Orchid soil - which is the best?

the essentials in brief

• Best orchid soil is an airy mixture with pieces of bark as the main ingredient and organic and inorganic components.
• Tropical orchids grow as epiphytic epiphytic plants and require special orchid soil beyond conventional potting soil.
• Orchid lovers with experience make orchid soil themselves. Beginners buy test winners in premium quality.

Buy orchid soil - which is the best?

Beginners in orchid care look in amazement at the unusual substrate. Phalaenopsis and other orchids for the windowsill reside in coarse pieces of bark and not in conventional potting soil. Indeed, tropical and subtropical orchids grow as epiphytes high up in the canopy of mighty rainforest trees, where they cling to the branches with their roots. The following table names premium products for orchid soil by name with information on important properties and the customary price level:

also read

• Do orchids grow in normal soil?
• Lots of aerial roots on an orchid - cut off or not?
• Caring for orchids properly without soil - this is how it works

Surname	3 top properties	Test evaluation	price
GREEN24	+ fresh bottling	Test winner	from 9.95 EUR / 10 l
	+ Grit of your choice
	+ peat free
Waterbirds	+ steamed pine bark	Top recommendation	from 16.95 EUR / 5 l
	+ peat free
	+ Coconut fibers, expanded clay
Compo Sana	+ Pine bark	Price / performance winner	from 5.29 EUR / 5 l
	+ pre-fertilized for 8 weeks
	+ certified manufacturer
Floragard	+ Pine bark, coconut chips	Top tip for organic gardeners	from 5.99 EUR / 5 l
	+ pre-fertilized with guano
	+ peat free
Kölle's best	+ Pine bark, coconut chips	Gardener quality	from EUR 5.49 / 5 l
	+ with sphagnum
	+ structurally stable

The list with the best orchid soil products is rounded off by an insider tip for environmentally conscious carpenters. Under the product name GREEN-PIK LAT, you can buy orchid soil that is pre-fertilized with organic vermicompost and of course without white peat. A special type of earthworm produces an organic fertilizer for orchids, rich in valuable enzymes, healthy vitamins and important trace elements. If you want to cultivate your orchids in harmony with nature, you cannot avoid this premium substrate. The purchase price is an acceptable EUR 8.49 for 4 liters.

Digression

Orchid soil for other plants

Airy orchid soil is perfect for all epiphytic plants. Coarse pieces of bark not only provide a reliable hold for orchid roots. The illustrious circle of exotic epiphytes that thrive vigorously in orchid substrates include bromeliads (Bromeliaceae), dragon trees (Dracaena), window leaves (Monstera), tree lovers (philodendrons) and all kinds of tropical ferns.

Make orchid soil yourself - instructions for beginners

Youtube

On the way to becoming an ambitious orchid whisperer, carpenters gain a wealth of experience. The best orchid soil from the store shelf no longer meets the high expectations with increasing know-how. Experienced orchid gardeners develop an individual substrate recipe that is optimized and refined over time. The following table lists important components for a substrate in top form:

Main ingredient	organic addition	inorganic addition
Pine bark	Coconut fiber	Lava granules
Oak bark	Wood fiber	Expanded clay
Douglas fir bark	Sphagnum moss	Perlite
Pine bark	cork	Rock wool

For good reason, white peat and black peat are not included in the list for the basic ingredients of orchid soil. Carpenters who are close to nature have banned all peat from the care program for orchids and other potted flowers. In order for the tropical rainforest beauties to show themselves splendidly on the windowsill, no native moorland has to be plundered. Rapidly renewable raw materials fulfill their task as organic components just as well as coconut fibers or sphagnum moss. Are you puzzling over the optimal mix of the mentioned ingredients? Then read on here because there are two recipe suggestions for medium-sized and small orchids.

