Miracle Gro Orchid Mix.. I don't think so..

[ogus]

I went to a near Ace Hardware today and spotted Miracle Glo (or whatever..) orchid mix. I have so far been very happy with Schultz Orchid MIx, but out of curiosity I picked this thing up. When I opened it late tonight to see what it is like I was really disappointed that it is nothing like the Schultz stuff.

The mix is something I don't think I will use on any of my orchids.. It's more like potting soil made out of tiny bark dusts plus some perlites among others.

I am not sure what kind of air breathing orchid would grow in it.. Perhaps it's good for paphs? Certainly I have not had any trouble with my orchids in very coarse mix but this thing is certain anything but coarse for me.

I guess I wasted good ten bucks on curiosity.. I will mix that with my perlites / potting soil mix to plant some wild flower seeds..

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

This may really be a Cymbidium mix. Years ago, you could buy 'bark' or 'mix'. The bark was for epiphytes, and the mix was for semi-terrestrials ,like Cyms and Paphs. The difference was that 'bark' was pure chunks of bark, while the 'mix' had lots of small stuff mixed in to hold more moisture. Now days, since they started adding perlite and charcoal to 'bark', they started using the term mix for epiphytes, and the beginner has no way of knowing which is which.

The other possibility is that your new mix is something similar to what I put together for all my orchids, except a few standard sized Cymbidiums. Mine is 2 parts Canadian peat to 3 parts small perlite, with some oyster shell added to control PH. This mix works well, but you have to pack it in pretty tight. The mix has the advantage of drying uniformly thru the mix, when pack tight, and can be hosed out and replaced without any damage to the roots. So, you might want to experiment with some of your orchids. I find that my Dens, which are in very small pots, can suck this mix really dry in 2 days. I am watering my Stanhopias every day in this mix, but again, the pots, small bulb pans with many holes melted in the bottom, are very small compared to using baskets.

[jbigio]

I got the same mix at home depot and was just as disappointed. I did mix in some bark and more perlite and am going to use it with my regular mix for my Phrag's and Paph's. Cynthia my have a point as a test i think I will try it with a couple of plants and see.

[palito]

I use that MiracleGro mix in a few phals and oncidiums with great results. I use small pots only. I find it works fine, maybe better than spagh since it dries faster and it is very airy and loose despite the appearance. The negative part is that it contains slow release fertilizer, so you shouldn't use it for plants that need a rest period.

[slippery_biscuit]

I use Schultz for most of my potted catts and even some dends and oncidiums. The're doing good; I like the corseness of it. Hard to overwater. But like the other folks have said, keep it around and maybe it will have a use, as is or as a component of your own creation.

I bought some Aussie Gold Fine earlier this year, but it just didn't turn my crank. But (for me, remember) it works good when mixed with some fine bark and the odd sprig of sphag. A few finer rooted plants are doing well in that.

Isn't gardening fun?!?!?

[Bloomingal]

I bought Lambert's orchid mix today. I had a gift card for a local nursery and that's all they had. The components are:
sphagnum peat chunks, coarse bark, hardwood charcoal, and red basalt rocks, pH balanced and contains a light starter charge(huh?).
Is it OK to use ?

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by Bloomingal

I bought Lambert's orchid mix today. ... The components are: sphagnum peat chunks, coarse bark, hardwood charcoal, and red basalt rocks, pH balanced and contains a light starter charge(huh?).
Is it OK to use ?

Hmm...interesting. Could be great for osme things. How chunky is it? Big chunks? Medium chunks?

[Bloomingal]

Definitely not big; I'd say small to medium depending what it's a chunk of. So far, I've only handled it dry, but I like the way it looks and it was easy to fill with. I think I was careful not to pack it but it was easy to fill btw the roots(add, shake, add, shake). And it held up my top heavy Den quite well(in a 4 inch pot). It's grayish colored.

[kmarch]

Small to medium chunks eh? May be good for Phals and Paphs, I used somethign similar on Cattleyas once but no red rocks and it was large-chunk.

[Bloomingal]

Hmm, the red rocks must be covered with the gray 'powder' because I don't actually see red rocks. So, since I posted I also potted up my Sogo Doll in addition to the Den. Emma White. I hope I did it right. Sulfur dusted the roots and will leave unwatered for at least a week. Both had been watered pre- potting.

[kmarch]

I must have been avign an overactive imagination because I see upon re-reading the posts that there was no mention of red rocks....the mind os going and I'm not even very old....yet.

