When & how often to repot? - Page 2 - Orchid Board

Bird Song Farm · #11 03-09-2009, 09:42 AM

Hi,
Afraid I have to agree with Cookiemonster here. Potting medium is really something every one has to find out what works best for them. There are many ways to pot an orchid and YOU have to find out what works best for your plants under your conditions.

Personally I use moss for all my phals. It works best for ME. I have a friend that can't use moss as the plants dies within weeks. He grows in bark and has wonderful results...........

Bottom line, experiment and find what works for your plant(s) and you. I''m currently experimenting with S/H and so far I like it very much. Now to wait a bit longer and see if the plants like it. If so, I'll be switching everything over to S/H.

Al

blackorchid · #12 03-09-2009, 10:23 AM

Sphagnum moss is one of the best medium for medium to small pot because you can mix it with other inert medium like perlite or even styrofoam peanut to increase aeration. I tried to pot orchid in straight sphagnum very very loosely, which mean you just "put" it in without compressing it, and it works perfectly. I mean, if you do then annual repot is necessary.

AaronM · #13 03-11-2009, 01:42 AM

This just goes to show that no one, including the "experts" know anything at all about orchids. One person says sphag is great, I say sphag is the devil. One person says you need more light for this type of orchid another says that's way too bright. Are orchids leaf feeders, or root feeders, or both? Water soluble or slow release fertilizer or should I just feed them bird droppings I scrape off my Buick? Systemic pesticides or chewing tobacco spittle for scale infestation? Pamper them, abuse them, or something in the middle? Well, that depends on who you ask and what day you ask them.
I'm starting to think it would just be easier if we all just experimented on our own and never talked to one another or read books or surfed the internet. I think, maybe, we should all be orchid hermits.
I mean, if I followed all the advice people gave me; each of my orchids would be potted, basketed, and mounted in or on thirty-six different media; watered daily, bi-weekly, and weekly with and/or without once twice or thrice daily misting; fed twenty-seven fertilizers and snake oils once a day, once a week, and once a month; all while thriving in a temperature somewhere around 40-104 degrees Fahrenheit (I apologize to all English teachers who ever lived for the preceding sentence). They would all receive good air flow, since that seems to be the only thing anyone ever agrees on (of course no one seems to know exactly how much is "good" and that isn't a hard and fast rule for every species).
Well, great, I have to teach four orchids classes this weekend and I just realized that I don't know any reliable information about orchids. So I think I will just tell them to try whatever they want to try and if the orchids die don't try that again! If the orchids live but don't flower, try something different, even if that may kill them!! Basically, I'll tell my students to keep buying the exact same orchid as many times as it takes to figure out what works for them in their situation with that one orchid and then try a second orchid after that. Wow, my orchid sales are going to go through the roof!!!
However, my book sales will probably go down when I tell people that orchid books are like science fiction. They are interesting but without any real world applications.
I do however think that sphag is, in fact, harvested from the smoking, putrid bowels of the abyss and not in Canada like it says on the bag. I just think that "Ninth Layer of Hades Sphagnum Moss" wouldn't sell as well as "Canadian Sphagnum Moss" does. Now I'm curious if putting nun orchids in sphag would cause them to burst into flame.

Aaron "The Orchid Hermit" M

Scotkat · #14 03-11-2009, 04:51 AM

I am so pleased I found this wonderful helpful site ,being a newcomer to orchids dont want to loose them.

I am just so happy

blackorchid · #15 03-11-2009, 05:21 PM

lol Aaron, you cracked me up, that's just too funny!!!!and yet, so true!!!!, but I don't think orchid book is that worthless, because I learned a lot from books and enjoyed many success. The only thing you need to pay attention is not which technique is the best. Instead, you should pay attention to why it is applicable in that particular situation. I live in a drier area with lots of sun and winds, so sphagnum works well for me, and it is very gentle on the orchid roots. Also, it works best in a small to medium pot .... to avoid the situation when the outside is dry and the inside is wet. Different packing technique counts too. And also, it is a good medium to mix with others. I created a mix with styrofoam peanut and sphagnum and I think it works very well: retaining air and water at the same time. Also the medium before repotted also count: going from leca to sphagnum can result in root loss, for example. I also agree that it takes experiment to successfully grow orchid, but use the book as a guideline. OK, I guess I'm just repeating what people before me said....but still
I'm enjoying this post!

SheilaJ · #16 03-18-2009, 12:55 AM

Aaron, my nun's orchids are in sphag, except for one that is in regular old soilless potting mix with some extra perlite. Nobody's burst into flames yet!

I like sphag because I grow under lights, the growroom gets very warm, and I am too busy to water every day. It works well for me most of the time, for my phals, phaius, and spathoglottis. I mix some sphag into the bark for the minicatts too. And a sphagnum collar on top of the media for orchids that have had root problems seems to encourage new roots to form.

But it is essential to NOT PACK the moss, it needs to be really loose and changed frequently. The grower orchids that have sphag crammed in the pot are simply not going to be long-term plants for most people!

Lene Th. · #17 03-20-2009, 06:02 AM

*lol*

No wonder so many people belives that orchids are the most difficult and evil plants that ever existed!

The simple way to put this, would be that no matter what advices you get, or how good of a grower your neighbour are, it all depend on the kind of chid you have and the conditions you live in...

Des · #18 03-20-2009, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookiemonster

To tinarae its time to change the medium when it depends on what the medium is and how long its been sitting there. Moss should be repotted once a year, bark mixes about every twoish years and a bit longer for coconut husk, please take all of this with a grain of salt. You will know when the plant needs to be repotted, the medium will be visibly broken down and possibly the plant will have overgrown it.

Hi Aaron, while i see your point in sphagnum moss being a medium that has not worked for you, I think its fair to say that everyone has different conditions and grows their plants differently. I personally have most of my plants in sphagnum moss and wouldnt have it any other way, and fyi they are thriving!

If you take a look at many of the Japanese growers who have immaculate plants, do so in moss! Its all based on your conditions I guess thats the key

Japanese growers use ozonated water , the ozone sterilizers not only the water but also the media ,and that is how they manage to grow,so well,using moss. the plant also benefits from the oxygen rich water.