Do you HAVE to use polystrene chips when repotting an Orchid?

Question

I have 3 x orchids that I want to re-pot and I have bought some orchid compost from B&Q and am also going to make a humidity tray. I have read somewhere that you also need to use polystyrene chips. What I want to know is, is this absolutely necessary as I can't get hold of any anywhere. If it is, will the polystyrene balls out of the bean bag do?

Answer 1

I use a handful of forest bark. It is organic and what the orchid would be growing in in the wild.

Answer 2

No - don't use that stuff - it's absurd.

If you need to stretch your potting mix, you can add a small amount of perlite and/or peat.

Answer 3

NO. You do not need polystyrene peanuts at the bottom of your orchid pot.

As a matter of fact I would advise against it. The potting medium should be all the same – from top to bottom.

Many but NOT ALL ‘greenhouses’ and ‘nurseries’ use the polystyrene peanuts to save money on their potting media.

If you purchased a packaged ‘orchid mix’, it will be all you will need to have healthy beautiful orchids.

I have collected seven orchids over the years and the ‘orchid mix’ is what I have been using for years – sometimes I will plant them in straight shredded/chipped redwood bark.

My orchids bloom every year – sometimes twice a year (rarely).