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Bio Leaf Premium Orchid Potting Mix
Our Premium Orchid Potting Mix is made from quality hard orchid bark, tree fern fibre, hardwood charcoal and pumice. It has been carefully blended to hold enough water without becoming waterlogged.
Depending on your growing setup and the time of the year watering will required every 3 to 5 days.
Under normal situations, the potting mix should last for about 3 years before repotting is required.
Bio Leaf Premium Orchid Potting Mix is available in 2 grades:
Mix 1: Bark that is approximately 3 to 9mm in size and is suitable for orchids growing in a 2”-3” pot size. This mix is suited for orchids that have thinner roots like the Oncidiums or roots that require slightly more moisture like Paphiopedilums.
Mix 2: Bark that is approximately 8 to 20mm in size and is suitable for orchids growing in a 4”-5” pot size. This mix is suited for orchids that have thicker roots like the Cattleya or Phalaenopsis or roots that require slightly less moisture like some of the Vanda alliance.
The main function of an orchid potting mix is to create an environment for the development of healthy roots. The potting mix you choose could literally be the life or death of your orchid. A potting mix that is conducive to developing a healthy root mass will improve orchid growth, health and flowering.
A few points to consider when you are choosing a potting mix for your orchids:
- The mix should be open enough to allow for water and air movement through the root mass, thus reducing the risk of overwatering.
- It should be able to hold moisture for a few days. During summer, this may be 2 to 3 days and a week or more in winter.
- It should maintain its physical structure for several years before breaking down.
- If possible, ask the supplier if you can have a look at and feel the medium. Feeling the medium can tell a lot about the characteristics of the mix.
Water - is an important ingredient for photosynthesis.
Plants grow through photosynthesis. Water is required for the photosynthesis reaction, and as such, a ready supply of water is a key to orchid growth. When the roots have access to water, hormones created by the roots travel upwards and provide a signal to the leaf stomata to open. This allows carbon dioxide to be absorbed through the stomata and provides another ingredient required for photosynthesis.
Providing orchids with a regular water supply is a key to initiating growth. Many orchid growers have discovered that keeping the potting mix evenly moist results in better growth over allowing the roots to dry out. You have to be careful not to oversaturate the media, which will cause the orchid roots to suffocate. Orchid roots require plenty of air, and this means that we must choose a potting mix that will hold water without suffocating the roots.
Bio Leaf Premium Orchid Potting Mix has been designed to facilitate this watering process. It is an open medium that will allow air and high volumes of water to move freely over the roots without becoming waterlogged.
Under favourable conditions, we expect our potting mix to remain viable for at least three years, maybe more. This means that your orchids will have time to grow well before they need to be repotted.
About Bio Leaf Premium Orchid Potting Mix.
This is a premium orchid potting mix which is a blend of quality hard orchid bark, tree fern fibre, hardwood charcoal and pumice. This potting mix can be used for most orchids. We have developed this substrate around three criteria:
- Take a long time to break down. We expect the mix to last three years or more before repotting is required.
- The potting medium is open. This allows water to flow freely over the roots and for the roots to have access to air.
- Retain some moisture without becoming waterlogged.
Bio leaf Orchid Potting Mix is available in 2 grades:
Mix 1: Made from bark nuggets that are approximately 3 to 8 mm in size and are suitable for orchids growing in a 2”-3” pot size.
Mix 2: Made from bark nuggets that are approximately 8 to 20 mm in size and are suitable for orchids growing in a 4”-8” pot size.
The thickness of the plant's roots can determine the grade or size of potting material to use. Mix 1 can be used for fine rooted orchids, orchids that require more moisture, and Mix 2 can be used for orchids with thicker roots or for orchids that require less moisture.
A good rule to follow with orchids is that thicker roots can store more water and require less watering than orchids with thinner roots and will require more frequent watering.
Do this before repotting your orchids:
- Before using the mix, empty the bag into a container, pour in a little water and mix it up thoroughly, just in case components of the mix have settled into layers.
- Use just enough moisture to coat all the media lightly. Wetting the potting mix assists with distributing all the components evenly throughout the mix.
- A slightly moist medium makes it easier to pack it between the roots when repotting.
Below is a summary of the properties of the ingredients we use in our medium:
1. Kiwi Orchid Bark - Improves Air Flow
Provides the structure for the roots to grow into. Many orchid growers rate this as one of the best orchid barks available. The bark is sourced from 25-year-old trees, allowing enough time to thicken and ‘harden up’. This means it will take longer to break down.
The bark is clean and has low contamination levels from litter such as cambium, wood pieces and soil.
2. New Zealand Tree fern Fibre - Moisture Retention
We add Fernwood Tree Fern Fibre to improve the moisture-holding properties plus the benefits tree fern brings to orchid potting mixes.
3. African Hardwood Charcoal - Cleans Naturally
The charcoal is made from hardwood and is petroleum-free. We do not use activated charcoal. Activated charcoal may absorb more fertiliser compared to normal charcoal. Charcoal helps to keep the mix “sweet” and helps with removing impurities, as well as keeping the mixture open. The charcoal will also absorb moisture onto its surface. Charcoal also has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
4. Pumice - Improves Drainage/Aeration
Pumice helps to keep the mixture open airflow and absorbs some moisture.