Cornell Epiphytic Soil Mixture Recipe
The Cornell Epiphytic Mix was developed for plants that require good drainage, and aeration and have the ability to withstand drying between waterings. Plants having coarse, tuberous, or rhizomatous roots are in this category. * Fir bark comes from Douglas fir, white or red fir, or redwood, ground and screened to a definite size. Finally, ground bark (about 0.5 cm) has a dry weight of about 200 g per liter cube. Fresh bark has a pH of about 5.0. Upon weathering, it becomes slightly more alkaline. The bark contains some nutrients, but these will not meet the requirements of growing plants.
| Material | one cubic meter |
| Sphagnum peat moss (screened 1/2 inch mesh) | 0.5 |
| Horticultural vermiculite (No. 2) | 0.25 |
| Perlite (medium grade) | 0.25 |
| Ground dolomitic limestone | 4.9 kg |
| Superphosphate 20% (powdered) | 1.2 kg |
| Fertilizer (10-10-10) | 1.6 kg |
| Iron sulfate | 0.4 kg |
| Potassium nitrate (14-0-44) | 0.6 kg |
| Granular wetting agent | 0.9 kg |
| Material | one cubic meter |
| Sphagnum peat moss (screened 1/2 inch mesh) | 0.33 |
| Douglas, red or white fir bark* (about 0.5 cm size) | 0.33 |
| Perlite (medium grade) | 0.25 |
| Ground dolomitic limestone | 4.2 kg |
| Superphosphate 20% (powdered) | 2.7 kg |
| Fertilizer (10-10-10) | 1.5 kg |
| Iron sulfate | 0.3 kg |
| Potassium nitrate (14-0-44) | 0.5 kg |
| Granular wetting agent | 0.9 kg |