Those who first encountered the cultivation of orchids at home, can not understand how they grow without soil, often making the mistake of acquiring the usual soil mixture for planting. But the root system of the flower necessarily requires free access to air, otherwise it will quickly die. As a result of this, before you buy this queen of the tropics, you should study in detail its "taste preferences" and determine what soil is needed for orchids.
Soil composition requirements
Many amateur gardeners are interested in whether ordinary land can be used to grow beautiful orchids. The land for such plants is different from all other soil mixtures that gardeners are used to. Epiphytes are not recommended to be planted in ordinary land taken from a flower bed or from a garden. They will need to create a substrate that is ideal for an unusual way of growing. Below are described the main components of the soil mixture for orchids, as well as their preparation before planting the plant in a pot.
Substrate for orchids
You can purchase individual components of the soil in the store or assemble it yourself. In fact, it is not difficult to assemble the substrate with your own hands, most importantly, the desire and compliance with elementary rules.
Bark
Orchids are planted in a substrate, which includes the bark of any tree or even shrub. However, most of the tree species has a relatively thin and strong shell, which is not very suitable for orchids. For phalaenopsis soil, it is best to use a porous, but thick bark. It is this kind that can well absorb and retain more air and moisture, which are needed for breathing and nourishing the roots of the orchid, improving its color.
Note! It is best to use the pine bark of mature trees, which are more than 50 years old, and they have a shell thickness of 8-12 mm in the lower part of the trunk.
Places where you can pick up bark for orchids are absolutely accessible to everyone. This is a pine forest, park or square, where these trees are planted. If a sawmill is located nearby, bark can be taken there.
Note! Tearing bark from living trees is strictly prohibited. Mechanical damage can be the main cause of pests in the open "wound" of the tree. In addition, fresh bark includes many tarry substances harmful to orchids.
When harvesting the bark, it is necessary to cut the wood.
Land for orchids
Coconut fiber
The coconut base is made from the shell and outer skin of a coconut. The substrate component is well suited for orchid cultivation for the following reasons:
- it is considered completely organic, without extraneous harmful inclusions, which makes it also environmentally friendly;
- easy to use and relatively inexpensive;
- can be used as an independent basis, as well as as a component for the preparation of the substrate;
- coconut fibers are characterized by good moisture capacity and aeration - the necessary components for the growth of orchids.
Important! The soil acidity based on such a fiber is neutral, that is, a completely comfortable environment is created for the full development of the roots.
In its pure form, coconut flakes can be used, but it will be more justified for large orchids. Small flowers need a substrate of small fractions of coconut shell
Charcoal
In addition to the pronounced drainage effect, charcoal will undoubtedly help balance the acidity of the soil for orchids. But, like another adsorbent, coal will accumulate extremely many salts after a while. After this useful, he will not bring anything to the plant. Therefore, from time to time it will be necessary to replace it with a new one.
It can be poured in a small amount and only into the substrate for those flowers that do not need constant fertilizing. If you add a lot of charcoal to the pot with an orchid, there is a risk of salt imbalance.
For your information! You can use standard charcoal from a burned bonfire. Be sure to rinse, dry and grind it well. Slices should be 4-5 mm in size (no more than 1 cm).
Minerals
These components are introduced into the substrate along with nutritious top dressing, which makes it possible to compensate for the lack of nutrients in the main micro- and macroelements of the soil mixture. Minerals also prevent the accumulation of various salts in the soil, and also help maintain a certain acidity of the entire substrate. Orchid dressing includes nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, boron and magnesium, iron and sulfur. In a minimum dosage, an orchid needs top dressing, in which there is zinc, chlorine, silicon, sulfur, manganese and other minerals.
Components of the substrate for orchids
Additionally, you can use the following components for the substrate: fern roots, foamglass, sphagnum moss. Many gardeners add polystyrene pieces, but it’s best not to.
If you need to add fern roots, you can dig them yourself. Only large parts of the root system should be used. It is worth remembering that the larger the ground part of the plant, the wider the root system, which is what is needed. Roots are recommended to be washed well with warm water, dried, chopped into pieces no longer than 2 cm.
Note! If you want to add sphagnum moss to the flowerpot with an orchid, then you can collect it in the spring after the snow melts in the lowlands. This component is characterized by a bactericidal property and perfectly accumulates water. Apply it only in a dry and fresh form.
Foam glass is a foamed base that has excellent moisture capacity. The unusual, spongy structure of the substrate makes it possible to accumulate water in the micropores of the soil, and evaporate through macropores. This allows oxygen to penetrate the root system of the plant, nourishing them thoroughly.
Soil composition options for orchids
Of course, you can buy ready-made soil mixtures for orchids in flower shops, but they can have a lot of stones. Therefore, in order to preserve the plant, it is best to make a substrate for the orchid with your own hands. Phalaenopsis develops well enough in the soil from components in the following ratio:
- two parts of gravel and pine bark;
- one part of charcoal and expanded clay.
You can use such a primer for orchids:
- three parts of oak or pine bark;
- one part of expanded clay, fern roots and charcoal.
The composition of the soil for orchids with your own hands can be selected independently. Most importantly, all components must be processed and well dried. This will remove all pathogenic fungi.
