Sphag Moss issues

[juneeb]

I am constantly getting root rot in all of my phals. It seems as if every other day I'm taking plants out and cutting off bad roots. Is this common when using Sphag Moss? They are in a combo of bark and sphag but mostly sphag.

Or am I doing somethign really wrong.

[Royal]

Personally, I try to stay away from sphag. It's me, not the moss. I just don't do well with it. It's not that I don't know how to grow, it just doesn't work in my growing conditions. I use it for seedlings sometimes but it just doesn't really cooperate with me most of the time. I'm ok with it b/c other mixes work great for me. Stick with what works for YOU. That's one of my many mottos.

[Judi]

I agree with Royal--sphag works for some people but not for others. I don't do well with it myself, so I prefer a bark mix for my phals. I must say with all the discussion about phals needing more water I think I will water them a little more than before. How old is your medium? Maybe it is decomposing? I think sphag decomposes faster than a bark mix. And is it tightly packed? Roots need to breath. I do have a zygo I am trying to nurse back after it got down to 38 degrees in the room where I had it last winter--thanks to a thermometer failure on a really cold night. Only a little of the plant managed to live, and most of the roots died so I have it in sphag, but I make sure I fluff the sphag after I water to keep it airy. This seems to be working and I now have new growth. If you do have rotted roots make sure to put some household cinnamon where you cut off the root.

[boytjie]

I'll be devil's advocate here: I'm one of those folks who uses straight sphag moss on my four species Phals with great results. I use clear slotted plastic pots so I can see the root growth and they can get fresh air. I've found the trick is to pack the moss lightly, giving the roots space to breath, and water when the surface feels dry to the touch. It's also important to repot every year since the moss breaks down, throwing away all the old moss; don't try to reuse it.

After three growing seasons, I've had much better root/leaf growth and flowering with the moss than I ever did with bark. But again, as others in this thread have stressed, it works well in my specific growing conditions. We all have different conditions. Your mileage may vary.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I never grew Phals successfully with straight up sphagnum moss, species or hybrids.

It's obvious growing your Phals in straight up sphagnum doesn't work for you (and it's not just you, it's a good majority of the people here on the OB - at least). I suggest using a different method.

1. Growing potted in bark. With or without a thin dressing of moss on top (moss dressing depends on the plant and how your environment is).

2. Growing mounted.

3. Semi-hydroponics.

Root rot and crown rot in Phals are common because of improper cultivation techniques.

If something doesn't work, don't force it to work. If it won't work, it won't work. Try something else.

If you're feeling like it's just your issue...

Well...

Just know you're not alone.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Rereading your post. I realized I made a blunder in my advise.

You're using a blend of bark and moss, with the mix being mostly bark, correct?

If so, this is obviously not working for you either.

I don't recommend using a mix of sphagnum and bark. That's just a bad combo in my opinion.

I think that this is especially true when the ratio of sphag to bark is in favor of sphag.

Growing in bark, with a thin layer of moss on top is fine (I seriously emphasize THIN; like one strand of sphag thin). However, using bark mixed into the sphagnum can create problems with acidity and not enough aeration in the roots. I've tried a sphag/bark mix on my Pleuros just relatively recently (couple months ago), and this mix bombed. I had to repot everything I potted in the sphag and bark mix within a couple weeks.

For those of you who don't know. Look up the pH of sphagnum. And then look up the pH of bark. You'll see how acidic these two are. Keep in mind the bark is also not on a living tree...

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

BTW crown rot for Phals can be prevented in pot culture by leaning the plant over the edge of the pot. The plant will eventually do it over time anyways, (provided you're able to grow them long enough to see that happen of course, but it'll for sure happen), so why not just start right off from the beginning.

If you see Phals growing in the wild, it'll make sense.

I know I've said it a bunch of times. And I know I've been called out on it. I even know many people on the OB may think I'm a douche for repeating this, but I don't care. I feel it's important, and I'll keep saying it until my face is blue.

It's worth checking out a few pics of a Phal growing in nature, there's a lot you can get from it.

[Undergrounder]

What quality of sphagnum moss are you using? If you get that stuff from big stores that comes damp, sold for using in hanging baskets then everything will rot pretty quick..

Make sure you've got the springy, yellow, fairly clean stuff that's packed dry.. It's usually called New Zealand sphagnum or Chilean or something. It's really essential you get the good quality stuff.

Also, make sure the moss is drying out completely roughly within about a week, possibly a little more.

If the sphag is staying wet for 2 weeks at a time or longer, repot it with styrofoam chunks mixed in so that it dries out faster. Either that or move it into a place where it will dry out faster.

Then, just water whenever the sphag stops feeling cold and wet to the touch and it should work well.

Everything i have in sphag is busting out root growth like crazy, even better than the stuff i have in S/H. But i use good quality sphag, i water it lightly whenever it starts to get dry, and it dries out within about week.

[camille1585]

I also use a mix of sphag and bark, and it works well. But my mix is primarily bark based while yours is sphag based. I adjusted the ratio until I reached something that suits my watering style and my climate.

While I don't grow phals in pure sphag, I do have a lot of success with it growing an Onc, some Neos and now also have my masdie in it. I'm seeing phenomenal root growth on the Onc, much better than in bark. It's important to not pack it in too tight and wait for it to be crispy before drying. Sometimes the sphag in the center of the pot is still damp, so I'll mist the surface sphag to wet it a bit.

[Royal]

Undergrounder makes an important point. Quality matters. It took me a while to give in and buy the good stuff to see for myself. I still don't use it much, but I'll never get the cheap stuff again.

Maybe one day I'll realize how much quality bark would improve over the crap I use now.