What substrate is needed? The best substrates for orchids

The royal orchid requires truly royal attention, but when caring for the plant it is important not to overdo it. The first specimens delivered to Europe from the far corners of America and Asia died en masse, and the reason for this was the incorrectly selected soil for orchids. Trying to please the delicate beauties, gardeners planted plants in the best, richest substrate, but the powerful roots did not grow, but died.

It was possible to tame orchids only by studying their habits and preferences developed by living conditions in nature. The vast majority of representatives of the orchid family are epiphytes, comfortably settling outside fertile soil, and on the roots, trunks and branches of trees. All necessary nutrition plants are obtained not from the soil, but from the atmosphere, which explains the presence of such a developed root system.

A substrate for orchids of tropical origin is needed mainly so that the flower can attach and remain in a certain place. When selecting components, pay attention not to nutritional properties, but to how structured the finished soil is and how permeable it is to air and moisture.

The composition of soil for orchids usually includes several components, and ingredients of not only natural but man-made origin are increasingly used. It is only important that the selected substrate for orchids does not create conditions for rotting of the roots, provides air access to them, and individual species and light.

The last condition applies to plants whose roots participate in the process of photosynthesis. An example is the phalaenopsis orchid, popular among gardeners, the soil for which is mixed from tree bark, small pebbles or expanded clay, moss, fallen leaves and pieces of birch charcoal.

Orchid bark

The main component of ready-made and homemade substrates for orchids is tree bark. The material can be purchased at flower shops or made with your own hands. Russian flower growers prefer pine bark, but if you can’t find it nearby, any coniferous species, oak, beech and other trees.

Bark for orchids is collected from cut logs or dead wood. In this case she:

• easily lags and can be processed;
• has less acidity than fresh;
• does not contain as many resinous substances as on living trees.

When collecting, pay attention to the quality of the material. It is better to take strong pieces of bark without signs of mold, rotting or massive damage by insects. As part of the substrate for orchids, the bark experiences significant stress due to exposure to moisture and the expanding root system. Initially rotten, the old pieces will quickly collapse, and the flower will soon need to be replanted.

Like any natural material, bark poses a potential danger to indoor plants. It may contain dangerous insects, bacteria and fungi.

Therefore, before sending to flower pot collected pieces of bark for the orchid:

• cleaned from softened tissues, wood and resin;
• subjected to heat treatment in the oven, steam or boiling methods;
• dry thoroughly.

Conifers, and especially pine bark for orchids, increase the acidity of the soil, so it is useful to add a little to the mixture to neutralize dolomite flour. The size of the fragments is selected depending on the type of plant being grown. The smaller the fraction, the:

• denser soil;
• less air penetrates into its thickness;
• moisture is retained better.

Before mixing the substrate, the bark is immersed in warm water for a couple of hours so that it is saturated with moisture, and the plant immediately finds itself in an environment favorable for growth.

Sphagnum moss for orchids

Sphagnum bog moss, widespread in Russia and other countries, is valued by gardeners for its ability to:

• give the soil looseness;
• retain water without compacting the soil for orchids;
• absorb excess salts harmful to plants from irrigation water;
• have a bactericidal effect.

Specialized stores offer ready-made, already disinfected and dried sphagnum moss for orchids, but if you wish, you can prepare moss yourself. And after collecting, be sure to rinse, sort, soak in boiling water, and then squeeze and dry well. Best time for collection - pre-winter.

Some gardeners prefer to use live sphagnum or other moss, but here it is worth remembering the risk of the spread of insects and microorganisms, which remain in abundance in the natural material.

Moss is included in the soil for orchids, and is also used:

• as a mulching layer;
• as an independent substrate for rooting daughter rosettes;
• for compacting plants on blocks and in baskets.

Sphagnum is indispensable for orchids that require resuscitation due to rotting or drying out of the root system.

Other components of the orchid substrate

Fine expanded clay used for drainage becomes an indispensable assistant to a gardener who grows epiphytic orchids. This material is highly hygroscopic and perfectly structures the soil.

It has similar properties charcoal, which also has a disinfectant and absorbent effect. The composition of the soil for orchids includes pieces of coal measuring at least two centimeters. If the fraction is smaller, the coal quickly breaks down and, turning into dust, settles on the roots, interfering with the orchid’s nutrition, and compacts the substrate.

