POTTING MEDIA: What's Best for the Plant?

Culture Orchid Doctor

by Robert M. [Bert] Hamilton (Compiler)

Originally published in The Orchid Doctor in 1980 and 1988

Posted by Sys Admin almost 8 years ago.

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It is not the medium that grows the plant but the grower. A83-470
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Potting Media Comments
POTTING MEDIA: Absent From the Pot It can be done: vandaceous genera, various dendrobiums and oncidiums, in South Florida will grow in their containers without visible means of support if the owner can find the time to syringe, water, spray, pamper and fertilize them without fail. F83-65 0
POTTING MEDIA: Acidity Test Use litmus paper and test the pH of the water as it runs out of the bottom of the pot. ODA76(1)-30 0
POTTING MEDIA: A New But Already Long-lasting Mix Equal parts of charcoal, peat and styrofoam is a satisfactory mix for nearly all orchids. Wll-212 0
POTTING MEDIA: An Excellent Test Mix This choice was for a 50/50 mix of coarse fir bark and coarse peanut shells. AU84-202 0
POTTING MEDIA: An Open and Aerated Condition This combination is an import-factor in the accommodation of a healthy root system which in turn supplies adequate water and nutrition to the plant extremities. AU84-199 0
POTTING MEDIA: Artificial They are surprisingly many: such things as foam rubber chunks, polystyrene beads, chips, or chunks, expanded clay or ceramic products and other inert media can be well worked by any grower who understands the cultural needs of the plants. F83-64 0
POTTING MEDIA: Best Media for Test Work The formula is: 3 parts charcoal, 5 parts pine bark (both about 1.2cm. in size), 2 parts chopped bracken fern, 3 parts peanut shells, 2 parts rice hulls; do not add any peat moss, sand or other fine material. AU84-202 0
POTTING MEDIA: Calcinated Clay Pellets Leaching and drying will move salts to the surface of calcinated clay; organic fertilizers do not make any difference; a nutrient solution designed to supply the plants with their nutrient requirements without harmful residues is the thing to use. A77-1101 0
POTTING MEDIA: Charcoal and Brick For vandas, arachnids, aerides, etc., in Malayasia it is satisfactory in an area of high humidity and much rain. A71-153 0
POTTING MEDIA: For Excellent Growth Also Both terrestrials and epiphytes produce more growths, leaves and flowers in a mix of 50/50 sphagnum peat and perlite than in tree fern mixes, or bark. Hort. revs. 1983-288 0
POTTING MEDIA: For Hot Areas In hot countries fir bark deteriorates too fast, as also does sphagnum moss, so tree fern is the major choice, mixed three parts to one part of chipped redwood bark. F87-182 0
POTTING MEDIA: Guidelines for Selecting the Right One A chart for the main types of cultured orchids, equitants or terrestrials, with recommendations, drying-cycle times, which mounts, containers and media. A81-1323 0
POTTING MEDIA: Ideal Ones For an air-to-water ratio of 1:2, we should try to achieve a mix with a percentage ratio of Air 20 to 25%, Water 40 to 50% and solids 20 to 25%; by following a list of 18 prescribed steps; the ratios for the mixes used can be easily determined; refer to NZ85-24 0
POTTING MEDIA: Long Lasting In hot South Florida use 3 parts tree fern to one part chipped redwood. F85-80 0
POTTING MEDIA: Media Ingredients Mixing Place all the materials in a plastic bag with sufficient water then roll it around to mix them well; set the bag aside for three to four days. A69-577 0
POTTING MEDIA: Physics and Chemistry The basics of aeration; insufficient oxygen as against abundant water; the problem of excess salts in lava rock and the like; the advantages of plastics; the pH rating is not critical; refer to OA86-171 0
POTTING MEDIA: Re-use Never, under any circumstances use old potting media to re-pot your good plants. A75-481Opinions may vary as to the advisablity of using old media on good plants; material accumulated from old cattleya pottings can be re-used for re-potting cymbidiums. A75-696 0
POTTING MEDIA: Survey A prize-winning essay study of all the materials widely used in the U.S., with concerted opinions and judgments on their current uses, likes and dislikes for each one, advantages and disadvantages of each, the national percent of users of each, amount of time waited between repottings, their costs, etc., refer to A86-488 0
POTTING MEDIA: Table for Beginners Actually a sophisticated tabulation and arrangement of about 25 ingredients of mixes arranged in three categories and from the least-absorbent to the most so; and then keyed to recipes deemed suitable (a coarseness guide provided) for a dozen genera; refer to Ca85(l)-16 0
POTTING MEDIA: The Best by Test Of crushed granite, coarse bark, charcoal, peach pips, peanut husks, peat, perlite, polystyrene, vermiculite, coarse sand, broken brick, pine needles, foam rubber, etc., and "flaky" bark and the best one for the experimenter was the flaky bark, otherwise not identified. SA86Sept-12 0
POTTING MEDIA: The Fine Ingredients Can Be Harmful In an open mix do not add such things as peat moss, or sand as they cause rotting of the roots, excess water retention, salts retention, and black rot. AU84-202 0
POTTING MEDIA: Water Retentiveness To reverse the usual levels of wetness try large polystyrene chunks at the bottom of the pots, large cork bits or wine corks in the middle and top it off with an inch of peat and perlite; it is enhanced by a "net" pot. OR84-81 0
POTTING MEDIA: White Fungus Growth When they appear in the mix they will not likely harm the plant but they can be controlled by means of a Physan drench at the rate of 1itpg.; do not repeat it for two or three weeks. A82-920 0

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