How to work with sphagnum moss?

[Spookylady]

Hi all, I'm finding two of my phals aren't happy being in full water culture so I bought some orchid-grade sphagnum moss. The two phals I'm going to put into the moss are large. They have 4 or 5 leaves each but don't appear to be growing anything new as far as leaves or roots.

The moss is New Zealand sphagnum moss. It's dry (and soft to the touch, not hard or crusty). It came in a large bag, not a brick. I read somewhere it should be rehydrated for 24 hours before using it to pot an orchid in. Is this true?

My rescue phal's new leaf is growing pretty well. My other one has been in water culture for about 6 months and it's doing OK; it's growing a new leaf and has about 12 leaves on it!

Fingers crossed I'll be seeing some new roots and leaves soon. Thank you as always for everyone's advice and encouragement!

[fishmom]

I am not an expert on using moss for phals. However, I received two different plants that were planted in sphag. moss and I have kept them that way. Both plants were in clay pots with the moss packed firmly but not hard-tight. I water by putting the liquid in a saucer when the top of the moss is crispy and letting the container draw up the water. In a couple of hours, the moss is moist clear to the top. I have also replanted one of my other phals into moss/clay, and it is doing well . It is important that the moss be packed tightly enough that there are no voids, so that moisture can be transmitted from the bottom to the surface of the pot.


The 24 hour soak is not necessary, but it should be moist to make it easier to work the moss into and around the existing roots. The roots need to be in contact with the moss to obtain the moisture if you water from the bottom, as water is not running through the pot.

[Spookylady]

Hi fishmom, thanks for the advice. I'll be putting the phals into the moss hopefully tomorrow or Thursday. I'll add pictures to my Flickr and posting it so y'all can see how it's going and I'll make progress updates. So funny how one of my phals seems happy as a clam in water culture but the others not so much.

[Ray]

I buy my sphagnum in compressed blocks, so spray the outer surfaces with copious amounts of hot water and close it up in a large Tupperware-type container; it's all swelled and ready to use in about 15-20 minutes. For loose sphag, I'd do much the same, using a plastic bag. Squeeze out the excess water before using.

[Spookylady]

Hi Ray, thanks for your reply. I put my moss in water yesterday and it seems good and saturated today. I'll definitely squeeze out the water before adding to my orchids' pots. Hoping they like it!

[IngieBee]

I'm no expert, but wanted to suggest you use it very fluffy because phals do seem to like to breathe. ??

[Spookylady]

Hi IngieBee, I think I have my moss fluffy enough so my roots have room to breathe and grow. I added a couple of pictures to Flickr so everyone can let me know: Flickr. Thanks!!

[fishmom]

The moss definitely looks fluffy, but do those containers have drainage holes? If not, the moss at the bottom of the beaker is never going to dry out and may well be prone to rotting. You might want to consider a different container that would allow for drainage and breathing, like terra cotta or slotted plastic.

[Spookylady]

Hi fishmom, the beakers are glass and don't have drainage holes. I'm going to see if my coworker can drill some holes in them for me.

[fishmom]

Great!