What media dries the most evenly?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Pinkeed

I'm guessing they would need to be watered more often then? Not that I mind, if it solves the problem in the long run that means less work for me. I'm assuming these pots either have a lot of holes or are more like baskets? Or do roots just grow over the top?

These are just the next size of pot (I'm assuming orchid pots... which of course have holes) Cattleyas grow horizontally along their rhizome, so sooner or later the new growth (with its roots) is growing outside the pot. (this doesn't apply for monopodial orchids like Phals or Vandas). When this "mistake" originally occurred, he was just trying to keep them from falling over) In general, with no media (as with a mounted plant) one needs to water more often. But that's the goal - these plants want to dry out between waterings. That's how they grow in nature. It's a balancing act... you want to have enough moisture so that you don't have to water as often, but not so much that the roots rot. The more volume of media, the wetter it will stay, since drying is a surface phenomenon. Conversely, the less media (and more surface) you have, the faster it will dry. You can't get around the laws of physics...

[bil]

Media has to dry out. If not, fungal problems will arise.

[katrina]

It looks like I'm in very good company because I too discovered by accident the pot w/in a pot method a few years back. Overgrown catt...plopped into another pot w/the intention of repotting later and then got lazy and never got around to doing the repot.

The main reason I did it initially...and still do it (probably more often than I should) is because i needed to add stability to the plant and I didn't want to see the newer roots getting broken. Plopping it into a secondary pot solved that. And then, the roots just grew and grew. The 1st pots are all clay but the secondary pots have been clay and plastic bulb pans...both set ups work equally well.

Currently I have 2 plants that have also outgrown their 2nd pots and I need to decide whether I will just add a 3rd pot or do I tackle the repot. They are both doing so incredibly well that I'm tempted to just add the 3rd pot and not worry about any of it until they need to be divided.

On a side note - with a couple of my pot in pot plants, I have added a bit of leca or something to increase the moisture content in the space between the 2 pots. I used to back-fill the space between the 2 with leca but stopped doing that after the first plant I had to divide in the set up - giant PITA. Now, it's just mostly empty space or just a very little bit of something.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by bil

Media has to dry out. If not, fungal problems will arise.

I disagree.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Ray

I disagree.

I'm with Ray on this. Even my Cattleya in leca stay constantly moist and grow like mad. You should see some of the remarks I get when I mention to some that I grow my Cattleya in regular terra cotta pots that sit continuously in an inch of water! As far as media that dries most evenly, I think that because of its openness that cubes of EcoWeb would be a good candidate.

[Pinkeed]

Looks like I have a lot to look into!
So far...Lava rock, pot within a pot, and ecoweb

Maybe even pot within a pot with synthic? Doesn't seem like a bad idea. Currently I'm using it on a Vanda and around the roots of a Darwin's orchid. Seems to be working. 2-3 days until I need to water the Darwin's orchid again. Vanda is still every day though, but then it's not in a pot. I might try this with some more epiphytes after they are done flowering. Darwin's orchid roots seem to like more air not really sure why when they don't photosynthesize.

bil I did have a mold/fungus problem with the Darwin's orchid in leca and leca plus seramis. I think this was due to it staying too wet and suffocating though. It was doing ok in bark, but refused to grow in it anymore and started losing leaves (not a normal amount, 3 to be exact). This was partly to the fact that the cat broke it's pot after it finally started growing and then knocked it over 3 times after that. Now it is in a pot with leca lining the bottom and and synthic around roots as described above. I'm thinking of moving it to a basket though. I have it stabilized with floral wire. The slipper, phrag, and phals seem to be doing ok with this setup though. I will keep an eye on the media though just to make sure.

[Leafmite]

I grow a few Angraecums in red lava rock and basket pots. I use an eight-inch basket pot for the sesquipedale.

An example of basket pots (plastic baskets, here):

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Angraecums:

Genus Angraecum - Angraecum Encyclopedia

Angraecums...

[bil]

Originally Posted by Pinkeed

bil I did have a mold/fungus problem with the Darwin's orchid in leca and leca plus seramis. I think this was due to it staying too wet and suffocating though. It was doing ok in bark, but refused to grow in it anymore and started losing leaves (not a normal amount, 3 to be exact). This was partly to the fact that the cat broke it's pot after it finally started growing and then knocked it over 3 times after that. Now it is in a pot with leca lining the bottom and and synthic around roots as described above. I'm thinking of moving it to a basket though. I have it stabilized with floral wire. The slipper, phrag, and phals seem to be doing ok with this setup though. I will keep an eye on the media though just to make sure.

Mine were in fine bark, but not happy. I mounted them and the were OK, but seemed to do best when they were kept wetted, so I tried keeping them wet. The ball of moss they are inn is now effectuively compost, and far denser than I would normally allow any epiphyte to suffer, but it is flowering with two large flowers this year, altho I can detect no perfume, and the flowers are yellowish white rather than pure white.

[Leafmite]

Angraecum sesquipedale should be very fragrant at night. Unfortunately, Angraecums have begun getting attention from people who like to show orchids which means that they are being hybridized for the appearance and size of the flowers. When that happens, fragrance often falls by the wayside. I actually had a Brassavola nodosa that had beautiful flowers but no fragrance (I took it through a few blooming cycles to be certain).

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Angraecum sesquipedale should be very fragrant at night. Unfortunately, Angraecums have begun getting attention from people who like to show orchids which means that they are being hybridized for the appearance and size of the flowers. When that happens, fragrance often falls by the wayside. I actually had a Brassavola nodosa that had beautiful flowers but no fragrance (I took it through a few blooming cycles to be certain).

What on earth is the point of growing B. nodosa WITHOUT its divine fragrance?