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Oak Hill Gardens' Regular Potting Mix: General purpose orchid potting media; used by Oak Hill for about 90% of epiphytic (tree dwelling) orchids grown in our greenhouse.
White fir bark (80%) with perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, and charcoal mixed in.
Recommended for home growing nationwide. Also recommended for greenhouse and outdoor growing except in perpetually humid regions of the US (Southern and Southeastern states)
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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 Paphiopediums, Phrags, and other orchids which like a more uniformly moist culture.
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Medium
Fine
| Fir Bark: Major component of Oak Hill Gardens' mix (80%). May be used as a base media to create a personal/customized mix to suite the individuals growing conditions and/or special requirements |
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Fafard B-3 Soil-less: A "peat-based" media, it looks like soil but is lighter and drains very well. Holds more water than bark-based mixes, and is not suitable for epiphytic orchids. Utilized for terrestrial orchids.
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| Fafard B-3 Modified: The above fortified with additional perlite and vermiculite to increase aeration and draining properties.
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| Canadian Peat Moss: Typically added to various media to hold water. Comprises about 5% of Oak Hill Gardens' standard orchid potting mix.
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Coconut Fiber: The stringy "hair" from the inside of the coconut. It holds minimal water and is used with vandaceous and other orchid varieties that prefer to dry out rapidly after watering.
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Chilean Sphagnum Moss: Some commercial orchid greenhouse growers use sphagnum as a principal medium. We do not recommend it for home growing in pots, as it tends to dry out more quickly than bark-based mixes. We utilize it to hold water for plants mounted on tree fern slabs or cork. A clump, or "bed" of sphagnum is sandwiched between the substrate (mounting piece) and the roots of the plant before the plant is "wired" or attached to the substrate.
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Tree Fern Fiber: Loose tree fern (miniature, rigid "twigs" from the roots of the Australian Tree Fern plant) are sometimes used in perpetually humid climates where good drainage is necessary. It is relatively expensive compared to other media. Oak Hill Gardens offers a range of different sizes of tree fern slabs, or "plaques," which are made by "gluing" the fiber together to form ¾" thick rectangles/squares for mounting epiphytic orchids. |
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Tree Fern Pots and Totems: Material is the same as above, but molded into thick "pots" or poles. The pots have recesses into which may be added bark mix or sphagnum to facilitate water retention.
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Cork Slabs and Tubes: Natural cork bark is imported from Portugal. Used for decorative mounting of epiphytes, usually with a bed of sphagnum moss on the roots of the plant.
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Coconut Husk Chips: Chunks of chopped coconut husk are very hard and durable. Used in the Midwest for vandaceous and other varieties that prefer to have a more airy environment that drains readily. Coco Husk will not break down a quickly as fir bark.. |
