Potting media?

[Imperial_Exotics]

This is probably an extremely noobie question to ask but here goes.........

To some degree, I'm pretty new at this stuff. I found something that works, and as such have never bothered to look beyond something that isn't an issue for me, at least until I get curious about others methods.

Most of the plants I grow are tropicals, and are usually intended to cater to people with terrariums and Dart Frogs. I raise Jewel Orchids in a terrarium mix of Coco soil, finely shredded bark and sand. Same mix I use for my frogs. The plants are raised inside of shallow Sterilite boxes with clear lids, under daylight tubes, indoors.

I put about 3" of Hydroton clay pellets, covered by a 2-3" layer of long stem sphagnum moss, covered by the soil mix. Jewels are then planted in rows, until I need to harvest them for sale or planting in a tank.

I get rich colors, rapid growth, No issues, no problems and my plants look flat out amazing.

However I have come across a number of Asian websites that depict small jewels grown in pots of long fiber sphagnum moss. I see no signs of any kind of soil in the pics I have seen at all.

So that has me wondering if I am going too far in growing my Orchids, and that I could reduce a number of steps and still have what I consider to be exceptional looking plants.

Is it really as easy as just planting them in a layer of Sphagnum moss?


thanks,

Steve