Sybotanica Orchid Potting Mix, 5L

For orchids that have finished flowering and sit in the same tired mix they came in, now breaking down into a damp mush that smothers their roots. This is an orchid potting mix of bark, coconut husk chips and sphagnum moss, open and airy the way orchids grow, with the moss holding humidity around the roots. Made for Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium and Cattleya, with a finer bark that fits smaller pots. 5L resealable bag.

Most orchids aren't soil plants at all. In the wild they cling to tree bark in tropical forests, their thick roots out in the air and rain. Pot one in ordinary compost and those roots suffocate and rot. This mix copies the forest instead: two parts orchid bark and two parts coconut husk for structure and airflow, and one part pure sphagnum moss to keep a little moisture close by. Repot every two or three years, once the old mix starts to break down.

Made for

Phalaenopsis (moth orchids), Dendrobium and Cattleya, and most other epiphytic orchids. It also works well in a terrarium.

How to repot

• Ease the orchid out and gently tease away the old mix. Rinse the roots under lukewarm water.
• Snip off any roots that are hollow, brown or mushy. Healthy ones are firm and silvery-green.
• Put a little mix in the bottom of the pot, set the orchid in, and fill loosely around the roots so the base of the leaves sits just above the surface.
• Water thoroughly to settle the mix.

Watering and feeding

• Give it bright, indirect light, never direct sun, which scorches leaves and flowers.
• Water when the mix has nearly dried. The moss holds water longest, so if you add more moss, water less often, and with more bark, more often.
• For feeding, our slow-release and liquid plant foods both come in an orchid blend that suits bark mixes.

Good to know

• Peat-free. Unlike our other soils, it contains no worm castings.
• Not safe for pets or children if eaten. Keep it out of reach.