Stanhopea growing medium - Orchid Board

JP020366 · #1 08-30-2009, 09:00 AM

Hi all

Just repotted some stanhopeas which had not be done for a while. Much of the medium had dissappeared.

But now realized I used an orchid medium for "cymbidiums and other terrestrial orchids". Presume it will hold more moisture than a more open bark type medium.

Do I have to repot all of them again or should I just see how they go and not water as often??

John

Undergrounder · #2 08-30-2009, 09:44 AM

The Stans i have are pretty tolerant of just about any kind of media, they've been given Cymbidium mix (the big bag made mostly of bark and fines), perlite, sphagnum and coconut husk separately and mixed together at various times and they always seem to do fine no matter what i chuck at them.

Also Stans like to be kept on the wet side so they should be OK. Especially since we're going into summer anyway.

As long as the mix is fresh i think you should be fine.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #3 08-30-2009, 11:26 AM

You're very lucky that worked out for you. Stanhopeas are found not only as epiphytes, but lithophytes as well (sometimes almost as terrestrials).

If you want to know how Stanhopeas grow in nature and compare it to how you're culturing them, I've posted some pictures of them growing in the wild.

Look up the Orchids in the Wild forum. Check out the thread "Popular Species Orchids In The Wild".

I have links to various sites that contain some pics of orchids in the wild. Particularly those of great interest to hobbyists. Granted I don't have all of them, because there are too many, and I'm not done posting some of the other popular ones like Coelogynes yet, but I'm getting there and you'll get the point.

Of course, doing a search on google images doesn't hurt either.

Maybe that'll help.

isurus79 · #4 08-30-2009, 04:42 PM

I grow all of mine in baskets with spag as media. I also water them everyday, though they do get to dry out (not totally) between waterings because of the wind that is constantly blowing on them.

JP020366 · #5 08-30-2009, 05:00 PM

Thanks to all

Appreciate your replies. Won't bother repotting again as it seems they should be ok.

Cheers

John

orchidsamore · #6 08-30-2009, 06:56 PM

I only have a few from a local grower who specializes in Stanhopea.

I was surprised that while he grew them in wire basket that I expected, he had a coco fiber base that comes with these baskets filled with oak leaves and Spanish moss.

These are 4 items I would not use with most orchids but work excellent with Stanhopea.

The coco fiber retains a lot of moisture, the oak leaves deteriorate making an acid base and the Spanish moss along with the oak leaves keep the mixture loose. The hanging Spanish moss also looks great.

Junebug · #7 08-30-2009, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orchidsamore

I only have a few from a local grower who specializes in Stanhopea.

I was surprised that while he grew them in wire basket that I expected, he had a coco fiber base that comes with these baskets filled with oak leaves and Spanish moss.

These are 4 items I would not use with most orchids but work excellent with Stanhopea.

The coco fiber retains a lot of moisture, the oak leaves deteriorate making an acid base and the Spanish moss along with the oak leaves keep the mixture loose. The hanging Spanish moss also looks great.

I just ordered a Stanhopea and when it gets here I expect it will need repotting. I was thinking about using a coconut husk liner but was concerned that it may be too dense for the spikes to push through. Did your grower mention any problems? I've heard that Stans are very determined bloomers and have forceful spikes, so maybe the coconut husk wouldn't be a problem. Any thoughts?

Sandy4453 · #8 08-30-2009, 11:06 PM

June, there's a lot of good info. in this thread... http://www.orchidboard.com/community...eded-more.html

I ended up pulling out the coco husk with a tweezer. I used a lot of sphagnum, CHC, bark, sponge rock, etc. and no problems keeping the medium in its place.

Junebug · #9 08-31-2009, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy4453

June, there's a lot of good info. in this thread... http://www.orchidboard.com/community...eded-more.html

I ended up pulling out the coco husk with a tweezer. I used a lot of sphagnum, CHC, bark, sponge rock, etc. and no problems keeping the medium in its place.

Thank you for the useful information. It looks like I have all the media ingredients (and then some) on hand. I'm excited to add this new variety to my collection.