How to acclimate newly bought orchids in sphagnum moss?

[babehauss]

I buy plants from Ecuagenera.com from time to time. Often, the nursery ships the orchids in sphagnum moss. They look healthy when I receive them, but I could never get them to acclimate, and I end up losing quite a few within a few weeks.

What is the best way to acclimate these plants when they come in sphagnum moss?

Should I soak them in water for 24 hours before re-potting them? Once they are in a pot, should I keep them out of the bright light?
A step by step guide would be helpful.

My growth environment is under a grow tent with high humidity(50%-70%), warm, very very bright and well ventilated.

Thank you,

[estación seca]

I take them out of the moss and soak them for a few hours in pure water (rain) with added Kelpak, Inocucor and pinch of sugar per gallon (3.78 liters.) Then I pot them up. How are you potting them? They need quite a bit of water, and may not grow for months.

[babehauss]

I re-pot them in medium size Fir barks, perlite, and charcoal. How often should I water them?

[estación seca]

Depends on temperature and humidity. If the mix is very open you can water to keep them moist. Don't let them dry out for long.

[Roberta]

My answer on this would be "It depends..." Some orchids are more forgiving of the bare-rooting process (the sphag typically is just to maintain some moisture during shipping, much of the time it gets wrapped with the plant just before shipping so the plant isn't established in it anyway) Epiphytes with pseudobulbs are the most forgiving, since they have reserves to keep them going while they establish in their new "home". Pleurothallids, some are more forgiving than others, and it also depends on how long they were in shipping. Semi-terrestrials like Sobralias really hate the process, add a soupçon of hope to the mix...

Your choice of medium after you have given them the soaking that ES recommends (and I totally agree) needs to be dictated by the type of plant, like always.

A note about the sphagnum used in shipping imported plants... It's the only medium permitted for imports - plants have to be bare-rooted, then they get that superficial wrap to hold some moisture while in transit.

[tmoney]

hmmm, well, it is our general rule to repot plants when we get them. if its something weird that is out of season, then perhaps waiting would be preferable, but not if the plant is dying! especially phals...immediate repot if in moss.

so, there is just one step to acclimate...repot if in sphag! no soaking or anything special (except for kelpak perhaps) hahaha, sorry, probly not so helpful

as for light, yeah, we leave new plants in a lower light quarantine area, and then after a few weeks start to push them into higher light. that is a longer process and very dependent on species