sphag or bark

[butterfly79]

Which do you prefer to repott your orchids in sphag or bark? can you mix both with charcoal for a better mix?

I repotted and orchid I got about 3 weeks ago in bark from a nursery. It's an orchid mixture.

I have found 2 issues by looking at the roots.

One is that the roots go silvery/white within a few days.
Two I noticed a white fuzz on 3 roots, these roots don't look good either.

All the other roots look good but the leaves are softening.

The bark is loosly packed and I water once a week. My apartment is not humid.

I am not sure what I did wrong? Why is there a moldy fuzz on the roots?

[Royal]

I've tried and failed with sphag many times, and finally settled on a bark mix. It works great for most, but just ok for some of the wetter growing varities. It's really just what works for you. Some swear by moss, but it just doesn't work to well for me. A few of my Phals are drying a little fast, but it's working ok.

The moldy fuzz may be just because the root is no longer alive, and is like any other decaying material. It's a good idea to cut away all of the dead or mushy roots when repotting.

New media does tend to dry a bit faster, but as it ages a bit it should get a little more consistent. If it is drying completely in a few days, you could water a bit more than once per week. Here I need to water twice per week during the summer, but only once every few weeks (or even a month) during colder, darker seasons.

The limp leaves may be just from shock. Once it gets some good new roots going it should perk up.

[en3rmax]

I always like to use douglas fir bark, perlite, and foam mix, i've had really good results with this medium, you also get good drainage and air throught the roots.

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[Orchid126]

Before using, new bark should be soaked in water for several hours to condition it. If you didn't do this, than soak the whole plant in water for a couple of hours. You may have to weigh down the bark to keep it from floating away.

Also, bark needs watering more often than sphag.

Bark should be well packed and not loose. Use a pencil or skewer to poke it down around the roots.

[rdh1079]

maybe i am crazy, but isnt it normal for the roots to look silver after a few days? that just means the are dry i thought, my aerial roots are always silver except for after i water when they turn green.

[Royal]

Originally Posted by rdh1079

maybe i am crazy, but isnt it normal for the roots to look silver after a few days? that just means the are dry i thought, my aerial roots are always silver except for after i water when they turn green.

Yup, that's normal. You can mist the aerial roots between waterings if you like. Personally, I don't like to encourage them. I just let them figure out on their own that they are better off in the pot.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by rdh1079

maybe i am crazy, but isnt it normal for the roots to look silver after a few days? that just means the are dry i thought, my aerial roots are always silver except for after i water when they turn green.

Yes it is normal. Orchid roots are green, but the velamen surrounding it is opaque unless it's wet. So when the velamen absorbs water to give to the root it becomes transparent, and the root looks green. As the velamen loses moisture it starts to become opaque again, becoming silvery/white when its dry.