mold in quick drying moss?

[OrchidNut555]

Originally Posted by MateoinLosAngeles

You can grow almost everything in moss. Cattleyas do great, Phalaenopsis do great, Catasetinae do great... it's not about the medium alone, it's about everything working together. Watering frequency, technique, RH, temperature, air currents, type of pot... The air pocket thing is something that Miss Orchid Girl says on Youtube but assuming that fluffy moss will retain such air pockets without accounting for the water's surface tension is quite a random statement.

Regarding the fact that the plant came in moss and you repotted in moss means that the roots are already adapted is also questionable. As moss ages, the medium changes, and the fresh moss you add won't necessarily be equal to the old one. In fact, it most likely will be very different. But what is confusing is that you original post mentions you use bark, perlite, etc. So what is it, moss or a mix? And is the mix providing the same conditions as the mix the plant came in? Did you repot while it was growing new roots?

All of the above are important questions in order to find success. I recommend you soak in all info on First Rays LLC › Using Science & Logic to Advance Orchid Growing

I think you misunderstood. It's indeed in moss, but perlite and bark chips have been added to retain air pockets, as i mentioned. There was 1 young root (1 cm long at most) which browned, which i found odd as it had access to a lot of airiness. this root was about to gtow in moss and since it's so young it can adapt, oddly enough it browned upon having moisture. for the rest this plant is doing fine.

I notice this thread is becoming more and more about "did you repot correctly atthe right time". the plant is fine, i'm merely looking for ways to prohibit mold. As far as watering frequency goes; the moss dried out in a matter of a few days, so no sogginess.

As far as MOG is concerned, she foes pack it *very* loose and adds bark as well to add air pockets.

My pot also has 8 rows of 4 ventilations rows each, so plenty of air can travel through.

---------- Post added at 11:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 AM ----------

Originally Posted by MateoinLosAngeles

You can grow almost everything in moss. Cattleyas do great, Phalaenopsis do great, Catasetinae do great... it's not about the medium alone, it's about everything working together. Watering frequency, technique, RH, temperature, air currents, type of pot... The air pocket thing is something that Miss Orchid Girl says on Youtube but assuming that fluffy moss will retain such air pockets without accounting for the water's surface tension is quite a random statement.

Regarding the fact that the plant came in moss and you repotted in moss means that the roots are already adapted is also questionable. As moss ages, the medium changes, and the fresh moss you add won't necessarily be equal to the old one. In fact, it most likely will be very different. But what is confusing is that you original post mentions you use bark, perlite, etc. So what is it, moss or a mix? And is the mix providing the same conditions as the mix the plant came in? Did you repot while it was growing new roots?

All of the above are important questions in order to find success. I recommend you soak in all info on First Rays LLC › Using Science & Logic to Advance Orchid Growing

---------- Post added at 02:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:35 AM ----------



Mold only grows on decaying matter or extremely porous moist surfaces that may contain some sources of nutrition. So something is rotting, some cheap barks can be really old, funky, and decayed by the time you purchase them. Otherwise it's algae.

well, then im perplexed. the bark is pristine, and for my restrepia it appeared on very healthy moss. as i mentioned in the original post, for my cattleya it's on a root, so here the decaying wouod make sense. However, on my restrepia it was on moss that was deeper down wbere the roots hadn't reached yet. Any time i'v gotten amgae with moss it always seemed to be part of the moss, that it coloured it in with a bright green colour. howevee, this is an actual dot with the colour of bread mold sitting on top.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by OrchidNut555

It's indeed in moss, but perlite and bark chips have been added to retain air pockets, as i mentioned. There was 1 young root (1 cm long at most) which browned.

100% tightly packed moss and loose moss + perlite + bark is not the same thing. The root browned because it either could not adapt or because it suffocated or because it burned by using hard water. Edit: it could've also been a temperature issue, seeing you're in Belgium where it can be really cold. But Cattleyas are pretty temperature hardy.

