One of the causes and prevention of rotten roots of orchids: substrate

The cultivation substrate lacks the function of filtering water and permeating air.

Water is the source of all things, the growth of orchids must have water in order to absorb and transport nutrients, and carry out normal metabolism. Orchid is a kind of air root plant. In the process of its growth, a small part of the water is supplied by moisture in the air, and most of the water must be absorbed by the water contained in the cultivated substrate. The orchid root also needs to absorb oxygen from the matrix pores of the orchid basin to breathe. If the drainage of the substrate in the orchid basin is poor and the water content is too high, the water will fill the matrix pores, resulting in stagnant water, the matrix pores are full of water and lack of oxygen, the roots are suffocated by hypoxia, and the root function is gradually lost for a long time. At this time, due to the invasion and reproduction of harmful bacteria, the root system will rot.

The face matches the seed orchid matrix. The seed orchid matrix should be filtered and breathable, moist but not waterlogged, dry but not dry. At present, there are many special materials for orchid cultivation on the market, such as Emei soil in Sichuan, expansive soil in Chongzhou, and many kinds of orchid special soil in Guangdong, which are all good materials for orchid cultivation. Some rotten leaf soil can also be added to these materials to supplement the lack of fertility. Can also use local materials, such as weathered soil, broken bricks, broken carbon particles, broken tree bark, etc., mixed with an appropriate amount of rotten leaves, the effect is also very good, not only can filter water breathable, but also moisturize and do not waterlogging, but also have a certain degree of fertility. However, it should be noted that the materials used must be non-toxic, aseptic, pollution-free and free of parasitic eggs, otherwise it will also bring harm to the root system of orchids. (Yang Shizhang)