Best Growing Medium

[Mevv]

I have been deciding on purchasing two orchids online, brassavola nodosa and Vanilla planifolia and I don't know if I should also buy potting soil from the website at the same time. I have only ever potted orchids with success in bark chips before and where I have moved to there does not seem to be any.

Instead I have seen expandable clay and pine chips packaged and sold as garden mulch and I do not know if either of these would be good for the orchids I am trying to grow.

I did find a bag of soil sold specifically for orchids here but when I opened it, it looked more like soil with many old fibrous roots and twigs in a dirt like substance, nothing like I was told orchids like.

Any suggestions would help as I would like to lower the cost of my online order if purchasing soil from them is not needed.

[Discus]

Brassavola nodosa grows well mounted by all accounts, saving you some trouble. As far as I recall, portugal makes a lot of cork. You can use a slab of that to mount it.

For the vanilla, have a look at http://www.orchidboard.com/community...lanifolia.html

[WhiteRabbit]

I have a B nodosa in fir bark mix.

I have found fir bark and/or fir bark mix for orchids at Home Depot, a local hardware chain, local retail nursery. I believe Lowes should also carry some.
So, check these types of places, if you haven't already.

[Discus]

IIRC, despite their country flag, Mevv is now in Portugal, so the various US chain stores aren't that easy to get to now :/

[tucker85]

Orchids don't grow in soil so I'm surprised that they sell soil that's labeled for orchids. I've successfully grown orchids in both expandable clay and pine chips so, since those are available to you, I would experiment with either of those or a mixture of the two. There is no universal 'best medium' because it depends on your environment, the humidity and your watering habits. I don't grow brassavola nodosa but here, in hot, humid South Florida, many people grow them mounted.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Although there are orchids that do grow terrestrially, Brassavola nodosa is not one of them.

Brassavola nodosa is primarily found growing as an epiphyte, (a plant that grows on trees), but can also be found growing as a lithophyte, (a plant that grows on rocks).

Here's some good info on it complete with in-situ photos:

Orchids from Green Drop Home - Orchids : Brassavola nodosa - orchids, rare plants, fertilizer, materials and equipment, all for hydroponics - delivery of plants all over the world

With this species you have a large range of potting media to choose from.

I'd either do:

1. A medium to large grade bark mix.

2. Hydroton/LECA.

3. Lava rocks.

4. Diatomite.

5. Wood mount. (i.e.: cork, cherry wood, apple wood, etc.)

[james mickelso]

Also don't overlook plain old gravel. Nodosa grows very well in plain old 8-12mm (1/4 to 1/2 inch) gravel. Any old gravel. Vanilla is a vining type grower and as such grows very well on some type of tall support like a trellis or grape stake. And it will grow in coarse soil that doesn't hold water for long periods. Very coarse sand mixed with chunky mulch will do fine.