Orchid Potting Mixes Wesley Higgins
In 1995 I worked at Missouri Botanical Gardens as their interim orchid grower . One of my tasks was to develop an operations manual for the orchid greenhouse . The following potting mixes were in use at the time but may now differ with the current grower .
Cymbidium Mix 1 bag medium bark 2 buckets medium charcoal 2 buckets Canadian peat 1 cup dolomite 1 cup bone meal
Phalaenopsis Mix 1 bag medium bark 2 buckets medium charcoal 1 bucket Canadian peat 1 bucket perlite
Phalaenopsis Seedling Mix ( 4˝ or less ) 1 scoop fine charcoal 1 scoop medium bark 1 scoop Paphiopedilum mix
Paphiopedilum Mix 1 bag small bark 9 scoops fine charcoal 9 scoops Canadian peat 9 scoops perlite 2½ cups bone meal 1½ cups dolomite
Paphiopedilum Seedling Mix 3 scoops fine bark 1 scoops fine charcoal 1 scoop Canadian peat 1 scoop perlite 4 tablespoons bone meal 2 tablespoons dolomite
General Seedling Mix ( up to 3½˝ ) 2 scoops small bark 1 scoop perlite 1 scoop Canadian peat 1 scoop fine charcoal
Cattleya Media Medium or large sequoia bark
Cattleya Seedling Mix ( up to 3˝ )
2 scoops Herman ’ s Mix * 2 scoops fine bark 1 scoop fine charcoal
Australian Terrestrial Mix 1 scoop coarse sand 1 scoop perlite 1 scoop fine bark 1 scoop ( Metro-Mix ®) commercial potting soil 1 scoop peat moss 1 scoop extra fine charcoal 1 scoop ( Turface ®) expanded clay soil conditioner 2 tablespoons bone meal 2 tablespoons dolomite
Bromeliad Medium Large fir bark
Mixing Conversions
1 bag ( 3 cu . ft .) = 28 scoops 16 tablespoons = 1 cup 1 scoop = ¾ gallon 9 scoops = 5 gallon bucket 2 buckets = brown bin
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* Oak Hill Gardens ’ Seedling Mix : A smaller grade of bark is mixed with perlite , vermiculite and peat moss to yield a mix suitable for plants coming out of flask ( i . e . compots , community flats ). Also used by many growers for Paphiopedilums , Phrags and other orchids which like a more uniformly moist culture .
ILLUSTRATIONS :
Les Orchidées Exotiques et leur culture en europe
Lucien Linden 1894
Fourth Quarter , Vol . 22 ( 3 & 4 ) 2012 - Phalaenopsis