Polystyrene foam and foam rubber cannot be called traditional components of soils for cultivated plants. However, they have already proven their usefulness in growing such a capricious crop as orchids. Fragments synthetic materials in the substrate for orchids are durable, do not accumulate and do not leak into the soil harmful substances, provide high looseness and breathability.

You can add it to the pots of adult large plants. The advantages of this component include the ability to retain moisture, high air permeability and unattractiveness to harmful insects and microflora. The material has one drawback - increased acidity.

Loosening the substrate for an orchid copes well with the task:

• steamed and dried nut shells;
• coconut fiber;
• fallen leaves;
• perlite and vermiculite.

Bottle caps made from natural bark are used as an exotic, but quite functional filler.

When choosing the composition of soil for orchids, the gardener must remember that the durability of the substrate depends on the durability of the components and on the size of individual pieces of bark, coal, polystyrene foam or expanded clay pellets.

If a plant that lives on the ground appears in your home collection, then the soil for the orchid is selected to be more nutritious and dense. You can take ready-made soil for orchids and mix it with garden soil, a small amount of humus, sand and perlite.

Video about preparing bark for planting an orchid

Orchids - amazing beautiful flowers, but rather capricious to care for. They require certain conditions of detention. They also need special soil, which can be purchased ready-made at a flower shop. But it is quite possible to prepare a substrate suitable for plants with your own hands, although this may turn out to be a somewhat troublesome task.

In maintenance and care, these flowers are radically different from others. indoor plants. Ordinary garden soil is not suitable for them. In such soil they die quite quickly. You need a special primer for. You can make it yourself by preparing and mixing certain ingredients. But in order for the nutrient medium to optimally suit the plant, you need to know exactly what variety the orchid belongs to.

Compound suitable soil for orchids will depend on which of the two groups a particular plant belongs to:

• flowers that naturally grow on trees - their aerial roots do not require a rich nutrient medium, but the soil must be loose and well-permeable to moisture;
• orchids growing in the ground - even if they root system and is located in the soil, but its composition is quite different from the soil used for planting other indoor flowers.

IN indoor floriculture More common are varieties of orchids that grow on trees. The substrate for them can be purchased, already completely ready for planting, or partially changed depending on the needs of the flower. But to be sure that the soil is safe for orchids, you can make it yourself.

What does the substrate contain?

The basis of the soil for these flowers is:

• Bark – pine or oak bark is most often used. But it can also be taken from larch or aspen. The bark does not need to be cut from the tree; it should be easily separated from the trunk, dry and without signs of mold. And it is better to remove it from a tree that fell at least a year ago.

Attention! Fresh bark is not used for substrate, since any disease can be introduced with it.

• Charcoal - it can be taken from a burnt trunk of birch, oak or beech. And to be sure that there are no foreign impurities that could be harmful to the plant, it is better to burn a suitable log yourself.
• Moss - sphagnum is best; you can buy it or bring it from the forest.
• Expanded clay, pumice, pieces of foam - used for drainage when planting an orchid.

When making soil for orchids, other parts are also used. Nut skins, coconut fibers, and sunflower seed husks are added to the substrate - this is a good leavening agent of organic origin. You can also add pieces of fern root by digging up a healthy and fairly large specimen of this plant in the summer.

And to protect the flower from the development of fungal diseases and to loosen the substrate, small pieces of minerals such as perlite or vermiculite are added.

When preparing the soil, sand (white river sand or coarse quartz sand), peat and leaf soil are also used, which can be prepared independently during the warm period. They are used for the substrate of certain varieties of orchids. Fallen leaves are also not added for all species.

Advice. Fallen leaves are taken from trees such as oak, aspen, and apple trees. And to protect the substrate from mold, it is good to add peach leaves to it.

Processing of primer components

All components of the substrate, harvested in the forest or swamp, must be properly processed before use. All components must be washed thoroughly in clean water and then dry. The bark and moss must also be boiled or calcined in the oven, then dried, and after a few days this procedure must be repeated.

Other components also require treatment with boiling water. And many flower growers advise additionally treating moss with insecticides. After such treatments, bark, moss and everything else can be safely used to prepare soil for planting.

Soil preparation

The simplest soil recipe may consist of only 5 parts bark and 1 part charcoal. But it can't be called the best option for plants. It will be optimal for most orchids if the soil also includes moss (1 or 2 parts) and expanded clay or crushed pumice for drainage.

Orchid transplant

Other components can be used for the substrate depending on the needs of the flower, adding them to the soil if necessary. It is important that all parts are disinfected, well dried and thoroughly mixed. It is also necessary to disinfect the container for planting the plant.

