The question that I get quite often is "What kind of Orchid Media do I use"?
Interested Orchid beginners are presented with several options.
1. Prepared orchid mixes
2. Coconut coir
3. Sphagnum moss
4. Lava rock
5. Charcoal
6. Perlite
7. Bark
They read or learn about how these media's function. How these different media's perform. Availability of media's is often a concern.
Well I will address availability first. I use the Green Barn myself. They are located in Delray Beach Florida. I find that they carry just about anything I could think of for growing and potting orchids. They have an on-line website.
So what media do I use?
This is an image of my All Purpose mix. It has medium and seedling grade bark. Seedling grade charcoal and perlite. It has aliflor in it as well. One can easily see the sizes of individual pieces within the mix. There are several outliers within the mix such as bigger pieces of charcoal or red lava rock. These really have no impact on the mix.
Now how do I use it?? This is very important. For seedling plants or small growing plants ( 3" pots or smaller) I carefully use pockets of media within this plastic container that have the smallest pieces. This selection allows me to give those same plants more water then they typically need. I use this media for water loving orchids like Oncidiums.
For an average orchid like a lady slipper or a Phal. I use the mix as it is!! I make no effort to select certain sized pieces.
For larger plants like Cattleyas I go back to a little careful selection within my media. I try to shy away from tiny pieces of bark and I go after the aliflor, charcoal and perlite.
The above image shows a newly repotted Cattleya with my mix.
So besides what type of media should the repotter use, the next big thing is precise timing as to when repotting should occur.
The consensus says "when you see new root growth!!" That is VERY TRUE. When you see new roots between 1/4" and1/2" Long, that's when you should repot in order to avoid root damage.
BUT still at the top of my list of repotting tips is to try it!! It can be a frightening task! But Orchids demand regular repotting. They need fresh media. This keeps the roots healthy and the plant happy! This is what makes growing orchids different from so may other plants. Notice, no where have I mentioned soil. Why? Most orchids sold today can not grow in soil.
Good luck and dive right in!!
