Phal Medium

[gingersmommy]

Hi, I repotted all of my phals in a Imperial AAA sphag moss, lava rock mix available from an online company. I was reading in one of the posts that many people have poor results with 100% moss. Some of my orchids are not propagating roots like I expected and I have had lots of brown roots that I've had to cut off. I let the medium dry until it's crispy, but now I'm afraid the medium is too wet then gets too dry. Should I mix my sphag moss with some coconut husk chips or small bark? All of them are in clear pots. I love my orchids and just want them to thrive. Thanks!

P.S. What happened to the "Phal Abuse" sticky?

[Troythediver]

I started with spag and then came to hate it. The amount of water it holds seems to be very sporadic. If the lower roots aren't in good shape you have to await for new ones from the stem anyway. This takes time.

[Dendy83]

I, too, have had issues with moss. I'm not saying it's inferior in any way, just that it may not be the medium for you. I use an orchid mix that includes bark, charcoal, and lava stone all in varying sizes.

But anyways, the real reason why I responded was to post the sticky for you. Here it is.

I'm pretty new to the orchid hobby and I would say that it does take a veeerryy long time for orchids to adjust...especially coming home and adapting to your environment, but also to different mediums. Since I have experience with the bark, lava rock, charcoal medium that's what I would suggest. NOT the Miracle Grow brand, but Lowe's or Home Depot should have something comparable.

[WhiteRabbit]

I either use straight sphag, with either a small inverted net pot in the center of the pot the plant is going into, or, styro pnut(s) in the center of the root mass, to help sphag dry more evenly -

Or, I use a chunky fir bark mix (I still like using some styro in the root mass, but maybe less important in the bark mix)

The only other media I have used mixed in with sphag is chunky perlite - haven't used it for Phals tho ...

[james mickelso]

A good quality sphagnum moss like New Zealand or the like can be used successfully for most orchids. The important thing to remember is that it needs to be used as loosely as possible. Not packed in around the roots. But places in small bunches in between the roots. If it is packed into the pot it will stay too wet and not allow air to penetrate into the roots adequately. Because the moss is very loosely placed into the root area a plant clip or similar has to be used to prop up the plant and stabilize it. And the pot must be of a small size just large enough to accommodate the roots.

[NYCorchidman]

I grow my phals either in straight moss or bark chips.
Either way works wonderfully.

With straight moss mix, as others have mentioned, you don't want to put them in too tight, but tight enough that the plant is not dancing around.
Also, put some pebbles or Styrofoam at the bottom of the pot will help prevent wet feet.

If you are concerned using straight moss, then mixing some chunky stuff like bark chips into straight moss mix would also be great. You just want to water a little more often that way.

[Leafmite]

I grow my mini-noid phal in straight lava rock and a small basket pot set in a clear plastic container. It seems very happy this way. I am trying my species phals in net pots with styrofoam peanuts and NZ sphagnum moss and they are doing well, too. I am including pictures so you can get an idea of what I am doing. I like the basket/net pots because they allow for more even drying and I get to see the roots.

[gingersmommy]

Thanks, everyone. I don't have the moss crammed in there, but it could stand to be loosened up I'm sure. I will try that. For those of you who use the bark, charcoal and lava rock, can you sufficiently wet the medium enough? How long is it before you have to rewater? I have noticed that some of my orchids get somewhat twisted leaves. I'm wondering if I am letting the medium dry out too much between waterings?

[Dendy83]

I soak my bark before potting, this way the medium can retain as much water as possible. Then, over the course of a week it slowly dries out. It can get very dry on top, but a bamboo skewer tells me that it's plenty wet in the middle. However, if you're more comfortable with moss I would say take the other's suggestions and see what happens. Switching to a new media will cause the plant to re-adjust.

[Masdyman]

Hello, No matter what your potting mix of choice is you will need to learn again how to water with the new mixture. With any repotted orchid the mix will take longer to dry than before until the roots get into the mix again, so a little caution is needed for a while, otherwise you could easily unknowingly over water.