An orchid cannot be called ordinary indoor flower, because it requires a special approach when growing. The soil for it also needs to be prepared very carefully. And although this procedure is somewhat troublesome, many gardeners always prefer to prepare the substrate themselves. For those who are doing this for the first time, it is better to first watch the entire preparation process step by step on a video or photo.

Substrate for orchids: video

As you know, replacing soil for a flower is a kind of stress. For this reason Orchids are replanted every 3 years with soil replacement(read about when it is best to replant an orchid at home, and from there you will find out whether this procedure can be performed at autumn period). So during this period the soil is greatly depleted and loses valuable properties:

• The balance of mineral salts is disrupted.
• The substrate ages and decomposes.
• The supply of micronutrients is running low.
• Breathability decreases.
• Acidity levels increase.

ATTENTION: Soil compaction leads to disruption of the drainage process, and stagnant moisture can have a detrimental effect on the root system. For the full development of the exotic, carry out complete replacement substrate.

General criteria choice soil mixture For indoor orchids the same. The soil must have the following qualities:

Representatives of orchids that are grown at home are divided into two groups: epiphytic and terrestrial. They differ not only in name, appearance, but also the growing environment. Accordingly, the substrate for plants has a number of differences.

Epiphytic orchids include the following varieties:

• dendrobium;
• Cattleyas;
• lycastes;
• phalaenopsis;
• Cambria;
• zygopetalum;
• masdevallia.

For such plants, soil is important mainly for maintaining a vertical position, and then for nutrition and receiving life-giving moisture. Hence, epiphytes do not need soil; a soil substrate is sufficient. The mixtures have variations: 1 part charcoal and 5 parts bark. Or sphagnum moss, ash and bark chips in a ratio of 2:1:5.

Terrestrial orchids: cymbidium and paphiopedilum, which require increased nutrition. The following soil composition will suit them:

• pine bark;
• wood ash;
• peat.

ADVICE: You can also prepare a substrate from ready-made soil for orchids, adding moss and part of the deciduous soil.

Experienced flower growers answer this question unequivocally - no. The usual habitat of orchids is loose, light soil. The root system must be freely exposed to air and participate in the process of photosynthesis. And in the ground it will be compressed, as if under the weight of a stone. In such conditions exotic flower It is quite difficult to grow and most likely he will die.

Can I use ordinary land? Soil for exotic plants You can buy ready-made, cook it yourself, or purchase individual components and choose the proportions yourself. IN garden stores There is a considerable selection of different soil mixtures for orchids. When purchasing a substrate, you should pay attention to:

Unfortunately, even in trusted stores you can buy a low-quality product. To avoid this, prepare the substrate for orchids yourself. It is not necessary to collect all the ingredients of the substrate yourself; they are sold separately in specialized stores. Thus, it is easy to assemble the substrate yourself by mixing the components in required quantities. Good products of natural materials from the manufacturer “Gardens of Aurica”.

How to make the mixture yourself?

In order to save Money, and also for complete confidence in quality, the soil is prepared individually. The main composition of the substrate contains:

1. pine bark. This is the main component that is easy to find in a pine forest, on fallen trees. The bark should be chopped to 2-3 cm.
2. Sphagnum moss. Collected in forests, in lowlands, after the snow has completely melted. Moss has bactericidal properties. Used fresh and dry.
3. Fern roots, which contain many useful substances. Add to the dry mixture.
4. charcoal easy to find in the ashes. The ash needs to be the same size as the other ingredients.
5. Expanded clay, inexpensive and lightweight material. Granules are great for drainage.

They use options for preparing the substrate with the addition of coarse sand, granulated clay, cork material, perlite, polystyrene, leaf soil, peat, humus.

Watch a video about collecting materials for an orchid substrate:

With soil replacement? A detailed description of the transplantation process will eliminate fuss and unnecessary mistakes. It is important to follow the sequence:

Watch the video about correct transplantation orchids:

Those who first encountered it cannot understand how they can grow without soil and often make the mistake of buying them a regular soil mixture.

But the roots of this plant definitely need free access to air, otherwise it will die. Therefore, before you bring this queen of the tropics into your home, you need to carefully study her “taste preferences.”

What should be the soil for orchids, substrate requirements

The bark should be easily peeled off the trunk by hand. Oak bark is a little more complicated, but it is healthier for the plant - it contains more nutrients.

