care of the roots when growing flowers," but to grow healthy orchid roots, you must have soil suitable for orchid growth, so that their roots can grow stronger.
Orchids have fleshy roots, so loose and fertile soil is more suitable for healthy orchid growth. Moreover, since fleshy roots are susceptible to waterlogging, overly damp soil can easily cause root rot, so ensuring good soil ventilation and water permeability is also very important.
Therefore, when mixing orchid soil, it is crucial to have loose, fertile, well-ventilated, and slightly acidic soil. The simplest method is to mix decomposed leaf soil and sandy soil in a 2:1 ratio, as decomposed leaf soil is rich in nutrients and contains many trace elements needed for orchid growth, meeting their daily growth requirements. However, decomposed leaf soil retains water well, so to avoid waterlogging, we need to mix in some sandy soil, preferably larger particle-sized sand, to improve drainage and ventilation.
However, when mixing soil, you should also consider the environment in which you are caring for your orchids. The purpose of adding sandy soil is to balance the water retention of decomposed leaf soil and ensure soil drainage. If it rains a lot in the south and the air is relatively humid, you can increase the proportion of sandy soil. Conversely, if you are in a dry northern area, you can reduce the proportion of sandy soil.
How to mix orchid soil better
Additionally, there are many other materials that can replace decomposed leaf soil and sandy soil, such as pine needle soil, peanut shells, coconut shells, and pine bark, which are rich in nutrients and have good water retention, while perlite, vermiculite, volcanic rocks, ceramsite, and coal cinders have excellent drainage and can be used as particle soil instead of sandy soil. You can choose whatever is most convenient for you, as they all have the same effect.
However, while it is important to mix soil suitable for orchid growth, it is even more important to maintain the soil after planting. Orchids prefer slightly acidic soil, so we should never water orchids with tap water, as it contains a lot of chlorine and is alkaline, which is not suitable for orchid growth. If you have to use it, you should let it sit in the sun for a while before watering the flowers.
Usually, we can collect rainwater or snow during rainy or snowy days to water orchids, as rainwater and snow are slightly acidic and contain abundant nutrients, which are very beneficial for orchid growth. If we notice that the potting soil turns white, it means it has become too alkaline. In this case, we should water the orchids with a well-diluted ferrous sulfate solution once a month to help the soil return to acidity. However, ferrous sulfate should not be used frequently. Once the soil returns to acidity after 2-3 months, you should stop using it, as continued use can harm the plant!
In summary, when caring for orchids, you must observe and adjust the soil and care according to the condition of your orchids to ensure they thrive!
The above content about how to mix orchid soil better and a brief description of the best orchid soil formula introduced by Green Enthusiast Network is hoped to be helpful for green enthusiasts!