Orchid Potting Materials

[capemaycowboy]

I hope this doesn't sound to dumb but would it be possible to repot my orchids in cypress mulch. If not, what other forms of repotting material that are easily available would you recommend? Thank You!

[Gage]

Not a bad question. Cypress mulch is going to rot and then cause the roots to rot. Better to use fir bark or coconut husk chips mixed with charcoal or expanded clay pellets. What kind of orchid are we talking about.

[giuseppeorchids]

well, martime pine bark is not hard to find, at least here in italy...
it can be found in DIY stores

[Bud]

I use mix of:
sponge rock
lava rock
charcoal
medium fir bark
coco chips
broken clay pot to small pieces or hydroton

go to repotme.com and they have several mixes for any kind of orchid and then you can start from there....I copy their mix according to what I have on hand or what I can get around me

[tucker85]

I see you're in Florida. What kind of orchids will you be growing and are you growing them indoors or outdoors?

[Orchid126]

Fir bark is not interchangeable with pine bark. They're two different things. Pine bark breaks down much quicker than fir bark and plants potted in it must be repotted far more frequently. Coconut husk chips also don't break down quickly and clay pellets last forever.

[Vanda lover]

I have started using coconut husk chips recently, because I found that the plants that I have in them are doing quite well. I find that it has a tendency to be dry on the outside while retaining a slight bit of moisture in the middle of each chip. I also mix in other mediums such as lava rock, perlite and charcoal.

[Leafmite]

I mount most orchids or use lava rock as a medium. Exceptions are a ludisia, bulbo, and vanilla. The medium you use will be based on the conditions where you are growing, what you grow, how often you like to water, and whether you/the orchids like repotting frequently.

[gardengirl13]

It depends on the orchid. For me personally, which depends on your house, how you water, and a few other things, I use a mix of bark, perlite, charcoal and spag moss. I just buy the better-gro mix and mix in the moss. I think it can be found nationally at most larger stores. I buy it at my local garden center, but others have bought it at home depot and lowes.