Advice/thoughts on potting Media?

[Npsen]

I'm running out of potting mix, the mix i use right now contains sponge rock, Charcoal, and fir bark and seems to be okay.

I will be repotting one of my phals soon and I was thinking of changing my mix to:

Redwood vs Fir? Is redwood any better?
New Zealand Pine (Orchiata)
Lava rock
Sponge rock
and Charcoal ?

What do you guys think?

Also my phal is planted in this REALLY thin plastic pot...I was thinking of using a terracotta pot (has slots on the side) of the same size

What about clear mesh pots?

What are your comments/ thoughts on these? Or any advice ?

[NYCorchidman]

I'm not sure if you are wanting to use all the mentioned ingredients together or separately.
You can use any of those and phals (or other orchids) will grow. You just have to adjust watering accordingly.

I've tried a few different potting mix for my phals, and I don't think it really matters what you use. What matters is that whatever you use, you have to make sure drainage is great and to keep them hydrated enough.

[Npsen]

Well I don't want to use all of them , but I was debating switching fir bark for redwood if it has a significant difference.

Also I'm not too sure if I really need lava rock ? Should I stick to what I have ?

Also mesh pots are they better than those with slots ? It is basically the same principle ...has anyone used a terracotta pot on a phal?

[Bill U.]

I agree with NYCorchidman. You can use about any of the ingredients listed above and have success. The mix that you grow in should reflect your care style and your culture environment. Some mixes will need more watering, etc.

I personally don't mix my own media- I just buy it from Home Depot- the Better Gro Special Orchid Mix (~$6 for 8 qts.). I have found that while some of the fir bark is a little large for my plants, I just take a knife and whittle them down or snap them with my hands to the appropriate size. I have had nothing but great results- but this is under my growing conditions. Yours may be different.

As for the really thin plastic pot- as long as you monitor the roots for when they turn a silvery color and maybe stick your finger (or bamboo skewer) into the pot to check for moisture near the root ball, I don't really see a reason to change if the roots still fit the pot. Plastic doesn't dry out as fast as unglazed terra-cotta, but still can provide light for root photosynthesis.

As a side note, I personally have not had good luck with unglazed terra-cotta and roots- it always seems to kill off my new leads. But this may just be from the unglazed pot sucking the moisture out of the roots. If you go clay, then I would suggest looking into a glazed pot.

[NYCorchidman]

I grow my phals ( I have over 20 of them) in plastic pots, clay pots and glazed decorative pots.
Some are in sphag moss, some are in bark, some are in chc. I don't really see any difference at all. just different watering schedule as they all dry out at diffrent rate. I just life the pot and figure out when to water.
I mist the top of the potting mix everyday though.

If your phals are already doing good, there is no need to change really.

Potting mix is just for support, it is not food per say.
As long as drainage is great, you can use anything. even styrofoam nuts, although you would probably find youself water a few times a day in that setting, hence no one (maybe someone uses? lol) uses that.

[WhiteRabbit]

I have read some good things about redwood, haven't used it myself. I imagine it would break down slowly (a good thing). It may be more moisture retentive than fir - I don't know ... I think using either, or both barks, mixed with sponge rock (perlite?) and/or lava rock, some charcoal if you wish ... If your plant is doing well, stick with what has worked.

I grow Phals in either medium fir bark chips or sphag. I like to put either a small over-turned net pot or styro on the center, especially when using sphag, but have started to do this for most regardless of media (excepting terrestrials and semi-terrestrials)- for more even drying. Started doing this with Phals because I've had trouble with them root-wise.

I grow Phals in plastic pots (clear) - again because I've had trouble with them, and summer daytime humidity can be very low here - between plastic pot and air pocket in the center, media dries more evenly. But, clay pots can definitely be used, or net pots, baskets ... especially good for high humidity climates. Media in clay pots will dry faster than in plastic, especially around the edges. In net pots, faster still.

All that said, using a bamboo skewer to monitor moisture in the media has been a huge help to me, helping me to grow in various media and pot type, basket, etc.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

As long as drainage is great, you can use anything. even styrofoam nuts, although you would probably find youself water a few times a day in that setting, hence no one (maybe someone uses? lol) uses that.

I use styro! Tho not alone; used in center of root mass, and tossed into potting mix for some (Cyms, plants that like to dry quickly that are in pots over 6")

[tucker85]

First of all, you said that the mix you've been using seems OK. If that's the case I wouldn't make any drastic changes. I don't like to try to fix something that isn't broken. But substituting red wood bark or Orchiata bark for the fir bark seems like a reasonable move. Both of those have a lower pH, break down more slowly but are probably more expensive. I like both sponge rock and charcoal as ingredients. Some growers use Aliflor or lava rock in place of sponge rock but I prefer sponge rock.

I used coconut husk chips with sponge rock and charcoal for years but recently I've changed to Ochiata bark with a little charcoal and a little sponge rock. It's been working fine for me.

One thing I highly recommend is using a small grade of bark for seedlings or small phals in very small pots. I used to try to use my normal medium size mix for small plants in 2.5" pots and it just didn't work out well. So now I use a medium size Orchiata for my normal size phals and a small Orchiata for seedlings and small phals.

I like to use the smallest clear plastic pot that I can fit the roots into. With clear plastic I can check the root growth and I can also tell if the mix is dry or moist. For anything over a 4" pot, I use slotted clear plastic pots. I feel that the mix dries too quickly in a terra cotta pot, although it is possible to grow phals in them.