Mossy growth in mini-Phal bark/sphagnum media
javiwa
7 years ago
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javiwa
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Repotting phals from Pro Mix to bark mix..???
Comments (18)Schucks! I guess i waited too long to repot my phals, at least for one of them! I repotted one last night and there was only one viable root in the whole pot, there are however 3 or 4 aerial roots out of the pot. The plant is in spike now, but has shown a maked slowing down as far as progressing to full bloom. The spikes do show the unopened blooms etc. i bought some Miracle Gro Orchid planting mix yesterday that I would never PERSONALLY use now that ive opened it, it is almost like the stuff i just took the phal in question out of, to me it is "Like" Pro Mix, iam an "avid" waterer some times so this would not work for me AT ALL i dont think. The plants in question are NOIDS that i got at a green house a couple of years ago on sale they have rebloomed for me which iam grateful for but i will know now, i hope to repot sooner especially on discounted or sale items, they must have been in the same potting medium at least 3 years. Shame on me! The NH Orchid Society Show is soon in Feb so will pick every vendors brain fo the "Perfect" Potting media for ME! HA HA HA! Only if there was such a thing..The oiginal potting media i was going to get for phals never arrived at the green house i was originally going to get it from. i think what i will do is get a bark based mix and add some moss to it as suggested. Wish me luck, and thanks again!...See MoreCan Orchiata bark with lava rock replace sphagnum moss?
Comments (11)I've been using the same fertilizer from Sun Bulb more than 20 years. The product is called orchid plus. On the package it indicates no urea. A few years ago the AOS endorsed it. Written on the package. For what that is worth. It is difficult for me to get my arms around what is right or wrong. I do know that my plants seem healthy and strong. The question is if I change what I do will it improve the plants. That means change anything including feed. So I decided to call Sun Bulb and they sent me an email from Robert Palmer, their master grower. This is his response about urea. Dear Harvey: Tina asked me to contact you about the no urea in Orchid Plus. Using a fertilizer with Urea tends to drop the media ph very low after extended use. It will not harm your orchid if you are using a fertilizer that contains Urea, we are not making that claim at all. Many orchids are grown mounted or in the case of vandas in a basket with no mix or media whatsoever. In these cases all fertilizer runs off on the ground immediately . This does not allow for the urea to be converted to the ammonia(NH4+) or nitrate(NO3-) ions. Urea can be taken through the foliage but the plant responds better and faster using nitogen in the nitrate and ammonia forms. Roots do not take up nitrogen in the urea form. Low temps in the winter especially slow down the conversion process of nitrification by the soil microbes. I hope I have explained this properly to you. Using any fertilizer is better than using nothing even if the fertilizer contains urea. Sincerely Robert Palmer I believe that from now to the end of time this subject will continue to be debated....See MoreGoing from Sphag to Bark?
Comments (34)Alvin brings up a good point, something which I've learned too - potting everything of the same plant type (ie phals) in the same media really saves a lot of heart ache! Just an echo to whichever parties said this - your watering habits and humidity conditions should probably dictate the media you use, rather than the other way around. But in regards to your original question, don't worry about phals going from bark to sphag - I've done sphag to bark and bark to sphag and they don't really care at all...just do it when they're root tips are growing (usually when there is nice summery light / artificial CFL lighting). Whereabouts in Canada are you, fellow canuck? :) Also, for repotting of phals, I mainly do it if the stem gets too long - ie over time, it loses leaves and it becomes really spindly, so I just sink the entire plant when I repot so I get it nice and low again. I've also repotted randomly, either because the pot broke, or the plant was stalling (aka no reason at all) and nothing has died yet. But these results may not be typical so don't take my word for it! Just realize that these plants are pretty hardy :) Mehitabel - I don't think there is harm in repotting a rootless phal, since it could probably care less about what media it is in (it has no roots to feel the media). In fact I have repotted a rotten phal previously in bark to sphag(I over watered in winter cause I thought the bark was too dry...in reality the plant was underlit and rotting) and got root growth, although I don't know whether it was because of the change in media (I always have this feeling that moist sphag creates a more humid environment compared to bark...) or the increase in light because it was closer to spring that elicited root growth. The repotting definitely didn't HARM it....See MoreDo I need to repot my Phal or leave it as is?
Comments (13)The roots of phalaenopsis are green because they contain chlorophyll and help photosynthesize for the plant. This is why most people use clear/transparent plastic orchid pots, so the roots can be exposed to sunlight, along with the leaves. This helps them produce more food to grow stronger and healthier. I would say that it would be best to repot back into the clear pot it came in. Tho going up another pot size would be fine too. Phalaenopsis don't really get any bigger than they already are once they're full grown. If I were to recommend a pot, I would have to go with the Oxygen Core Dual™ Pots. These wonderful pots are sold online by RePotMe. I bought a couple of these pots to try out, and I loved them so much that I went and ordered some more. They sell them in a range of different sizes. The 5.5" pots are just the perfect size for most Phals. The inner net pot holds all of the media (I use 50% sphagnum moss & 50% bark/perlite/charcoal blend). This replicates the perfect humid environment for you orchid's roots, while giving them plenty of fresh air. All of my orchids love these pots. :) ^ You may notice the white nylon string that I have running thru the drain holes in the outer pot. I have them tied down the the wooden table so that they can't move. I live in Tornado Alley, and during Tornado Season, we can get some pretty fierce thunderstorms rolling thru. Before I did this, my pots used to get knocked around all the time. Which gets old pretty fast. This has proven very useful in keeping my 'chids secured and in one place. If I need to handle any of my plants, the I just remove the inner net pot(s). Just be careful if any new roots happen to be growing out of the net pot, because they can be easily broken....See Morejaviwa
7 years agojaviwa
7 years agojaviwa
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agotiarella
7 years ago
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