How to Grow Healthier Orchids with Less Work
Would you like to be able to grow beautiful orchids, filled with gorgeous blossoms, and spend less time doing it? Let me tell you how I discovered my secret to successful home orchid growing.
Early in my orchid career, I grew my plants in our basement under lights. Because the previous owners of our home had done some do-it-yourself remodeling, we had a set of steep, uneven, and dangerous basement stairs. As you can imagine, I didn’t relish going up and down those stairs. I wanted healthy orchids, but I didn’t want to travel those stairs to nourish them.
That’s when I got the idea of using a peat-perlite mix instead of orchid bark. I tried it on one of my plants. It was a godsend. Not only did I water less often, but the plants grew better than before. They thrived. Soon I had all of my orchids growing in peat. Though I was successful, I was worried because none of my orchid books recommended peat mixes. Later I discovered that Professor Yin-Tung Wang of Texas A&M had studied Phalaenopsis grown in peat-mixes and confirmed peat's effectiveness.
I first used a peat mix with my Phalaenopsis orchids. Since then I've successfully grown Oncidiums, Miniature Cattleyas, Cattleyas, and Dendrobiums in either a straight peat medium, or a peat/bark mixture.
If you’re growing orchids in your home here are seven reasons why you should consider a peat-based orchid medium:
It’s easier to tell when to water. Just check the top inch of the mix with your finger. You can easily dig into the loose mix and when the top inch is dry, it’s time to water. There’s no more guesswork. No more worry about overwatering or underwatering. You will also notice that the peat will change color from dark brown, almost black, when wet, to a light tan when dry. And when the plant is dry, the pot will be much lighter.
Watering is easier. You water from the top, avoiding the leaves, until a few drops come out of the bottom of the pot, just like a regular houseplant. You don’t have to haul the plants to the sink, flush them with lots of water, and then wait for them to drain. You can water them right where they’re growing, particularly if you’re using a pebble tray or a humidity tray. Because you’re using less water, you’re also saving on fertilizer (You are watering with a dilute fertilizer solution aren’t you?).
You water less often. Peat retains moisture, this is what brought me to peat in the first place. Our customers find that using a peat-based mix allows them to water about half as often as before. If I can grow beautiful orchids with less work, that’s for me. I’ve got plenty of other things to keep me busy!
Peat keeps your orchid evenly moist. In our part of the world (central New Jersey) the furnace comes on in the fall, and our humidity changes to Sahara Desert. Because peat retains moisture, our orchids remain hydrated. Of course, in our home, we also use humidity trays and we group our plants together.
Peat helps your orchid feed. Orchid roots need some moisture to function. Because peat stays moist longer, your orchids can better absorb nutrients. Phalaenopsis, in particular, benefit from growing in peat because they are heavier feeders and they lack moisture-storing pseudobulbs.
It’s easier to repot orchids grown in peat. Peat doesn’t cling to orchid roots, so repotting is a breeze. You upend the pot, remove the orchid, shake off the mix, and you’re ready to put the plant in a new pot with fresh mix.
It’s easier to prepare fresh peat mix for use. Once you moisten peat mix with a bit of water you’re ready to go. You don’t need to soak it overnight, like bark. You don’t need to perform an elaborate rinsing and cleansing ritual, like coconut husk. You just moisten and go.
So that’s it. If you’re a home grower, and you want to grow healthy plants with less work, you should give peat a try.
Susan
P.S. If you have questions please give us a call or send us an email.