where can I find growing medium online?

[soundtweakers]

Hello, we live in NYC where the only place to find any kind of growing medium is a stinky home depot where every single bag of soil/bark/moss/growing medium...etc comes with bugs or flies. The only thing available for Orchid is the Shultz Orchid Mix which I find too "grounded up" and the water drains out of the pot too slowly.

can anyone recommend a reputable online source to purchase growing medium? Also, what kind of medium should I get for Phals, Paphs, and cattleya. My current set up has all of my pots(ceramic, clay, plastic) sitting on wet gravel in a tray. They are place by my south facing window at a particular corner where there's never direct sunlight.

thanks

[Judi]

I've had good luck with Orchid Mix - Orchid Potting Mixes by rePotme Products, service, and delivery time are excellent.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Research the Paphs first before you buy them. Some Paphs grow in places that most people wouldn't think of. If it's a hybrid Paph, be careful, know what you're getting yourself into by studying the parentage. It could be key to knowing what potting media and what nutrients they need to thrive.

[soundtweakers]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Research the Paphs first before you buy them. Some Paphs grow in places that most people wouldn't think of. If it's a hybrid Paph, be careful, know what you're getting yourself into by studying the parentage. It could be key to knowing what potting media and what nutrients they need to thrive.

thanks for the advice, I am a whole lot of reading right now. As for what kind of Phals they are, I can't really tell at all since I've never seen them with flowers, both of them were rescued from a dumpster in pretty bad shape. Not knowing what I was doing I ripped off the yellow leaves and did a quick repot(generic Shultz Orchid Mix) and placed them on a humidity tray. A couple of month later they came around and the leaves are nice and firm and both has new leaves developing. It's because of these two plants I'm kind of getting interested in raising Orchid.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Phalaenopsis mostly grow on trees.

Here're pics of them in the wild:

http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/Lun...hidB190207.jpg

http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/Lundu-orchid190207.jpg

http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/Lun...hidD190207.jpg

If you wanna read the habitat info on the site, here it is:

Google Image Result for http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/Lundu-orchidD190207.jpg

Hopefully this will give you clues as to what you should or would like to do.

[WhiteRabbit]

I get media from CalWest http://www.calwesttropical.com/index.php
not as much selection as some others, but prices are good, and they have what I want usually

[dounoharm]

Originally Posted by soundtweakers

Hello, we live in NYC where the only place to find any kind of growing medium is a stinky home depot where every single bag of soil/bark/moss/growing medium...etc comes with bugs or flies. The only thing available for Orchid is the Shultz Orchid Mix which I find too "grounded up" and the water drains out of the pot too slowly.

can anyone recommend a reputable online source to purchase growing medium? Also, what kind of medium should I get for Phals, Paphs, and cattleya. My current set up has all of my pots(ceramic, clay, plastic) sitting on wet gravel in a tray. They are place by my south facing window at a particular corner where there's never direct sunlight.

thanks

i like kelley's korner orchid supplies...for potting medium and supplies...they have a good selection and make a nice mix too. gl with your phals! sounds like you got a good handle on the orchids right now....

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Check this out for Paphiopedilums in the wild. Most people have never seen this before, I sure didn't until now.

Google Image Result for http://www.orchid.or.jp/orchid/people/tanaka/Special/Myam/photo/bellalb.jpg

[soundtweakers]

thanks for the advice, and thank you King for all those awesome pics.

Quick question, if I was to purchase one of them Phal mix, would it be alright to use the same medium for Paphs and Cattleya?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by soundtweakers

thanks for the advice, and thank you King for all those awesome pics.

Quick question, if I was to purchase one of them Phal mix, would it be alright to use the same medium for Paphs and Cattleya?

Maybe- and maybe not, as there is a lot more to choosing media than just the plant.

A phal only has those fleshy leaves to store water, so needs a moisture-holding medium. The paphs can likely go into that same mix, but could go more airy than that.

I would recommend against using the same mix for the cattleya, as having pseudobulbs for water storage, they will handle being drier between waterings, so the root system is probably adapted to that.

However, if you learn to control your watering - both volume and frequency - and tailor that to the individual plants, it is possible to grow all three in a single medium.

Personally, if I was unable to tailor the medium more for the individual plant types, I'd go with an overall drier mix and just water the phals more often.

Read Choosing Potting Media to get a better understanding of where I'm coming from.