Cultivation of orchids in gravel: simple and effective!
_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58of orchids growing in the most fragile substrates. In the past, cultivation in Xaxim fibers reigned, which was not the perfection of cultivation, but with its ban, it left many growers with no option.
Após a proibição, muitas foram attempts to find a substitute (many of which are presented under "Substrates" on this site). Choosing a substrate is far from an easy task. It depends on so many conditions that it's very easy to hear that a type of substrate works very well with someone, but that it doesn't work with the neighbor!
Inside an orchid house there are many climate variations, which we call Microclimates, they are subtle variations that many times do not we noticed, but for the plants they make a huge difference, completely influencing the success of the substrate.
_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ In this way, our idea is not to present an infallible substrate, but to present points for and against so that you can evaluate the option of using it on your plants.
Characteristics:
- INERT SUBSTRATE- this feature can be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage. Firstly, the big problem with most substrates is that they change their characteristics as they age, and a substrate that, while new, seems ideal, will make it impossible for the plant to develop in a few months or years. As I use crushed stone, it will not change over time and tends to have infinite durability. As it does not release humic substances, which in large quantities intoxicate the roots of orchids, it tends to privilege a longer and more lasting rooting, avoiding the traditional death of older roots, and the more roots, the more their orchids can absorb water and nutrients, favoring growth. In addition, with aging, organic substrates tend to become powdery, reducing the aeration of the substrate, which will also cause the roots to die. On the other hand, the use of stones does not release nutritive substances, which must be regularly supplied through irrigation or spraying.
The inertia of the substrate also hinders the development of soil fungi and bacteria, which are a major problem when it comes to orchid diseases.
_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d showed that our darkened experiences showed that dolomite, did not show good results, perhaps due to the possibility of increasing the pH of the substrate(readthe chapter about).
Veja abaixo a imagem do enraizamento (living roots) obtained with the use of crushed stones with a common plastic vessel. Note that it is barely possible to see the crushed stones used as substrate.
-PERENNIAL SUBSTRATE- this means that it lasts practically forever, avoiding having to transplant your orchid due to substrate decomposition. This does not mean that all orchids planted in gravel never needs to be replanted. In a few years you will notice that even when cultivating in gravel, there is a certain accumulation of organic material at the bottom of the pot, retained precisely by the large number of roots that grow, which will impair the ventilation of the roots, favoring your death. Observing the photos above, it is easy to see how dense the rooting becomes, which ends up harming the very aeration of the vase.
-MOISTURE RETENTION - One of the reasons I hear the most against growing in gravel is that they retain little moisture. What a response stating that this is quite relative.
First, gravel cools more than other organic substrates, causing moisture from the air to condense on it during the night. Secondly, as the roots grow, they become an important part of the substrate composition, favoring the maintenance of substrate moisture. Third, as it is a substrate that allows a much greater development of roots, when the vase is irrigated, water absorption is much more efficient and the orchid can store much more water in the pseudobulbs._cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
É_cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ it is always good to remember that it is much easier for an orchid to die from too much water than from a lack of water.
_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d Thus greater care should be taken in the use of gravel_ watering only during the period when rooting is not complete and also in environments with low relative humidity.
