your favorite media for phals?

[orchidrower]

I'm a beginner, growing a several phals indoors, in front of a southeast-facing window (at the top of a two story sun room, so it's warmer up there). I am located in the midwest, so it's still dry here. I've been running a humidifier, so I think I've been able to maintain adequate humidity where the phals are located. (Plan to invest in a hygrometer.)

I'm buying supplies, and I am wanting to buy some materials for re-potting when the time comes, and am wondering, given my growing conditions and location, any suggestions regarding your favorite media mixture for phals? I am going to try a few things, but just wanted to pose the question, what has worked for you?

I have found lots of posts with information, but thought I would take a poll.

Thank you for your advice, everything that I have read has been SO helpful!

[estación seca]

Welcome, orchidrower!

You ask a trick question. The best medium varies with growing conditions.

Phals grow as epiphytes, on trees, with their roots exposed to the air. They have green roots because they carry out a lot of photosynthesis with their roots. There are even Phals and relatives that don't have leaves; all photosynthesis is with the roots.

Phals grow in areas where it's warm all year, with plenty of water all year. It's unnatural to stuff their roots in pots, but they are such tough plants they survive and thrive like this.

Phals like lots of air at the roots; warmth all year; frequent watering and quick drying of the roots. They lose roots quickly if roots are too wet for too long, or if the roots are cool or cold and wet for even a few days. Winter temperatures in a lot of people's homes, especially at night, are lower than is good for Phals. Because they are amazingly tough plants, they often survive this.

I have relatively low humidity sometimes. I find the Phals growing best for me are in semi-hydroponics (S/H), or hanging in a large vase with nothing in the vase but air. The ones I have in bark and moss are just not happy. But other people do extremely well with both bark and moss.

You can read a lot about S/H in its own forum here on Orchid Board. It works well for many people. In a cold winter climate, evaporation from the medium may drop root temperatures lower than is good for Phals, so many people keep them warmer in winter with a heat mat or warming the room.

Setting the plant on top of a large vase, and letting its roots dangle, also works surprisingly well for many people. I water with a spray bottle, and about once a week I fill the vase with water and let it soak for 6-12 hours.

Sphagnum moss works when people let it get almost dry between waterings. They describe letting the top of the moss become crispy. People who overwater cannot keep Phals alive in moss; they drown the roots.

People also grow Phals in pots with very large chunks of bark, volcanic rock, pumice or perlite. This allows daily watering, since there are large air spaces in the medium, and the roots get plenty of air.

And people grow Phals mounted on branches or boards. This mimics the way they grow in habitat. I have one growing this way. It is a small plant, and I've only had it six months, but it is growing OK. I have to dunk it in water every day, though, or it becomes very dry.

An inexpensive thermometer/hygrometer intended for keeping reptiles works adequately for your grow room, but you can't get it too wet.

ZOO MED™ Reptile Terrarium Thermometer Humidity Guage | Humidity & Temperature Controls | PetSmart

[wintergirl]

For most of my phals I use a chunky bark mix. The "Better Gro" orchid bark mix is the one I like that you can find at many stores such as Lowes. I have used the "Miracle Gro" orchid bark mix in the past but it breaks down faster and you have to pick through it just to get the big pieces. There is a lot of waste with it. There is also a slow release fertilizer in it and I prefer to add my own instead. Some of the more expensive 'shipped to my home' types are a waste of money to me. One even seemed to have red dyed bark chips that caused some problems.

For most I use a plastic pot with tons of air holes, for others are in clay.

[bil]

Originally Posted by wintergirl

For most of my phals I use a chunky bark mix. The "Better Gro" orchid bark mix is the one I like that you can find at many stores such as Lowes. I have used the "Miracle Gro" orchid bark mix in the past but it breaks down faster and you have to pick through it just to get the big pieces. There is a lot of waste with it. There is also a slow release fertilizer in it and I prefer to add my own instead. Some of the more expensive 'shipped to my home' types are a waste of money to me. One even seemed to have red dyed bark chips that caused some problems.

For most I use a plastic pot with tons of air holes, for others are in clay.

Red dye? Yeah, some idiot did that to some of mine. As for bark that is of mixed size, I sieve it to take out the small stuff, and I then re sieve it with a finer mesh to take out the dust and utra fines. The Coarse bark I use for phals with nothing else added, the fine I use for the thin root orchids, and the fines I use as a soil additive when potting normal plants.

I use coarse bark for phals because you can't over pot and you can't overwater like you can with moss.

The pics are of the pots I use for phals. They are 14" in diameter and 6" deep. I have kept them in the same diameter pots that were originally at least 16" deep. You cannot overpot phals in coarse bark.

[rbarata]

My phals use a mixture of medium or coarse bark (depending on the pot size) + Leca + Perlite.
Good drainage and root ventilation is the goal you want to achieve.

[Cheddarbob14]

I'm assuming the other advice so far comes with much more experience than I have myself. My onLY help may be the fact that I'm also in the Midwest (MI), so I'll tell you what has worked for me recently. In February I repotted my phals into the oxygen core dual orchid pots from repotme, in a 50/50 mix of sphag moss and the cypress blend from carter and holmes, about a month later I introduced kelpmax from first rays. The roots have exploded, leaves havent looked this good since I bought them (all noids), and although I've only gotten 1 to rebloom, all 3 have recently put up spikes, 1 has 2 spikes actually.

[wintergirl]

For some of the smaller or mini phals I do mix a little s. moss in with the bark. They dry out too fast if I don't.

As far as humidity in the Midwest, I have been running a cool humidifier 24/7 until the last 2 weeks. The humidity is up to almost 60% on it's own in the house (Northern Indiana). I usually try to keep it at around 50%. Your plants will not dry out as fast right now with this humidity.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Fir bark ("orchid bark") from the big box stores such as Lowes or Home Depot. Sometimes I add in charcoal and styrofoam chunks in the bottom to improve drainage.

Most of my Phals (and most of my orchids) grow in unglazed terracotta pots, which wick excess water out of the growing medium, and also add some stability (weight) to keep plants from tipping over. I use the smallest pot that will fit the roots.

[judith_arquette]

I have killed somewhere around 30 phals....I "love" them to death. Because I can't control myself when it comes to watering, the only success I've had with my 3 remaining phals was to mount them, upside down, with just the smallest amount of sphag. This way I can mist them every day or so without over watering them. I simply cannot control my compulsion.

[No-Pro-mwa]

For my larger phals I have been using coconut chips with perlite and some charcoal in it, mostly in terracotta pots. I haven't decided if I am going to go with plastic next time or not. My mini's I have been using a seedling and paph mix that I sometimes put a bit more spagh in as the smaller pots dry out so fast for me. It's so dry here in Wyoming.

Judith that gave me a laugh, I'm the total opposite, I have to make myself water more.