noid dend......couldnt help myself

[lotis146]

Nothing to say for advice b/c I only just got my first den (near blooming size) but I'm just jumping in to guess that the 'soil-like' mix you have is probably some kind of peat moss mix. I'm currently experimenting with such with some Zygo hybrids & others. It does retain more moisture but dries faster when in clay pot. For me it could be good b/c I under-water so if you're good at watering than def repot from the peat moss (soil-like) and if you don't right away then be careful not to over-water b/c this stuff retains more moisture. Beautiful flower btw.

[phalnoob]

ThNks i reall want to repot it now.
I looked online at local stores and cant find coir. Could i mix the orchid bark i have with coconut husk meant for use with reptiles as i have a reptile place nearby

---------- Post added at 12:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 AM ----------

Thanks lotis its lovely and so fragrant 😮 which i didnt expect. I think im not too bad for watering though i do have to try not to water too much 😂

[bil]

Originally Posted by phalnoob

ThNks i reall want to repot it now.
I looked online at local stores and cant find coir. Could i mix the orchid bark i have with coconut husk meant for use with reptiles as i have a reptile place nearby

I think it needs to be chopped. Someone somewhere did say that coir needs to be soaked and water changed a few times to remove salt, if that hasn't been done already.

Can you not find fine bark anywhere? Or a fine bark orchid mix?

This is the sort of bark I use for dens.

[phalnoob]

Thanks for all your advice.
That looks a little like the size of the mix i have but as i said it says its bark, clay chips.
Iv tried 3 of the big garden/diy stores and its rubbish soily mixes.
I suppose i could order online but would need to make sure its suitable. Iv seen orchid bark for reptiles but i read that its not designed to be used for plants as its designed to be short term

[bil]

Originally Posted by phalnoob

Thanks for all your advice.
That looks a little like the size of the mix i have but as i said it says its bark, clay chips.
Iv tried 3 of the big garden/diy stores and its rubbish soily mixes.
I suppose i could order online but would need to make sure its suitable. Iv seen orchid bark for reptiles but i read that its not designed to be used for plants as its designed to be short term

Well, technically all bark is short term as you have to repot as it breaks down.

[phalnoob]

Yeah should be ok to use that then or at least mix it with some coco husk barks if i can get that

[bil]

Originally Posted by phalnoob

Yeah should be ok to use that then or at least mix it with some coco husk barks if i can get that

The one thing I can say is this. You can't rely on what anyone else tells you 100%. evven if they live in a similar climate. You need to experiment and take chances. Sure, you will kkill a few, but that's part of the leaning process. Dens especially are as tough as old boots. Even if you destroy the roots or do what I did and not notice till almost too late that they were drying out waaayyy too quickly, thy are usually recoverable.

When the roots are destroyed, they will throw new, and if a cane snaps, let the wound dry, and then wrap it in a thin layer of sphag and cover it with fine bark. More often than not it will throw shoots.
My ones that were cooked I thought were lost, but when I upped the watering they all bounced back to life. One two year old white den threw 20 new shoots.

When you think about it, consider their niche. Way up in the air on a tree with no great reservoir of 'soil' to hold water, they would nneed to be able to recover fast from any setbacks.

[phalnoob]

Thanks for the advice. I have my orchid bark and managed to get coco husk chips so il make a mix and get it repotted!

---------- Post added at 05:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 AM ----------

Oh and as its my first dend, is it fairly straightforward? I was worried the shoots might start falling over

[bil]

Originally Posted by phalnoob

Thanks for the advice. I have my orchid bark and managed to get coco husk chips so il make a mix and get it repotted!

---------- Post added at 05:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 AM ----------

Oh and as its my first dend, is it fairly straightforward? I was worried the shoots might start falling over

Den Nobile need support if they are to grow upright. I like to have them up on the wall and growing downward.

[phalnoob]

That must look amazing.

I got it repotted today, was just soil it was in but thankfully roots were ok. Was a nightmare to get it of then at the base just under the soil was a mush of moss. All sorted on a nice bark media!
Also got my mini phal repotted i bough it recently and it just has moss so got it potted, was tricky to fit in upright so its kinda wonky in the pot 😐