Potting Mix frustration

[Alana]

Mmmm, sounds good

[uffe3667]

Hi; Businti;
Reading the advice above i think i only have some small additional information.
In general i find that there are 2 mayor factors for deciding on potting medium.
1 is root thickness. The thinner the roots the finer the medium
2nd is the relative humidity. The dryer your condition the more water retentive medium like perlite, sphagnum you will want to use.
All of this is depending on your watering tendency's. As long as you adapt your watering regime to the needs of the plant, almost everything would be OK.
When you want the medium to adapt to a specific regime you would like to apply (water 1X a week for example) you will need to experiment with medium size and content so it will suit your growing conditions and habits.
Gr. Erik

[Businti]

thanks great advise. Thank you, i was kind of thinking that there was like a one best way. I bought some fine bark, medium bark and course bark, as well as perlite and Palm Peat (Spag does not seem to be available) I have mixed up a couple of mixes and can feel with my hands how the are. I was also supprised to see in an experimental pot just how much moisture was retained by pure bark. My bit of advise to new growers would be out together a couple of mixes and pot up some empty pots. Check them and see what effect diffeent mixtures have in your envirnment. I now feel much more confident I have a better if not perfect mix yet for my plants in my climet. Certainly the leaves on the ones i have repotted are siny green and plup. I will keep an eye on the root sytems and see what happens. Judging from what i found, if i had left them as they were, i would have had an overflowing hospital section! Thanks

[stefpix]

This summer this Guyanese/Trini fruit stand that sells sugar cane and coconut water gave me a bunch of empty coconuts from their disposal box.
you can wash them and easily pull the fibre.
now that here days are getting longer and sunnier I see all my orchids in coconut are really making many happy green/white roots.

Wonder if in South Africa you have a lot of coconut palms.

I was in Miami for a while and coconuts were sold on the beach for a dollar. so many available.

probably i would boil and then rinse the coconut fiber if I got it by the ocean

[Businti]

Honest answer don't know. More research needed.