Recipe for medium-sized orchids

You will look in vain for the only true magic recipe for the best orchid soil. Nevertheless, over the course of many decades of experience, the following recipe has proven to be suitable for medium-sized orchids such as Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium:

• 5 parts medium-coarse pine bark
• 2 parts coconut soil or sphagnum
• 1 part lava granulate
• 1 part perlite
• 1 part nutshells
• 1 piece of charcoal

A slight modification is enough to adapt this recipe to stately orchid species such as the legendary Cymbidium. For this purpose, use pine bark in an extra large grain size of 30 to 50 mm. Ideally, you should exchange lava granulate (€ 10.95 at Amazon *) for lava mulch (€ 10.95 at Amazon *) with a grain size of 16 to 32 mm. In this combination, orchid soil can also be considered for Vanda and other orchids that actually prefer to grow without soil.

Mini orchid recipe

Orchids in mini format thrive with a filigree network of aerial roots. The size of the pieces of bark to which the root strands cling should be tailored to this. In addition, the following formulation emerged in the test as a recommendable substrate for terrestrial orchids such as lady's slipper.

• 6 parts of pine bark fine (4-8 mm) to normal (7-15 mm)
• 2 parts coconut fiber or sphagnum
• 1 part lava granulate

Coconut fiber is on the rise as an indispensable additive for pine bark in orchid soil. One of the many advantages is that coconut fibers provide extra structural stability because the pieces of bark decompose more slowly into humus.

Steam DIY orchid soil

Competent manufacturers subject orchid soil to pre-treatment in order to destroy pathogens and pests. If you make the substrate for your orchids yourself, the following step is part of the manufacturing process. For this purpose, the oven is converted into a disinfection device. Under the influence of heat and steam, the substrate is made sterile without the use of chemical agents. How to properly steam orchid soil:

1. Fill orchid soil in a fire-proof bowl
2. Spray the substrate with water (just moisten, do not put under water)
3. Put the lid on loosely so that steam can escape
4. Preheat the oven to 80 to 100 degrees top / bottom heat
5. Place the bowl on a baking sheet and slide it into the middle rack
6. Clamp the wooden spoon in the oven door
7. Steam the substrate for 30 minutes and let it cool down with the oven door open

After thermal treatment, you can be sure that there are no more pathogens in the substrate that throw your valuable orchids off course. Alternatively, put DIY orchid soil in the microwave. In a suitable container it takes around 10 minutes at 800 watts for viruses, bacteria, fungal spores and germs to be killed.

Orchid soil is moldy - what to do?

The best orchid soil is not immune to mold. Various causes cause the damage. Purchased and self-made substrates are equally affected. If a fluffy, soft coating appears on the surface, the entire substrate volume has long been infected with mold spores. Immediate repotting in fresh bark substrate solves the problem. The correct material and tools as well as a competent preparation simplify the procedure. The following instructions explain how to properly repot a moldy orchid:

Material and tool requirements

• Bucket or deep bowl
• liquid orchid fertilizer
• stale tap water or filtered rainwater
• new, transparent culture pot
• Orchid soil
• Inorganic drainage material, lava granulate, expanded clay, (€ 17.50 at Amazon *) pottery shards
• freshly sharpened, disinfected bypass scissors

Instead of investing in a new culture pot, you can clean and disinfect the previous pot. Sagrotan, vinegar water, a brush and a sponge are required to remove all mold spores.

Preparation makes roots supple

Stubborn aerial roots are the biggest problem when repotting moldy orchids. There is a great risk of damage to the root strands. You can avoid this risk by giving your orchid a water bath in advance. Flexible roots are easier to work with and easier to untangle. That is how it goes:

1. Take the culture pot out of the planter
2. Fill a bucket with room temperature water
3. ideally add a good dash of liquid orchid fertilizer
4. Place the orchid and the culture pot in the water until no more air bubbles rise

Step-by-step instructions

When the orchid leaves the water bath, immediately start repotting. How to proceed correctly step by step:

1. grasp the neck of the root with one hand and grasp the culture pot with the other hand
2. Slowly pull the orchid out of the pot (if there is resistance, knead the pot)
3. Shake off moldy substrate, rinse off the last remains
4. Place the substrate-free root ball on the table and inspect it
5. Cut off moldy, putrid, dead roots
6. Fill drainage material as thick as a finger into the new or cleaned culture pot
7. Pour a handful of orchid soil over the drainage
8. Place the orchid in the pot with a twisting motion

Stabilize the orchid with one hand while using the other hand to pour in more substrate around the root ball. So that coarse and fine components are evenly distributed, bump the culture pot on the table top from time to time. It is important to note that you plant the orchid as deep as you did before. The preparatory immersion bath covered the plant's current water requirements. Therefore, the stressed orchid can calmly regenerate in the partially shaded window seat.

