Another Nanook Experiment

[Nanook 2010]

A common theme on this forum is how to care for big box store orchids

The majority opinion seems to be if the orchid is potted in moss, immediately repot, because the moss is packed too tightly, not allowing good air movement around the roots.

I understand this, because there is a tendency to overwater (guilty as charged), but if you monitor the water amount, I'm wondering if the moss is really as problematic as many "experienced" growers state.

I bought this orchid at Publix, and you can see it looks extremely healthy with great roots. I want to leave it in the same pot, and same moss for a year and see how it does.

It will be outside on patio receiving indirect light behind a stone column under a screen

[Orchids4ever]

Looks good
just watch your watering-I have some of mine in Moss ( loose -not packed) and they do great.

LOVE your Fish Pond

[cbuchman]

If you are using tap water, also monitor how fast the moss breaks down. The water in my town is very hard and seems to have a detrimental affect on moss to the point that it takes about 6-9 months for it to turn to complete mush.

Let us know how your experiment works out.

[Nanook 2010]

Using tap water with small amount of 20-10-20....sometimes with rain water if I feel like getting wet!

[james mickelso]

Nanook there is no problem with phals being in moss. They are grown from seed or tissue culture and are always in moss until we get them. So not a problem. the problem starts when we bring them into our environment. Then we water them and once the top dries out we water them again. The center never dries out and that is where the rot starts. When you repot this phal please note that in the center there will be a square dense plug of moss. More dense than the outer part. This was the original tightly packed moss plug the small juvenile plant was dropped onto when it was taken out of the community pot and put into it's own growing pot. Then after a year or two they are transferred to a larger pot and moss is packed around them again. This is what you have now. It will be hot and humid where you are and so rot problems won't be as great as say somewhere in the northern part of the country. If you can provide good air circulation the phal will do very well. But when most of us buy a phal at the big box store we take it into the house, put it near a window, and don't provide the necessary air movement. And when the top gets dry we water it. Voila.....root rot. Then root death. And then we call for help. If we would put a small fan nearby the phal we would cut the rate of problems in half or better. It's not the moss but the environment we place it into once we get it home. Remember that most of these phals were grown in hot house conditions of around 75* to 90*f with around 60% to 80% humidity. but in the GH they have large fans to circulate air constantly. I'm talking a good breeze or better. So your phal will do great as long as you don't water it too often. But come the cool of winter, I'll bet you that you'll start having troubles. Nice plant by the way. Good experiment too. I love it when people try things.

[Nanook 2010]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Nanook there is no problem with phals being in moss. They are grown from seed or tissue culture and are always in moss until we get them. So not a problem. the problem starts when we bring them into our environment. Then we water them and once the top dries out we water them again. The center never dries out and that is where the rot starts. When you repot this phal please note that in the center there will be a square dense plug of moss. More dense than the outer part. This was the original tightly packed moss plug the small juvenile plant was dropped onto when it was taken out of the community pot and put into it's own growing pot. Then after a year or two they are transferred to a larger pot and moss is packed around them again. This is what you have now. It will be hot and humid where you are and so rot problems won't be as great as say somewhere in the northern part of the country. If you can provide good air circulation the phal will do very well. But when most of us buy a phal at the big box store we take it into the house, put it near a window, and don't provide the necessary air movement. And when the top gets dry we water it. Voila.....root rot. Then root death. And then we call for help. If we would put a small fan nearby the phal we would cut the rate of problems in half or better. It's not the moss but the environment we place it into once we get it home. Remember that most of these phals were grown in hot house conditions of around 75* to 90*f with around 60% to 80% humidity. but in the GH they have large fans to circulate air constantly. I'm talking a good breeze or better. So your phal will do great as long as you don't water it too often. But come the cool of winter, I'll bet you that you'll start having troubles. Nice plant by the way. Good experiment too. I love it when people try things.

How would a less humid environment (inside a house) encourage root rot?

[james mickelso]

The micro climate within the pot would foster fungus and mold. And where there are those two there are bacteria. If you use moss when you repot and put it in the pot around the roots loosely then the entire rootmass dries quickly enough to preclude those from growing. Air flow is the key. When you take the old root ball apart you will find a very solid mass of old moss inside. I showed a pic of a repotting exercise I did a week ago. When you carefully pull out the old spag from a phal bought at HD or Lowes say, once you get the outer layer of moss off you will find this solid plug of moss. That is the original potting media. It stays wet for weeks and this is why most phals from the big box stores get root rot. It's not the purchasers fault but the construction of the rootball. If we get some airflow around the phal it helps dry the entire rootball out more quickly. And sometimes it depends on how old the plant is since leaving the original grower.

[james mickelso]

Here are some of my phals that are potted up differently. Each was a basket case when they came to me. I just look at the roots and decide which technique I will use to get them to flower and grow new leaves. I just like to experiment like you do. Some do well in sphagnum moss and some do well in bark/sponge rock/charcoal, and some do well in cinder rock. One is even in pretty much all charcoal. Pic 7 and 8 is of a paph that I have had for 10 years and once it had 5 plants that all withered and died but for this one. This one has had two leaves for at least 6 years now. No roots. Just a stump and two leaves. Then last year I repotted it on a lark and put it in loose sphagnum moss. Now it has grown two new leaves. All I can do is shrug my shoulders and wait to see what happens. It is a Paph Wenbourne x something? The name Rose is in there somewhere. Maybe one of you paph growers can help out.

[Nanook 2010]

James,

How would the "micro climate" inside the pot be ok in a hot and humid environment but inside a house in a northern climate foster fungus and mold?

[quiltergal]

Cool+damp=rot where I live. Even though you live in a humid area it is hot so the moss dries out faster.

Moss is fine to grow in, however, as noted by CB above it only lasts about 6 months before it begins to decompose. Faster if you are fertilizing regularly. It will be interesting to see what you have left in the center of the pot after a years time.