phals... moss or bark?

[orchidjunky]

I have some phals in moss and some in bark... should i transplant the moss ones into some bark??

[Royal]

Both has worked for me. I like bark mixes better for long term culture, but moss can really put on some roots. You just have to be careful about how tightly it's packed. Overall, my vote is bark unless there is an issue.

[Ross]

Your call. How are they doing? Is one group growing better than the other? There are lots of folks going either way here. Both methods are valid, but pick the one that does best for you. Some things to consider:

1)your watering habits. Are you heavy-handed with the water? If so stick with clear pots and coarse bark or dry LECA balls. This way you can get air to the roots.

2) If you don't have the time to water when they should be watered, sphagnum might be better for you.

3) If you find the pots drying out too fast and watering must be done daily (or something like that) then maybe a bark/moss mix might be best for you.

4) How about Semi-hydroponics? Lots of threads here on OrchidBoard that discuss this technique.

5) Want to grow the plants similar to the natural way they grow? Try mounting the plants on chunks of wood or cork or in sphagnum in baskets hung sideways so plant leaves droop down like in nature.

Lots of things to consider. Hope this helps a bit.

[orchidjunky]

Well the ones i have in moss seem like they are not getting dry at all.. is that ok? It stays pretty damp since I live in San Francisco and it is always cool around here..... the plants don't show signs of "disliking" it (i.e. Mold, dying leaves.). The only thing i've noticed as of late are flowers dying.... but that could just be that i've had it for about a month now..

[Royal]

Ross covered it. It is really up to you and your growing conditions.

I just tried S/H for the first time on some other varieties, and I will definitely put some of my phals in S/H next potting! A sphag moss to s/h transition might be really easy for the plant to adjust to, well at least easier than bark to s/h.

[Ross]

San Fran. I'd opt for an airier mix, like bark or even straight LECA.

[orchidjunky]

Originally Posted by Ross

San Fran. I'd opt for an airier mix, like bark or even straight LECA.

Really? Cause when i look at this one that's in a clear pot.. it just seems liek it's WAYYYY TIGHTLY packed.. Still haven't seen signs of mold or rotting though... not sure what to do!

[Ross]

Originally Posted by orchidjunky

Really? Cause when i look at this one that's in a clear pot.. it just seems liek it's WAYYYY TIGHTLY packed.. Still haven't seen signs of mold or rotting though... not sure what to do!

With Phals, the main point of the mix is support. If you can afford daily watering, you really can grow these guys bare root (or mounted on a chunk of wood or cork bark). Tightly packed anything isn't good for Phals. Clear pots allow you to monito root color. You want them to turn back to white between waterings (ideal) but not turn brown.

[caseydoll]

Just to add to the great advice Ross already gave, sometimes even though the visible roots look healthy the ones stuffed in the middle of the sphag may be rotten. That has been my experience with every phal I've ever purchased in sphag. You just can't tell for sure until you unpot it and remove all the moss. If it's staying that moist and is tightly packed I would say that you probably have at least some root rot going on in the center. I have good luck with coconut husk chips. They hold more moisure then bark but not nearly as much as moss and it's slower to decompose. That may be an option for you.

[Royal]

I just repotted a phal NOID that my mother bought for me at a big-box store. (I know it's the thought that counts, but another noid - ugh.) It was potted in strait moss and packed very tightly. To my surprise, the roots looked really great, and probably got good airflow in the greenhouse. But in MY house the moss was never drying out. They were kind of 'circling the drain' looking for air.

My point is good looking roots may not stay so good looking when you change the growing conditions. Again, sphag is good for putting on new roots, but it's also good at suffocating them.