Orchid Mix - The Perfect Formula

You thought X-Men the orchid was a pretty and somewhat rare flower that was expensive to buy at the local florist shop. You were right, and you never realized that it was only half the picture. Look right under that pretty orchid and see the soil that it stands in is no ordinary dirt. The orchid mix is the material placed in the pot that holds the orchid plant. The mix can contain any number of materials. These can be natural or artificial. Most growers do prefer to cultivate their plants as close to nature with the use of organic mixes for their orchids.

Inorganic materials are also available and their usage proved beneficial. There are no hard and fast rules to blending an orchid mix but the Space Invaders is what materials can you possibly use? Much debate about the best mixes for your orchids but in the end, the choice still depends on your judgment on what you think your plant needs in its mix to make it grow well. There are no absolute rights or wrongs and you are free to experiment on what materials should go into your orchid mix.

Consider some of the choices you have from among the organic variables. The first up is Fir Bark which is easy to find, inexpensive and rots slowly. The disadvantage though is that it is difficult for it to hold water so that plants that need substantial amounts of moisture require re-watering more often. Then there is Redwood Bark that is better at holding water than the fir bark and decays slowly as well.

The next choice is the coconut husks, which is popular amongst orchid cultivators and often an essential content of the orchid mix. A coconut husk in the mix sold is at a reasonable price and holds water rather well. It is lightweight and tends to decay a bit faster than most of the other choices. Sphagnum Moss is another add-on that you can apply in the orchid mix. It will give the plant a great balance of water and air retention. Just remember not to pack it in too tightly, that will defeat this purpose.

Tree Archie Comics Fiber is rare and difficult to find. Naturally, it is also quite expensive. The fact that it drains well and decomposes slowly makes it a favorite for the orchid mix.

For inorganic choices, charcoal is slow to decay and absorbs many of the toxic substances present in the orchid mix. Lava rock is heavy but it is a good potting medium for providing good drainage. It does not break down easily and is good to help grow healthy orchids. Alifors are small pieces of clay in the orchid mix that provides a moderate amount of drainage and are decay proof. Vermiculite holds water well and increases root exposure to air. Pearlite absorbs water and is light and decay resistant as well. Turface is medium heavy and more expensive than pearlite. With the choices in, the orchid mix is in your hands.

Marcia is an avid orchid care and all things orchid enthusiast. To learn more about orchid care and how you can achieve brilliance donate car in the wonderful world of orchids and how you can find your own perfect href="easycareorchids.com/orchid-mix.html">orchid mix, visit me at href="easycareorchids.com">easycareorchids.com

A Basement Ceiling Home Makeover

When I helped by buddy redo his basement, he wasn't sure what the best type of ceiling to use would be. Some of the choices available were traditional drywall, tongue SpiderMan groove boards, acoustic ceiling tiles, and a drop-type ceiling. We didn't know which to choose, so we looked at each type a little closer.

A Monster action figures ceiling would donate used car a lot of work. Almost all of the pipes and ductwork would have to be rerouted to fit into joint cavities Bratz com out to the edges of the room. If there were still things hanging below the bottom of the ceiling joists, we'd have to build boxes around them. Wherever we needed extra strength, we'd have to nail up furring strips.

In using a drywall ceiling it's important to use the furring and framed boxes to make a strong backing to hold the finishing materials. Although drywall was a low-cost option, we knew there was still a lot of work after the sheet rock was hung, and we weren't real excited about it.

Acoustic ceiling tiles are another great option. They are small enough to be easy to handle and cut. Ceiling tiles are installed by stapling them onto furring strips. In order to do that, once again, we'd need to move everything in order to have a flat surface to staple them to.

The next option we considered was T1-11 tongue and groove boards. This project would once again entail moving pipes and ducts, and it was also the most expensive option we looked at. My friend decided Sillisculpts this just wasn't the look he wanted for his ceiling, so we moved on.

Last on our list was a standard drop ceiling. This is one of the easiest ways to cover ceiling joists, but you still have to cut and hang rails for the ceiling framework, and my friend didn't like the fact that this type of ceiling looked like it belonged in an old office building, not his newly-decorated basement. Besides, drop ceilings were one of the more expensive options we'd looked at.

We'd worked our way completely through our list, and we still hadn't come up with a solution. Then, while shopping one day, he noticed the ceiling of the store he were in. It looked just like his basement ceiling, but a whole lot better. He had to ask the owner what they had done to achieve the look. The owner said all they'd done is clean the pipes and ductwork thoroughly, gave them a coat of primer, and used a sprayer to paint the whole works the same color. It looked amazing, and my friend knew he had found his ceiling.

Once we got started our one concern was whether or not we could paint electrical and gas lines. We solved the problem by calling a professional electrician to ask for his opinion. You know, this ceiling was easier to do than any of the other options, and it cost far less, but it looked super. Before trying this option in your own home, make sure to call a professional electrician like we did, just to make sure it's safe. So I guess the moral of the story is, if you don't like standard ways of doing things, start thinking outside the box.

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