Orchid Compost

Orchids need an open, free-draining medium, not a dense, soil-like compost. Most orchids sold as houseplants are epiphytes: in the wild they grow clinging to the bark of trees, with their roots exposed to air and rain rather than buried in the ground. To keep them happy in a pot, the compost has to drain very freely and let air reach the roots, which is exactly why orchids need their own specialist compost.

Ordinary compost holds water and closes tightly around the roots. For a plant whose roots are built for open, airy conditions, that means sitting cold and wet with no oxygen, which is the quickest route to root rot and the most common way orchids are lost. Standard compost also breaks down and compacts over time, squeezing out the air pockets orchid roots depend on. A specialist orchid compost stays open and drains fast, so the roots can breathe.

Ours is enriched with pure worm casts. Worm casts release micronutrients gently and support strong, healthy root development, and with orchids the roots are everything. It is a specialist orchid medium rather than a repurposed general compost, made to keep roots well aired and well fed so the plant can put its energy into more abundant, longer-lasting flowers.