Miracle Gro Orchid Potting Mix

[dianecty]

Hi! Have any of you guys used Miracle Gro Orchid Potting Mix? I bought it and it looks like soil, not chips. Can't an orchid rot in this?

[moogiemama]

I bought some and used it for the semi-terrestrials like my paphs, cycnodes and cymbidiums. I just repotted about a month ago, and everything seems to be fine. Haven't attempted it with the others, though.

[Ray]

Diane - this is another example of having to look at the whole picture.

If you are very careful to lightly moisten the medium, keeping it loose and airy, it can be OK, but if you water heavily, it will become compact and hold water too well between the particles, suffocating the roots. If your growing environment favors rapid evaporation and requires very frequent watering, it might actually be a pretty good choice.

[moogiemama]

I also went to the dollar store and purchased a large plastic colander that is dedicated to orchid media. I shake the dry media outdoors to remove any really fine particles then rinse several times. You can find colanders with different sized holes to match the size of the medium you happen to be working with. Since I was using the Miracle Grow mix for the paphs, etc., I skipped this step. But it may be an option if you plan to use it for some others. - Lynn

[dianecty]

That is what happened when I used bark before. The bark compacted and made the roots rot. Maybe i should just return it.

Thanks.

[susiep]

Diane, I use orchid "dirt" mixed with phal mix about half and half. Most people don't, but I learned to grow by myself (trial and error) long before I knew about OB so I do things differently. I grow outside in south Florida where it is very hot 6-8 months out of the year and rains about 5 months out of the year. Some of the orchids just stayed parched even with rain and watering so I started adding this "dirt" to my bark to hold the water close to the roots a little longer. It has helped some of my plants (phals and dens). But this may be all wrong for your conditions. Good luck!

[Jkelee]

Originally Posted by susiep

I use orchid "dirt" mixed with phal mix about half and half.

Hi Susie,
I live in FL too, and was curious as to What Orchid dirt is?
And Where do you get it?


I'm curious if you are speaking of what I currently have some of mine in as well.

[susiep]

Well, like Diane, the first time I bought it I was surprised by it's dirt-ness. But I tried it with good results. One product you sometimes see at Home Depot is Grower Ron's Orchid Mix. It comes in a big yellow tub (which is excellent for storing orchid mix in!) I thought it was too much dirt, so I added regular Phal mix (bark) about half -half. Now I kind of mix up my own concoction depending on what plant I am repotting (and trial and error). It almost varies plant to plant, not just by phal, den, etc. What I like about it is the fact that it has organic matter broken down very small which releases nutrients to the plant until it eventually washes away. I don't use a lot of fertilizer, so this dirt added nutrients that they responded to very well. In a basket, you have to cut some metal screen to hold the dirt in for a while. Otherwise it washes away after the first watering. In our very hot weather, bark alone seems to dry out too quickly. Moss becomes hard and I never use it. It works for me.

[dianecty]

Susie, you don't use it by itself? You always have to mix it with something else?

[andyburr]

Thanks for the interesting posts! I'm a newbie with several phals purchased at a flea market from a nursery--the pots have a LOT of sphagnum and they're way too wet. I'm repotting with a commercial mix of fir bark, charcoal and a bit of perlite. It's pretty pricey. Does anyone know: can I use pine bark for some of the mix?