Prevent mold on orchid soil - this is how it works

Orchid soil is protected from mold with targeted prevention. The main cause of the dilemma is too much moisture, triggered by excessive watering and high humidity. If mold growth occurs for the first time, immediate repotting will only fix the problem temporarily. These precautions help to prevent penetrating mold spores from spreading again on orchid soil:

• Only water or immerse orchids when the substrate is noticeably dry
• Spray leaves, aerial roots and bulbs more frequently
• Water sparingly and in sips in winter
• Repot every one to two years in fresh, steamed orchid soil

A constant air humidity of 40 to 50 percent makes life difficult for mold spores. Most types of orchid for the windowsill can live very well with this value. If you often struggle with moldy orchid substrate, it is worth investing in a hygrometer to regulate the humidity in good time.

Tips

White animals in orchid soil put worried hobby gardeners on alert. Mostly they are springtails, which with a body length of 0.1 mm or more only catch the eye in large numbers. The whitish tiny creatures feed on rotting plant materials and are actually considered beneficial insects. To prevent massive reproduction, immerse the culture pot in room warm water for a few minutes and skim off the floating springtails.

frequently asked Questions

Which orchid soil is the best?

The premium product from GREEN24 has emerged as the test winner for the best orchid soil. The manufacturer values ​​fresh bottling for every order, uses high-quality products and does not add peat. It is advantageous to choose from three different grain sizes, fine, medium and coarse.

Can you make orchid soil yourself?

Almost all orchid gardeners with experience produce orchid soil themselves. It is a mixture of pieces of bark (mostly pine bark) as the main ingredient, supplemented with organic and inorganic additives. For the popular medium-sized Phalaenopsis orchid, a composition of 50-60 percent medium-coarse pine bark, 20 percent coconut fibers, 10 percent lava granulate, 10 percent sphagnum moss and 10 percent charcoal has proven itself in practice.

Does it have to be expensive pine bark if I want to make orchid soil myself?

No, orchids do not insist on pine bark in the substrate. Pieces of bark from tree species such as oak, ash, pine or Douglas fir are conceivable. More important than the type of tree is an adequate grain size of the bark pieces, tailored to the orchid in question. Medium-sized Phalaenopsis favor a grain size of 7 to 35 mm. Trendy mini orchids can hold onto pieces of bark with a size of 2 to 4 mm with their roots. Majestic orchids want coarse orchid soil with a grain size of 35 to 50 mm for their thick roots.

When is the best time to repot a Phalaenopsis in fresh orchid soil?

If the Phalaenopsis takes a blooming break, the ideal time window for repotting opens. In our regions, this is usually an appointment in spring every 2 to 3 years. Using various indicators, you can tell whether your orchid would like to move to fresh substrate and a larger cultivation pot. If aerial roots grow over the edge of the pot or peek out of the opening in the floor, it is the highest railway. You should also repot the butterfly orchid when the pieces of bark in the substrate decompose into granular humus.

Can you plant orchids in normal potting soil?

Planting orchids in conventional potting soil will reliably hunt down the exotic flowers. Most orchid species thrive as epiphytes with aerial roots. In the treetops of the rainforests the plants are enthroned on branches, hold onto with some roots and catch the rain with other roots. Fine crumbly potting soil leaves orchid roots with no air to breathe, so that the exotic beauties disappear within a short time.

Tips

White deposits on orchid soil do not necessarily have to be mold. Hard, calcareous irrigation water leaves comparable residues, which of course do not require laborious repotting. A simple mold quick test sheds light on the darkness. Scratch the suspicious surface with a toothpick or match. Hard, crumbly texture indicates limescale deposits. The fluffy, soft consistency reveals mold growth. You remove the earth layer with lime encrustations and refill with fresh orchid earth. From now on you should water your orchid with soft, lime-free water.