Requirements for soil preparation at home
To make a substrate for orchids with your own hands, you must carefully prepare each component. Maximum attention is required to bark of trees, moss sphagnum and fern roots. Niche is a step-by-step plan for preparing substrate components.
- Collect bark from dried trees and boil it for half an hour. After that, it is good to dry it.
- Then pour moss with boiling water for 2-3 hours and remove dead insects from it. After that, dry the moss well.
- It is best to dig up the roots of fern in the forest. Be sure to rinse, grind and dry them in the shade.
- All components of the soil for orchids at home are stored in a ventilated container and mixed together only before use.
- After that, the land for orchids is poured with hot water for a couple of hours.
Note! The finished soil mixture should also be prepared for planting a houseplant. Initially, it is sifted well to remove dust and small particles. They will only prevent the plant from developing normally, clogging free space.
If the soil for the orchid has an unusual mushroom smell, it is forbidden to use it without disinfection, since pathogenic microorganisms are already actively growing in it. Contaminated soil must be poured with boiling water for 2-3 hours or boiled (for 1-1.5 hours). After that, it must be treated with a special antifungal agent.
Soil preparation
Air humidity
Almost all varieties of orchids for good growth and flowering need to maintain optimal moisture levels at the proper level:
- for phalaenopsis 60-80%;
- for epidendrum 50-75%;
- for cattleya 60-70%;
- for bulbofillum 40-50%.
Note! Moisture rates for intra-genus varieties and hybrids can vary significantly. Therefore, the growing conditions for each specific instance should be clarified even before buying an orchid.
Signs that the plant is feeling unwell due to extremely dry air:
- the edges of the sheets turn yellow and dry;
- the buds fall off a little;
- long break between flowering phases;
- leaf elasticity decreases;
- the plant is withering.
Most of the orchid varieties and hybrids grown in home floriculture adapt very well to room conditions and feel normal at humidity from 40 to 60%. The problem is that in winter during the heating season this indicator can drop below 20%. There are several ways to increase the humidity in a room:
- buy a humidifier or a steam generator;
- grow an orchid in the florarium;
- place an aquarium or a small decorative fountain near the flower;
- constantly irrigate the space near the flower from the spray gun;
- put wet clean towels on the batteries;
- install the flowerpot in a tray with a moist filler (moss, expanded clay, pebbles).
The soil
When determining what kind of land is needed for orchids, it is worth remembering that the substrate must be such that the roots of the plant can develop normally and properly fix in the pot. The composition of the land for orchids has traditionally been a number of ingredients not only natural but also artificial. They are selected and mixed so that the root system is not rotted, the flow of air and light is not limited. The acidity of the earth for an indoor flower should be medium, pH5.5-6.5.
One of the best purchased formulations is considered to be orchiat, which consists of the bark of New Zealand pine. Many flower growers advise planting precisely young plants in such a composition, which can quickly become firmly rooted for elements of the substrate. Orchiat retains in its composition all the beneficial nutrients and microorganisms.
Note! This porous soil mixture perfectly absorbs, retains and gives off moisture.
Choosing an Orchid Pot
A flowerpot for an orchid is not just a means to highlight the beauty of an indoor flower. Properly selected pot should be small in size and with side openings. The inside of the pot should be smooth.
Pot selection
Clay
In stores you can find a wide selection of clay orchid pots with lots of holes on the sides.
The roughness of the clay inside the pot can cause the roots to grow into the walls of the flowerpot and to quickly dry out the soil mixture and roots. To avoid this, you need to select glazed clay pots, their surface is slightly smooth.
Clay allows you to permanently maintain the desired temperature. Before planting an orchid in such a flowerpot, you should lower it in water for a couple of hours. This will enable the pot to be saturated with water, which it will then give to the roots of the flower. If you need to disinfect the clay pot, then you need to put it before soaking in the oven for 2 hours at a temperature of 200 ° C.
Important! Flowerpots made of clay and ceramics should choose light shades. This will exclude overheating of the measles system of the orchid when exposed to direct sunlight. There should be many holes in such a flowerpot, and not just one through which all excess water cannot escape.
Plastic
Literally all orchids, except terrestrial species, are sold in stores in transparent plastic shipping pots. The advantages of such flowerpots:
- Pots made of plastic are considered inexpensive and convenient. Through the transparent walls it is easy to understand whether it is necessary to water the flower;
- the roots of orchids hardly grow to plastic, and if necessary, an orchid can easily be pulled out of a pot for transplanting into another flowerpot or for the purpose of division;
- thirdly, the roots of many orchids photosynthesize to the same extent as the leaves, and access to sunlight is necessary for their normal formation.
If you bought a flowering orchid in a standard transparent plastic pot, do not rush to transplant it. In such containers, the flower can successfully grow and bloom well for a long time. If you still decide to transplant the plant, it is not recommended to take too large a flowerpot, where there is a lot of free space. Otherwise, the orchid will spend energy not on flowering, but in order for the root system to more likely fill the void of the flowerpot and fix itself firmly in it.
Well, what soil to choose for planting is described above. It is worth listening to the advice so that the acquired exotic flower does not die after transplantation.
