Great Potting Media for Specimen Paphiopedilum?

[NYCorchidman]

Hello, this is for all the paphiopedilum lovers.

What do you all use for large multiple growth paphiopedilums?

I am dreading repotting as large paphs I dealt with in the past had so many roots, it was hard to remove old mix and to get new mix in between the roots properly leaving lots of empty space.

I have used a mix of coconut husk chips and clay balls with good results. It lasted for about four years without repotting.


I am looking for something that will last for a long time so I don't have to repot for years.
Another important quality I'm looking for is something that is easy to remove at the time of repotting, and easy to fill in between the roots.


I'm now considering tree fern fibers. I wonder how long tree fern fiber lasts.
I read that it last very long without going bad.
It is also supposedly very open mix.

Anyone use straight tree fern fibers for large paphs??
Or would that be too dry? I'm not wanting to water every day.

Also, anyone grow paphs in inorganic mix, but not semi-hydro?
I am trying a couple of cheap hybrids (that I won't miss losing) in clay ball with just a little bit of organic mix and so far so good, but this is an experiment on smaller paphs for now.

I wouldn't take a chance with big paphs that I spent a lot of time and attention.

Any good input will be appreciated.

[MrHappyRotter]

I have some plants in a mostly inorganic mix, others in completely inorganic. They all do well in it, within my growing conditions and care routine.

My mix is mostly rockwool based. Rockwool is easy for me to source locally, and even if I have to order online, it's so lightweight that the shipping costs seem reasonable compared with other potting media. To that I'll add varying amounts of sponge rock (large grade perlite), LECA (s.a. aliflor), and medium grade charcoal (organic). To that, I'll add a variety of minor constituents including egg shells, crushed oyster shell, and/or sphagnum moss.

Rockwool lasts awhile. It simultaneously holds lots of water, while retaining plenty of air to prevent suffocating the roots. I bought it originally for my phrags, but have since moved nearly my entire collection into a rockwool based mix.

For me, it does come off the roots fairly easily when repotting. Because it's so light and fluffy, I can usually do a good job of stuffing new mix into the pot around the roots when I'm repotting, with minimal giant pockets. Even if there are some larger pockets, they don't seem to affect the plants, in fact, they seem to provide greater surface area for the roots to meander around.

I personally don't like to use tree fern fiber. That stuff is a mess to remove from roots when repotting. More importantly, it's my understanding that a lot of the tree fern fiber production is done in an unsustainable manner. That alone is enough to make me think twice about using it. I guess if I were going to consider using it, I would do some homework to purchase it from a supplier that uses sustainable harvesting practices. But, before I was aware of this issue, I did use it, and simply wasn't very fond of it for slippers.

[Bud]

I have some of my Paphs on S/H method....the clay pebbles seem to be neat and clean at the same time easy to repot if the plant have outgrown its container. Only once a month flushings and once a week fertilizer feed and watering all at the same time.

[HighSeas]

While Paphs are certainly not my specialty since I've killed each and every one I've ever owned, except the two I have now. For some reason, they are living quite well in coconut chunks, clay balls, perlite and lava rock. (Mostly lava rock) They are actually growing too! I've had them for awhile now in that mix although, neither have ever bloomed.

At the present moment....I'll just be satisfied with lots of fans and roots.

[NYCorchidman]

Originally Posted by MrHappyRotter

I have some plants in a mostly inorganic mix, others in completely inorganic. They all do well in it, within my growing conditions and care routine.

My mix is mostly rockwool based. Rockwool is easy for me to source locally, and even if I have to order online, it's so lightweight that the shipping costs seem reasonable compared with other potting media. To that I'll add varying amounts of sponge rock (large grade perlite), LECA (s.a. aliflor), and medium grade charcoal (organic). To that, I'll add a variety of minor constituents including egg shells, crushed oyster shell, and/or sphagnum moss.

Rockwool lasts awhile. It simultaneously holds lots of water, while retaining plenty of air to prevent suffocating the roots. I bought it originally for my phrags, but have since moved nearly my entire collection into a rockwool based mix.

For me, it does come off the roots fairly easily when repotting. Because it's so light and fluffy, I can usually do a good job of stuffing new mix into the pot around the roots when I'm repotting, with minimal giant pockets. Even if there are some larger pockets, they don't seem to affect the plants, in fact, they seem to provide greater surface area for the roots to meander around.

I personally don't like to use tree fern fiber. That stuff is a mess to remove from roots when repotting. More importantly, it's my understanding that a lot of the tree fern fiber production is done in an unsustainable manner. That alone is enough to make me think twice about using it. I guess if I were going to consider using it, I would do some homework to purchase it from a supplier that uses sustainable harvesting practices. But, before I was aware of this issue, I did use it, and simply wasn't very fond of it for slippers.

I considered rockwool for my miltoniopsis before, but somehow it scares me because rockwool makes me think of glass fiber whose fine particle can lodge in the lungs and damage the body.
Maybe I'm too paranoid.

Tree fern fiber was out of production I thought, so I was surprised to see they are still around.
They also look strange. like a sharp needles. lol

I really need to come up with something that are long lasting for my old paphs.