It might've been stress from traveling, repotting... the thing is *something* made it rot. So it's rotten. And mold grows in rotten things.

Originally Posted by OrchidNut555

the plant is fine, i'm merely looking for ways to prohibit mold.

The reason why this is brought up is because mold only grows when something is decaying. So either the roots are decaying or some of the organic matter you've used to repot might've seen better days.

Otherwise, it's just algae.

[OrchidNut555]

Originally Posted by MateoinLosAngeles

100% tightly packed moss and loose moss + perlite + bark is not the same thing. The root browned because it either could not adapt or because it suffocated or because it burned by using hard water.



The reason why this is brought up is because mold only grows when something is decaying. So either the roots are decaying or some of the organic matter you've used to repot might've seen better days.

Otherwise, it's just algae.

about the root, as i said, it was about to grow into the moss, it was not het in that tightly packed sphagnom moss at all, as i mentioned. The only thing that touched that root was 1 strand of sphagnum moss on top of the pot that dried rapidly as it was on top of the pot.

Then it must have been that one root, i guess. For my restrepia the momd ppered far eown where nothing could decay as the media was in pristine condition and roots were too short to reach that far down. So the catt's dead root is the only one making sense here, the restrepia's a mystery to me.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

It sounds like everything is in pristine condition and there's no way for mold to grow, so it must be algae.

If you say that it's not possibly algae, but you also say that mold keeps growing despite your immaculate and sterile growing conditions. Then it must be a curse, and for that you might need to find your nearest coven and possibly participate in a séance and see if the spirits from the past can either find who cursed you, or tell you where the damn mold is coming from!!

Other people find Physan 20 helpful too. It might be more accessible than following black cats in order to find a secret witch gathering, but it will also kill beneficial bacteria.

[Ray]

If you are getting a lot of algae growth, take a look at your feeding regimen. Excessive nitrogen can be the culprit.

[OrchidNut555]

Originally Posted by Ray

If you are getting a lot of algae growth, take a look at your feeding regimen. Excessive nitrogen can be the culprit.

sincr this is a new seedling, i haven't given it any fertilizer just yet. and again, this does not at all look line any of the algae i have ever had occur in any of my pots

[KatieM]

Yes I grow outside like Miss Roberta, those in clear plastic definitely get algae but haven't caused any issues. I keep an eye out to make sure it doesn't get out of control and suffocate roots but I've never had an issue. I would keep an eye on your roots but not stress. Battling algae will make you nutty just like watering all the time 😉

[Dimples]

Originally Posted by MateoinLosAngeles

The reason why this is brought up is because mold only grows when something is decaying. So either the roots are decaying or some of the organic matter you've used to repot might've seen better days.

This is not always true. I often get the occasional spot of fungi growing in freshly potted phals, and I use Kiwi bark from SVO. Brand new, high-quality potting medium can still have little bits of material that decomposers can quickly colonize. Fuzzy edges, dusty bits, etc. The benefit to the better medium is that the BULK of the material won't break down quickly.

If you've recently repotted into good quality medium, I wouldn't worry about a spot of something here and there. Plants and fungi are a package deal.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Dimples

This is not always true. I often get the occasional spot of fungi growing in freshly potted phals, and I use Kiwi bark from SVO.

True, "decaying" might be too sweeping, but the point is that mold is extremely unlikely to grow on "live" healthy tissue due to microbial competition and the organism's own immune protection. Technically it can consume any carbon-containing matter. Bark chips are technically not alive, nor is the dry spagmoss we buy.

Mold is an obligated aerobe, so it will certainly love the warm, aery, and humid conditions found in most orchid pots.

The fact that mold might grow on the bark might not necessarily mean it's feeding on the bark. Mold can digest cells shedded by the plant itself and find a point of anchoring in the crevices of the bark. This is a microscopic world after all, what it's certain is that mold will find a way.