Potting Orchids in Horsemanure
Nic received many enquiries about exact potting instructions. This is not a fussy procedure, so don't hesitate to try it.
He simply gathered fresh manure from where the horses graze and puts it in the pots in lumps, just as it is found.
Hold the bulb over the pot with the roots hanging down in the pot while you put the horsemanure in so that the roots finish up in amongst the horsemanure and the bulb is fully exposed on top of it. Don't pack it too tightly.
About an inch of sphagnum may be put on top of the horsemanure to reduce weed growth. This also helps keep the humidity up but has no bearing on the plant growth.
Potting Orchids Requiring Weaker Solution
At this point we will
repeat the 'point 10' from the 'why horsemanure' page
Plants
with very low E.C. (electrical conductivity) like Disa, Cattleya
and Paphs will grow
better in horse manure than anything else,
but for these you do need a buffer to get
the E.C. balance right. Sphagnum moss is
a very good buffer. Fill the pot to 50 -
60% with horse manure then fill the top
half with sphagnum moss. Plant the orchid
in the sphagnum moss and water the plant
every day freely with free drainage. The solution in the
upper part of the pot where the sphagnum moss is, will be much weaker, and
down in the horsemanure it will be stronger. The plant will grow
it's roots down into the horsemanure as required. This
keeps the E.C. balance perfect and then
you can't go wrong.
To see a page specifically
on disa and horsemanure, click here.
For plants needing average to high E.C.,
just plant them directly in the horsemanure. You can still put a little
bit of sphagnum on top to help reduce
weed growth.
Important: The pot must be free draining and not standing in a puddle.
The plant can be left in the same pot until it is just about bursting out, the growth performance is still good. The photo of the plant roots shows this.
People often asked about the smell of horsemanure. This is not a problem at all. There is a bit of smell when potting of course, but much less than other types of manure. Once in the pots for a while you don't smell it at all. Also health tests on horsemanure have shown that it is one of the safest manures to handle. Of course it is advisable to wash hands thoroughly afterwards.