Important! Bark cannot be taken from a growing tree, only from a dry, fallen specimen or a beautiful, not rotten stump.

needed to retain moisture and as an additional . It also has the ability to absorb excess harmful salts and has a bactericidal effect. Collecting it is quite difficult, since it grows in forest holes where you can easily fall through, so it’s easier to buy a bag in the store.
needed in the substrate to regulate water balance, and also as a natural antiseptic. But you need to add a little of it, since over time it accumulates salts, and this is harmful for the plant. It is not recommended to simply collect it from extinct fires, since it is unknown what else was burning there besides logs. It’s better to light a fire yourself from birch wood and then take the coals from there.
fern root has a unique composition, which contains almost all the microelements necessary for an orchid.

As additional components The following can be used to prepare the soil: Pine cones, earth, shell or coconut, expanded clay or foam.
Pine cones are separated into scales and added along with the bark. Expanded clay or foam plastic is used as drainage to avoid moisture stagnation. It is better to take soil for orchids where it is strewn with needles or leaves and in very small quantities.

Important! Before transplanting, phalaenopsis needs to be watered so as not to damage the roots when removed from the pot. Be sure to wash the roots in warm water, thus clearing the remnants of old soil.

How to make soil for orchids, ready-made composition options

Having carefully studied required composition for orchids and having prepared all the components, you can start preparing it. Options for soil mixture may be different.

If there are several colors in the house, you can experiment and make your own mixture for each. This will help determine the optimal composition. How much the tropical beauty liked the soil can be understood by the frequency of flowering and the number of flowers - the more there are, the better. for orchids at home is prepared immediately before planting. Debris and branches are removed from the ground, coal is crushed into small pieces, the bark is disassembled into chips and doused with boiling water.

The moss should be soaked in water for 24 hours, and the pieces of fern roots should be given a shower to get rid of insects. Any drainage must be placed at the bottom.

It can be not only expanded clay or polystyrene foam, but also broken brick, small crushed stone, shell. Next, you can start preparing the soil for, having thought in advance about the composition for preparing it yourself. Here are some ready-made options:

1. A mixture of one part charcoal and five parts oak or pine bark is universal, as it is suitable for both. This option ensures good air circulation and does not accumulate moisture.
2. Composition that suits well

It is no longer a secret that impenetrable tropical forests are considered the birthplace of orchids. They choose the trunks of large trees as their place of residence. Clinging aerial roots for unevenness and protrusions of tree trunks, they extract nutrients and moisture. This specificity plants should be considered when choosing soil.

An optimally selected substrate is the key to plant health. You should not use ordinary soil as soil for exotics. After all, the root system, accustomed to light, must be freely blown with air and participate in the process of photosynthesis. And the heavy soil will be a kind of press for the roots. In such conditions, it is quite difficult for an exotic flower to grow. Uncomfortable growing conditions can lead to significant problems and diseases of the orchid.

Beginner orchid growers exclusively purchase ready-made substrate for orchids in garden stores. And here experienced gardeners Those who have been growing flowers for many years believe that it is better to prepare the soil themselves. Moreover, hand-prepared substrate has a number of advantages:

• low cost;
• proven quality of components;
• simple execution;
• individual selection of components corresponding to the variety;
• drawing up the required proportions.

You can read more about which is better, a ready-made substrate or a self-prepared one, as well as about the composition of the soil.

Store substrate

The market for soil mixtures for orchids is overflowing with offers from various manufacturers. However, even proprietary brands offer bright, attractive packaging with low quality products.

Important! Most ready-made substrates contain a large number of peat and soil dust, and bark - catastrophically little. This ratio of components negatively affects the growth and flowering of the plant.

You can find out more about popular manufacturers of soil for orchids.

The general criteria for choosing a soil mixture for indoor orchids are the same. The soil must have the following qualities:

1. breathability;
2. looseness;
3. ease;
4. lack of toxic properties;
5. have good drainage properties;
6. optimal acidity.

In addition, the substrate is renewed every three years, so it must be enriched with mineral trace elements. The integral components of the soil mixture for exotic plants are pine bark, wood ash, and fern roots. This is exactly the composition natural materials considered the base for preparing the substrate.

Also Additional components are added to the main ingredients, no less important, among them:

Inorganic substances:

1. expanded clay granules;
2. perlite;
3. vermiculite;
4. polystyrene;
5. mineral wool;
6. foam;
7. gravel.

These materials are used as...