[11Orchid126]

Bloomingal, could the red basalt rocks be similar to volcanic rocks?

Ogus, the mix sounds similar to Pro-Mix which is sold at most garden centers. Phals love Pro-mix and grow like crazy in it. The only drawback is that the mix needs to be replaced more often then a bark mix as it breaks down quicker. It also holds fertilizer longer, so fertilizing must be adjusted accordingly.

[Nancy]

The MiracleGro I purchased contains three months of fertilizer. I have my single paph potted in it and the plant seems quite happy. It may have its uses.

[FLaCo]

How do they fertilize it with their Osmoscote pellets?

[chaseg89]

I got the MiracleGro orchid mix to repot a phal and a phal type dendro. It is a lot finer than I expected the mix to be, but I plan on mixing it with something a little coarser to add some better drainage. What could yall recommend mixing it with?

[kmarch]

Maybe just some standard bark mix? Maybe with some additional perilite to lighten up and open up the mix?

When experimenting with a new mix take care to monitor the plant to see how fast (or slow) it dries out.

[chaseg89]

That has been my biggest problem so far is just watching the amount of water and trying not to over...or underdo it. but I was thinking about using some sort of bark to cut with the potting mix and see how it does.

[orchids4me]

Originally Posted by slippery_biscuit

I use Schultz for most of my potted catts and even some dends and oncidiums. The're doing good; I like the corseness of it. Hard to overwater. But like the other folks have said, keep it around and maybe it will have a use, as is or as a component of your own creation.

I bought some Aussie Gold Fine earlier this year, but it just didn't turn my crank. But (for me, remember) it works good when mixed with some fine bark and the odd sprig of sphag. A few finer rooted plants are doing well in that.

Isn't gardening fun?!?!?

Where or what kind of store are you finding schultz media I haven't found any for 2 years checked home depot, target, wall mart, local nursery ..... I had one bag (some left over) used it on my catts want to find some for my dens but can't find it just gallers I think its called at home depot an the miracle gro stuff I'm terrified of lol.
Thanks any help locating a store that carries schultz appreciated.
Emmaye

[Ray]

Folks have just got to understand that mass-marketed orchid potting mixes are simply not for everyone.

As was discussed in another thread here, it is important to understand the balance between the potting medium, your watering habits, and their interaction with your growing conditions, and to adjust the potting medium and watering so they provide the moisture and airiness the plants need, while not overburdening yourself with watering.

If you insist on using an "over-the-counter" medium, the ONLY thing you can adjust is watering, and that can be a serious problem.

Now to nip an apparent misconception in the bud:

Originally Posted by ogus

I am not sure what kind of air breathing orchid would grow in it.. Perhaps it's good for paphs?

Paphs need air to the roots too!!! It has been speculated that the root hairs on a paph are intended to provide "breathing space" around the roots as they meander in the leaf litter on the forest floor.

[PhalNewbie89]

Since this popped up again I thought I would air my two cents. My phals actually do very well in it. It may seem very broken down but it is very fluffy and airy. It works very well. It isn't for everyone but it has worked well for me. I actually have a couple phals in it now.

[cerastes]

I have used the Miracle Gro orchid mix for some of my phals and they are doing quite well. I used clear plastic pots so I could observe how the roots were growing. I have also used it for catasetums and cycnoches with good results.

[retroresale]

I potted some of my smaller phals in Miracle Gro Orchid mix. They seem to be happy so far. I also used clear plastic pots so I could keep an eye on the roots. I do have to resist the urge to water them. They can go at least twice as long as my phals potted in bark mix.

[Amblnc38]

I mix mine with shredded bark and charcoal to make it more "airy". I unfortunately, at this juncture can't afford the more expensive stuff. The $9 bag of charcoal was too much in all honesty. My feral Phal's seems to like it.

[Amblnc38]

And I'll amend what I said with,

I just wrote Miracle Grow a nasty-gram about the flies their potting soil was housing. I have to repot everything now...

[hera]

I've posted this before, but I have had very good results with this mix. I use it for phrags and restrepia. I mix in some small bark for aeration, and you have to remeber that there is an amount of fertilizer in the mix, so don't fertilize for at least two months. Its a peat based mix and it will work for moisture loving types. I haven't tried it with masdevallias because I think the fertilizer would be too much, but it might work with them too. One day I will try.