Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Stuff to grow them in..., 0 by AlohaHoya

AlohaHoya wrote:
Gabi... In a word....YES. However, before you do, check the middle to the bottom of the pot first. If it is needing water, then you might want to mix more soil retention material in it...but, IHO, try to stay away from spagnum/peat moss....and try bark mulch. Peat, when it dries, is so hard to re-wet. I would just add MORE of the water retaining bark.

OK, here is a photo of the components of the mix...

Top Left - Whitney Farms bark mulch. NEXT GOING RIGHT - Fine Orchid Bark TOP RIGHT - Black Gold Orchid Bark

Middle Left - Black volcanic Cinder, MIDDLE - Two sizes of Hydroton FAR RIGHT #3 perlite

Bottom - Small Gravel (which I don't use, but a friend of mine grows a lot of epiphytes in it) and MEDIUM ORCHID Bark

I started out using the small Hydroton mixed 50/50 with the small Orchid Bark for my ICU hoyas... Now I am using a mix of the Perlite and the Hydroton (larger size) to give more Oxygen to the roots.

For my bigger plants i am using the medium sized bark in the bottom of the pot...with some Perlite and I use the bigger chunks of everything else.

I think that even marbles or those small glass balls used to support flower arrangements would work. The goal here is to all air to the roots....