Cattleya Potting Mix Recipe: Bark, Sponge Rock, Charcoal Ratios

Recommended Mix

5 parts medium fir bark, 3 parts sponge rock (perlite), 2 parts #3 charcoal. Sift all fines. Soak bark thoroughly before use (dry bark repels water).

Orchiata bark users report success with 100% Orchiata, no additives. Currently under trial.

Not recommended—compacts, hard to rewet.

Orchids: Potting Soil vs. Potting Mix: What’s the Difference?; Designing Soil Mixes for Native Plants in Southeast Queensland; Custom Phalaenopsis Mix: 5:2:1 Fir Bark:Charcoal:Perlite; Best Potting Mix for Moth Orchids: Bark Beats Moss; Best Potting Mix for Cymbidium Orchids: Bark and Perlite Recipe; Custom Orchid Potting Mixes: Materials, Ratios, and Personal Preference; Darlingtonia Soil Mix Alternatives: Peat/Perlite Ratio and Transplant Steps; Optimal Soil Mixes for Drosera regia: Germination vs. Mature Plants; Using Nepenthes Mix (with Fir Bark) for Sarracenia: Blending Ratios and Cautions; Charcoal in Orchid Bark for Darlingtonia: No Problem

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