Ugh, Sphag packed orchids - I'll always repot if I even buy

[nogreenthumbs]

Last night I repotted an Oncidium Gilded Tower 'Mystic Maze' that's about done blooming. Like the Phal that I repotted recently, the Oncidium was also packed tightly in moss. It was much worse to separate from the moss though because it has much finer roots and a bunch of them. Fortunately, it had a ton of roots and I must have been doing a decent job of not over watering because most weren't rotten. Only the roots in the very center of the pot were bad off. It seemed to have a center made of a fine grained sponge or maybe something like that foamy green stuff that you see for arranging fake plants in a vase at hobby stores. It was truly disgusting and I think took close to 2 hours to pot with the bulk of that time being for getting the old sphag out.

I have no doubt that Sphag is great in some circumstances and can be very useful in certain situations, but when there's a quart of sphag stuffed into a pint sized pot, it's horrible.

Clearly, I'll be doing a much better job of figuring out what to buy from now on (after reading the beginners buying guide sticky thread)

I think I've got 2 good local sources that grow at least some of their own stuff. I remember one of the points in the beginners buying guide thread being to buy their specialty since they've probably grown those vs just purchasing other stuff to fill in their stock.

[Dollythehun]

That plug in the middle may have been the growers plug material. It is a rubber, foamy, mossy sort of composition.
You're a fast learner.

[Arizona Jeanie]

For what it's worth--when I re-pot (mostly Phals for me), I've taken to putting a small, river-run, granite rock in the center of the pot, then using bark chunks as usual. Roots grow around the rock, and are somewhat forced to the outer edges where there is more light and air. It makes a drier spot in the middle, and also helps balance the pot as the top of the plant gets bigger. I'm no longer finding rotten roots in the center. I think granite is slightly acidic, that doesn't hurt either.

[fishmom]

I do this too, Jeanie. Dolomite chips are a source of calcium, so it certainly can't hurt to have a piece of granite in the pot.

Steve, I wouldn't hesitate to buy something you want just because you don't like sphag. If you put the plant is a bucket or pan of water after you de-pot, the sphag will come off more easily. Each grower uses what works best in THEIR conditions.

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by Arizona Jeanie

For what it's worth--when I re-pot (mostly Phals for me), I've taken to putting a small, river-run, granite rock in the center of the pot, then using bark chunks as usual. Roots grow around the rock, and are somewhat forced to the outer edges where there is more light and air. It makes a drier spot in the middle, and also helps balance the pot as the top of the plant gets bigger. I'm no longer finding rotten roots in the center. I think granite is slightly acidic, that doesn't hurt either.

Interesting. I like that. And it would add weight to the pot. I've had a couple that were too tall or leaning/heavier on one side go down in a stiff breeze which is always irritatiing. Fortunately, no casualties other than discovering that Oncidium Mystic Maze has brittle blooms.

---------- Post added at 04:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:00 PM ----------

Originally Posted by fishmom

Steve, I wouldn't hesitate to buy something you want just because you don't like sphag.

OK, not all sphag, but sphag packed in really tight is

If you put the plant is a bucket or pan of water before you de-pot, the sphag will come off more easily. Each grower uses what works best in THEIR conditions.

Yeah, I soaked it really well. It was very soggy. Still, the moss is kind of stringy, and the roots were kind of stringy and distributed throughout the pot. It was ugly. It was actually pretty easy on the phal that I did the other day.

Recently, I've found myself in several stores that I very rarely visit. It's been various big box stores that carry orchids. I've been wondering if I might see something tempting, but it's been nothing but the same old phals that you see everywhere. There haven't even been any interesting phals. I'm guessing that's a seasonal thing. It's probably not tough for the nurseries to provide blooming phals year round, but other orchids are probably more difficult to short circuit their cycle. Honestly, it's probably for the best. I should just make sure that the 4 that I have are healthy and happy before I buy any more.

[Rothrock42]

I've found that if I soak it first in the pot and then again once it is out of the pot that it is easier to get moss out. In the pot the moss and roots can only expand to the limit of the pot, but it can keep going after you remove that restriction.

I pretty much report everything I get whether in spagh, bark, or what not.

[bil]

My experience is that the starter plug and the foamy muck are two different things.

The starter plug looks and feels like rotting sorft bark, but the artificial stuff iis added to the mix to hold water Revolting stuff.

Yet another story that reinforces the need to repot orchids as soon as you get them home.

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by Rothrock42

I've found that if I soak it first in the pot and then again once it is out of the pot that it is easier to get moss out. In the pot the moss and roots can only expand to the limit of the pot, but it can keep going after you remove that restriction.

Click! Genius!

I pretty much report everything I get whether in spagh, bark, or what not.

Yeah, I will be too, but I may be a bit quicker with anything in moss. The theory is that if you buy a blooming orchid, it's probably been in that media for a couple of years and is ready to be repotted whether it's sphag or anything else organic.

---------- Post added at 05:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:36 PM ----------

Originally Posted by bil

My experience is that the starter plug and the foamy muck are two different things.

The starter plug looks and feels like rotting sorft bark, but the artificial stuff iis added to the mix to hold water Revolting stuff.

Yet another story that reinforces the need to repot orchids as soon as you get them home.

It looked just like "florist's wet foam" except it wasn't green.

Yep, I agree. From now one, they are getting immediately repotted.

[Dollythehun]

I actually went back to a spag mix from repotme.com. As much as I hate spag, I like this. My IKEA orchids came in something similar as did some of my Hausermann's plants. If you water when almost crunchy, it works well.( Please don't pile on me, it's been a long day).

[estación seca]

The starter plug is not an issue. Starter plugs contain very old roots. They're already dead, or dying soon. Just leave it alone, or you will tear up good roots trying to get it out.

Remove the moss gently. Don't go nuts getting every strand. Repot. It should not take an hour to clear moss off the roots. Orchid growing is not a good hobby for obsessives (except the laboratory part.)