Potting Medium - Page 4 - Orchid Board

Dri312 · #31 06-27-2016, 05:03 PM

Yep! That's exactly what I wanted show you. Good luck for both of us!

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eager2learn · #32 06-27-2016, 05:21 PM

COME ON MEN, LIVE!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dri312

Yep! That's exactly what I wanted show you. Good luck for both of us!

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THANKS!

Cheddarbob14 · #33 06-28-2016, 06:59 PM

I killed at least 4 phals, and an oncidium before I really got into orchids and found my way here. Don't sweat it if they don't make it. Almost an unlimited amount of wisdom and experience here and on rays site. Just keep reading!

Jenascrich · #34 06-29-2016, 02:12 PM

Don't worry! I am relatively new to orchids and I have made a ton of mistakes but that is how you will learn. I also learn a lot from this board and I surf YouTube for instructional videos. Miss Orchid girl is very informative on YouTube, and she has a relaxing voice... Lol.... Just you wait, when your phals bloom, you will become addicted like me!! Good luck and have fun.

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stonedragonfarms · #35 06-29-2016, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katrina

2 things I notice right off the bat...

First - vinegar and alcohol does not disinfect. It'll clean but it won't disinfect. If you're putting the same orchid back into a pot then the disinfecting is not as important but if you wish to re-use pots for other orchids then you want a true disinfectant or your biggest risk is transferring viruses between plants. Personally, I use a bleach soak and I usually let them soak overnight. Then I scrub them and rinse well. If I'm soaking clay pots, I typically allow them to soak for a few days because the clay is porous and a quick soak isn't sufficient. After the bleach soak...because I am dealing with a porous material...then scrub and rinse well and w/the clay pots I don't reuse them right away. I set them outside in a full sun location where they stay for a few weeks before I reuse. The time in the sun and rain allows any bleach that the pot absorbed to dissipate before I put orchids and their tender roots back into the clay.

Second - in the 2nd pic...that wee plant appears to be severely overpotted which (in your chosen media) could likely lead to more rot problems. Ideally, you want to use pots that are only a little bigger than the root system you are potting. When I have a pot that seems a bit too big, I will fill the bottom portion w/something like packing p'nuts to take up the extra space and allow the media to dry out more evenly.

As for the "hairs"...I'm not seeing what you mean so I can't answer that one.

If you're cleaning terra cotta or nonglazed clay, brush them well inside and out with plain water and allow them to dry overnight. The next day, put them on a cookie sheet and set your oven to the warm setting; after an hour, increase the heat to 250°f and bake them for 30 minutes more. Turn the oven off and let them cool overnight. They'll be sterilized and good to go. Do not do this with glazed pots. Personally, I prefer to just purchase new pots, but I have a few weird/unique ones that get this treatment if/when reusing.

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katrina · #36 06-29-2016, 04:22 PM

I was told by someone once that heat sterilization requires very high temps...as in 500+ degrees..and that it requires more along the lines of 2 hours. I don't know whether that is true or not but, for me, the soak method is easier.

FWIW - most of the time I end up breaking the pots to get the orchids out so I don't typically reuse too many anyway.

estación seca · #37 06-29-2016, 05:24 PM

250 F will kill bacteria, insects, fungi and protozoans, but perhaps not all viruses. Prolonged heating is necessary to ensure heat reaches all the crevices. 500 F is risky; trapped water in crevices will expand to high pressure steam, and some containers will explode in your oven.

katrina · #38 06-30-2016, 06:04 AM

Yea, I've heard about the risk of clay exploding in a high heat situation. One more reason I just wouldn't want to mess with all of that. Total PITA, IMO anyway.

10% bleach solution is my choice of cleaning method and with the extra long soak time and then the time out in the sun...well, it's the best I can do and I hope it's enough. I don't clean/reuse pots on plants that tested positive. The few plants that have tested positive for virus...the pots were pitched along with the plants.

stonedragonfarms · #39 06-30-2016, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

250 F will kill bacteria, insects, fungi and protozoans, but perhaps not all viruses. Prolonged heating is necessary to ensure heat reaches all the crevices. 500 F is risky; trapped water in crevices will expand to high pressure steam, and some containers will explode in your oven.

Most viruses are inactivated at temps over 185°f; plant pathogens at temps above 215°f (at least that's the temp to which soil must be heated to sterilize it); heating low and long drives the moisture out, before gradually raising the heat. It's the same principle as wet firing pottery in a kiln; the low temps evaporate off the moisture as the internal oven temps are slowly raised.
As the others have said, I only do this for the few "special" pots I have. 99% of the time I buy new pots.

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Leafmite · #40 06-30-2016, 02:08 PM

I think, sometimes, we are so afraid of plant viruses that we imagine them unnatural abilities for survival. Some bacteria can withstand extreme pH and temperature conditions but virus denatures much more easily under less extreme conditions.

For some good facts, here is some interesting reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_virus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria