Phal potted in....?

[JMNYC]

Originally Posted by lauraeli

How does it get so broken down?

Before I repot, I have to make up my mind what to pot in. My 'coarse bark' is too coarse for me to feel comfortable with.

Also, it may need a bigger pot. I havent decided whether or not I should bury the aerial roots.

---------- Post added at 02:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 PM ----------

I also dont want to put it in something too different than what it is in. I dont want to lose roots. They are, at least, used to the medium they are in. Before I determine what is similar, I have to determine WHAT it is actually in.

Just in case this might help---and aerial roots are no different from any other roots; once you see the roots clearly, without a trace of the old whatever it is....let that determine what kinda pot you should now choose.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ting-17-a.html

[katrina]

It appears to be a peat or coir based product w/added bark product. It's used quite frequently by many pro growers. My first 2 phals (way back when!) came in a mix just like that and even though I didn't repot them they survived just fine in the medium. Hell, those 2 phals did great for a couple of years...until I realized I should learn more about growing orchids. Once I began learning about orchids...they died. You know...from all my new found orchid knowledge.

It's actually nice and airy and as long as you don't over-water...phals can grow very well in it. The biggest downside to anything w/peat is the fact that fungus gnats love it. Coir would be a better choice. Either is fine for someone who doesn't want to water often and/or someone who lives in a very dry climate.

If you tend to be heavy-handed w/the watering...it's not a good medium for you.

[lauraeli]

Originally Posted by katrina

It appears to be a peat or coir based product w/added bark product. It's used quite frequently by many pro growers. My first 2 phals (way back when!) came in a mix just like that and even though I didn't repot them they survived just fine in the medium. Hell, those 2 phals did great for a couple of years...until I realized I should learn more about growing orchids. Once I began learning about orchids...they died. You know...from all my new found orchid knowledge.

It's actually nice and airy and as long as you don't over-water...phals can grow very well in it. The biggest downside to anything w/peat is the fact that fungus gnats love it. Coir would be a better choice. Either is fine for someone who doesn't want to water often and/or someone who lives in a very dry climate.

If you tend to be heavy-handed w/the watering...it's not a good medium for you.

I would not call myself 'heavy-handed'. Im a responsive grower. I look for signs from the plant/medium to know when to water.

I dont often run into trouble.

I'm not good with roses though.

[quiltergal]

The guy that owned Sky Island Orchids up in the Seattle area used to grow ALL his Phals in peat moss. He said he hated to water. Gee wiz! Ya think? I almost killed the first one I bought from him because I did not repot, and continued to water the same as my other plants. Duh! Seriously you could probably not water that stuff for a month and it would still be moist. Repotting into Sphag would be similar in terms of moistness, but easier to manage. CHC would be another option. It's chunky like bark but retains more moisture. Eventually you could ease it into bark if that is what you are more comfortable with. Good luck!

[lauraeli]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

The guy that owned Sky Island Orchids up in the Seattle area used to grow ALL his Phals in peat moss. He said he hated to water. Gee wiz! Ya think? I almost killed the first one I bought from him because I did not repot, and continued to water the same as my other plants. Duh! Seriously you could probably not water that stuff for a month and it would still be moist. Repotting into Sphag would be similar in terms of moistness, but easier to manage. CHC would be another option. It's chunky like bark but retains more moisture. Eventually you could ease it into bark if that is what you are more comfortable with. Good luck!

I prefer to be able to water at least every ten days. Im new to orchids, so Im not sure what Im 'comfortable with'. I do know that I dont like the coarse bark mix I bought. I like a smaller particle size. Im doing great with the sphagnum that my minis are in. But i dont know that i would like it for a larger pot. I am thinking something bark based would be alright as long as it is smaller than what i have.

[katrina]

Those first 2 phals I had...I watered as I did w/my other houseplants and that was about every week. More in the Summer. Sometimes they might go to 10 days in the Winter. I had no issues w/root rot during that time. They did fabulous...even bloomed.

Lauraeli -- you gotta do what you're comfortable doing. Trial and error...it's how we all learn to grow w/in our own environments and climes. Orchids will and do grow on or in just about anything...as long as their needs are being met. It's not rocket science...it just takes a bit of common sense and a little testing the waters to see what works for each of us.

Balance...in water, air, and light...get the balance right and you'll have very happy orchids.

[lauraeli]

I may leave it potted the way it is for a bit. I am going to the orchid greenhouse this weekend, so I will be able to see the growing mediums and pots that are available. Im sure i will find something Im happy with.

Not likely I will kill this one. It has SO many roots.

[james mickelso]

The reason this survived being potted in this media is that it wasn't watered much. Guarantee it. It was, again, watered and then kept very humid with lots of air movement. Most of the roots are growing around the outside of the media. In the growing area, the temps are warm, it is humid, and it has good vigorous air flow. The vigorous air flow helps wick away moisture from the leaves. WallMart probably just received this shipment of plants and hadn't been sitting around in an airless store all month. It will probably grow ok in this media as long as you water carefully. Lift it, feel the weight of the plant, then wait 10 days and lift it again. Notice how much lighter it is? Water it again and when it feels light, then water it again. You'll be watering perfectly in no time.

[lotis146]

I got a Phal back in February from Meijer super store and it wound up being planted in this same stuff, and I've had several other chids in this, freaked me out too! The February plant wound up having pretty healthy roots and a lot of them, although not quite as awesome as yours but darn close! I repotted it in an orchid mix I added moss and more bark to. It was one of those Phals that they dye blue and some of its flowers were already starting to suffer. After repotting they survived a bit longer but i think some of its roots did suffer but since then it still has a live spike (no flowers, but I'm leaving unless it dies off itself) and has grown a nice healthy new leaf.

Good to know that that stuff isn't the end of everything! But I would say that mine were switched to a very different sort of mix and they seem to be holding up just fine. (It was the one I switched from moss to more varied mix that suffered some flower loss at first.)

[RandomGemini]

While this looks similar to the Promix that Trader Joe's sells orchids in a lot, it's NOT the same stuff. That stuff is almost gray in color and has no bark chips in it.

My bet... is that this is a really broken down medium. Walmart is not known for their stellar care of their plants. Every time I look at their orchids, I get sad. Why do people feel the things need to be drowned? More water does not equal more flowers...

As far as roses go... they like a sandy soil, with good light, mine get sun for most of the day with some shade in the afternoon. If I can grow roses in a sub-arctic zone, and they were the first things I managed not to kill when I started gardening, then you can grow them too. Just figure out what they need and where you can provide that in your yard.