Let's look at how to prepare the soil with your own hands. Organic components for the soil mixture are easy to find in nature. At the same time, we don’t need to go far, everything is around us.

1. Pine bark. This is the main component that is easy to find in a pine forest, on fallen trees. It is better to take bark with a minimum resin content. Definitely dry. Birch, spruce, and oak bark are also suitable.
2. Sphagnum moss. They are also collected in forests in the spring, after the snow has completely melted. In the lowlands where melt water stagnates, moss appears. It has bactericidal and moisture-absorbing properties. Used fresh and dry.
3. Fern roots, which contain many useful substances and microelements. They grow in forest areas.
4. Charcoal it is easy to find small logs of any kind in the ashes or burn them on a fire tree species. This component acts as an antiseptic and sorbent.
5. Cones and earth. In coniferous forests it is easy to find fallen, dry cones. Their scales are used to prepare the substrate and can replace pine bark. Fertile soil is extracted only under a layer of pine needles.
6. Foliage and leafy soil. Sometimes dry foliage is added to the substrate for some varieties of orchids. The leaves create a unique microflora in the pot, thereby protecting the plant from diseases and mold. They can be found along with the ground in deciduous forests.

Not all components from the above list can be found in natural environment. Artificial materials should be purchased in specialized stores.

How to replace natural ingredients?

The basis of the substrate for orchids is materials of organic origin. But if necessary, they can be partially replaced with artificial ones.

1. replace river sand, leaf soil, fragments of polystyrene foam.
2. Moss - polystyrene, foam rubber, hydrogel.
3. Instead of ash, add crushed activated carbon.
4. Use perlite, gravel, brick chips, crushed stone, perlite, and cork materials as a drainage layer and loosening agents.

Reference! Representatives of orchids that are grown at home are divided into two groups: epiphytic and terrestrial. They differ not only in name, appearance, but also in their growing environment.

Accordingly, the substrate for plants has a number of differences.

Epiphytic orchids include the following varieties:

For such plants, soil is important mainly for maintaining a vertical position, and then for nutrition and receiving life-giving moisture. Hence, Epiphytes don't need soil, just enough. Blend options:

• 1 part charcoal and 5 parts bark.
• 5 parts pine bark, 2 parts moss, ½ part wood ash, ½ part dry leaves.
• 2 parts sphagnum moss, 1 part ash and 5 parts bark chips.
• 3 parts bark, 3 parts cork, 1 part peat, 1 part moss, 1 part ash.

Terrestrial orchids: cymbidium and paphiopedilum, which require increased nutrition. The following soil components are suitable for them: pine bark, wood ash, moss, peat. Mix recipes:

• 1 part each of peat, pine bark, moss, expanded clay, ash.
• 2 parts leaf soil and humus, 2 parts fern roots, 1 part peat and white river sand.
• 1 part of dry leaves, moss, sand, 2 parts of fern roots, 3 parts of leaf soil.
• 3 parts leaf soil, 1 part each pine bark, peat, moss.

Basic rules for blanks

In order to save family budget flower growers collect ingredients for the substrate and stock up for future use:

1. The moisture-intensive component - sphagnum moss grows in swampy areas. Used in dry and wet conditions. It is recommended to dry the moss in partial shade, package it in separate bags and store it in a dark place. When moist, moss is stored in freezer, in individual packages.
2. The coals from the fire should be collected, washed thoroughly and crushed to 3-4 cm. Powdered charcoal is used to disinfect plant cuts. It is recommended to store in plastic bags, in a cool place.
3. Pine bark must be dry, but not rotten. It is best to take bark from a tree that has been cut down for no more than 1 year. Using pruning shears, chop to a size of 3-4 cm.
4. The fern is dug up in the spring before foliage forms or in late autumn, when the leaves have already dried. The roots are well dried and cut into pieces. The material is stored in a dark place, in sealed packaging.

Important! All ingredients collected in the forest for the future mixture must pass sanitization. Cones and wood ash are doused with boiling water and then soaked in cool water. It is recommended to heat fresh pine bark in the oven at minimum temperature no more than 5 minutes.

This procedure is carried out in order to extract harmful insects, and to increase moisture absorption capacity.

A detailed description of the process will eliminate fuss and unnecessary errors. It is important to maintain consistency.

It is important to regularly monitor the condition of the soil. After all, over time it is depleted, decomposes, turning into dust. Then it is better to replant the orchid or update the soil. The condition of the orchid directly depends on the presence of one or another component, so before using the material, think carefully about everything.

Useful video

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