Onc. in coir-my experiment

[missann]

So I have this onc. sharry baby that I put in a coir mix in a stupidly large pot with poor drainage. It has been in there for maybe a month and it is growing like crazy. I don't understand how I have not rotted all the roots on this thing because it stays wet for a week, and that is all the more often I water it. The new growth is growing lots of new roots and it is really recovering nicely from the years of not watering it that it has withstood after I had to move back to Idaho from Hawaii. (don't ask)

Anyway, I went to put it in a smaller, terra cotta pot with some extra material for drainage, but it seems like it is doing fine. Great even. I think this is because I have let it dry out between waterings and I don't know. All the roots look good.

So-my question is: Does anyone else use coir for their onc. plants, and how often do you, personally, have to water?

I am thinking that the plants like coir because it makes the ph more acid, and we have hard water here with a high ph. I don't know for sure though, and I kind of worry about them being in coir since they don't like to be wet. I have some phals in it and they like it, but they like to have wet feet, so I understand it working for them.

Thanks for your help.

[Ray]

I think your pH assessment might be a good one.

Are we talking coir as in coconut "peat moss", or some other form?

[Brooke]

I don't understand your statement of phals like wet feet - phals like to be moist but not soggy. Phrags like wet feet but not the phals.

My onc. family plants actually prefer more water than my phals.

Brooke

[quiltergal]

My Onc. alliance plants need to be watered more often than my Phals. Brooke is right Phals don't like to completely dry out but they don't like to be sopping wet either.

[unhappykat]

I have never had an oncidium live longer than a year, their hybrids with brassia and odontoglossum do wonderfully in clay pots with fine to medium bark. I will have to try that coir with an oncidium, maybe it wont die so horribly.

[Brooke]

Unhappykat I have some of my onc. family in the small chunky CHC with diatomite/charcoal in clay pots and also some in s/h. They are water hogs and are watered every 4-5 days during the summer.

I might switch them all to s/h next potting.

Brooke

[unhappykat]

Originally Posted by brooke

Unhappykat I have some of my onc. family in the small chunky CHC with diatomite/charcoal in clay pots and also some in s/h. They are water hogs and are watered every 4-5 days during the summer.

I might switch them all to s/h next potting.

Brooke

I have tried using many medias with oncidiums, I have tried plain bark, bark and perilite, bark and charcoal, bark char and per, coconut fiber, redwood fiber, spag moss, spanish moss, lava rock, pebbles and no media in clay plastic and ceramic pots. so far I have killed many oncidiums, I currently have a sharry baby that is on its last breath. They get enough water here, I grow phrags with them, so I cant figure out what is wrong with them, i will be trying this coir idea though, sounds crazy enough to work.

[Lagoon]

I don't use any coir. I do use a peatmoss mix aswell as sphag for oncids. I swear some of these oncids would be happy in jello
This peatmoss mix works very well with phals and catts, YES catts