Orchid repotting time and experience in changing substrates
Today, the editor will explain the experience of orchids, a member of the orchidaceae family, focusing on orchid repotting time and the experience of changing substrates. Next, the site editor will introduce the topic to netizens.
Orchids are a type of perennial herbaceous plant that grows relatively slowly. Like other plants, orchids require a relatively stable environment for growth, meaning that the substrate in the pot and the surrounding environment need to be relatively stable, and it is not suitable for frequent repotting and changing soil.
Under relatively stable conditions, orchids can grow well for several consecutive years, and they tend to thrive even more each year. I have personal experience with this. Observant orchid enthusiasts should also notice that the growth of the plants in the first year after repotting is not very good, but from the second year, the growth becomes significantly better, and the new buds are stronger than in the first year. This indicates that after a long time, the orchids have begun to adapt to the environment provided. However, when they have just started to adapt, you change it again, causing the plants to become weaker with each change. The purpose of repotting is to divide the plants or change the substrate to help orchids grow better, but too frequent repotting can have the opposite effect.
Especially since we now mostly use granular substrates, after repotting, the adherence between the orchid roots and the substrate is greatly reduced, which greatly affects root growth and the absorption of nutrients. Therefore, unless there is a problem with my potted orchids, I generally do not repot and change the soil within two years.
Regarding substrates, I believe that raising orchids is also a process of raising substrates. Orchid enthusiasts who have raised fish know that you raise fish by raising water, which is the same principle. When the substrate is well-maintained, the plants will grow better and better. Under proper management, as long as the new sprouts do not show any significant weakness compared to the previous generation, it means that the substrate is basically feasible and can continue to be used. Many orchid enthusiasts unfortunately change or throw away the substrate when it is not yet mature or just becoming mature, which is a real pity. Those who can't bear to throw away the old substrate sometimes use it to grow ordinary plants, and you may find that these ordinary plants grown in old substrate do much better than those grown in new substrate. The reason for this is not difficult to figure out if we think about it carefully.
For substrates, I reuse all of them after screening, unless they have been used for diseased plants. Especially mixed granular substrates can be reused for ten or eight years without any change in properties. The old substrate, if there were no adverse reactions from the previously planted orchids, should be added to the new substrate as much as possible to retain the orchid microbiota that has already formed. Also, try not to make significant changes to the properties and ratio of the new and old substrates. Alternatively, by planting, we can summarize whether there are any disadvantages to the old substrate, and by adding some other substrates to adjust the ratio, it might be much better than using completely new substrates.
The introduction above [] about orchid repotting time and the experience in changing substrates, I hope everyone will like it!