Potting medium from woods?

[The Orchid Boy]

I live in the country and their is a small "forest" around our place. In the forest there is leaf litter with leaves, bark, twigs, and other things mixed in. I have two paphs that need repotting soon. Since most paphs grow in the leaf litter, could I use this as a medium? If so should I soak it first overnight?

[Merlyn]

You'd be asking for trouble ! Critters and their eggs ALSO love the leaf litter !

[The Orchid Boy]

Is there any way to sterilize it or kill the little critters like boiling it?

[Ray]

Such medium was pretty standard - about 100+ years ago.

I would think that boiling would sterilize it, but would also accelerate its decomposition.

You'd be better off buying a decent mix.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You can get reptile products and garden products to make your own top soil/leaf litter mix.

Reptile hobbyists have access to cypress mulch.

Do not use redwood mulch. Redwood has growth inhibitors that can cause problems.

Top soil can be purchased at a garden center or nursery.

You can grab some sticks and twigs from your own backyard and clean those off using hot water, some insecticidal soap, or some Physan 20.

Oak tree leaf litter can be purchased from a garden center or nursery. Not sure if there are any other kinds of leaf litter that can be purchased.


Also, be careful which kinds of Paphs you use a mix like this for. Make sure it is a semi-terrestrial Paph and not an epiphytical one!

Do keep in mind that if you're growing Parvis or Brachys many of them grow on calcium hills and mountains, so the bedrock is limestone, and they grow amongst the top soil/leaf litter with some limestone rubble mixed in. This is not 100% necessary, but it can be a safety buffer for calcium loving Paphs.

Most people just depend on their fertilizers and tap water to provide the calcium.