I used a bark mixture that might be too chunky. Possible issues?

[UsagiGreenPaw]

I bought what I think is a Beallara orchid from Trader Joe's that was planted in soil about 2 weeks ago. The media wasnt drying out fast enough, in my newb opinion, so I unpotted it for transplant.

I thought I had oncidium mix soil, but this bark is quite a bit bigger than the oncidium mix from repotme. This orchid has roots very similar to an oncidium, maybe slightly bigger? So I used what I had, the thicker bark mix.

Is this going to be an issue? Will I just need to water a little more frequently?

[fishmom]

Orchids can grow on/in pretty much anything, but your success will depend on the conditions you have. More hunidity will help--are you growing in a greenhouse? And as you say, more frequent watering will help also.

You will know if the plant is happy by watching the pseudobulbs and new leaves. Plump bulbs and smooth leaves will indicate that the plant is getting enough moisture. If you find that the pot is drying out too fast, maybe you will want to repot in a finer mixture rather than waiting until the plant is in distress.

[UsagiGreenPaw]

Im just growing in my little apartment. The humidity where it's sitting now hovers around 48-50%. I'm assembling some shelves this weekend and will hopefully be raising the humidity to around 60%

I'll keep an eye on how quickly the potting mix dries out and the bulbs, which are nice a plump. It's not really growing new leaves at the moment. Hopefully it wont need to be repotted because the poor thing is opening these beautiful yellow blooms and I'm sure the plant would like to be left alone to continue doing so.

So...this might be ok if I watch it carefully for too much drying. Crossing my fingers.

[estación seca]

I would not repot the Trader Joe's intergeneric Oncidium orchids until they finish blooming. These hybrids need a lot of water in flower. Repotting them damages some of the roots. You put it into a medium that retains much less water than the previous mix. There is a good chance the flowers will fade quite rapidly, rather than lasting for the usual many weeks.

Many people do grow these in large bark, but that means they will probably need daily watering year round. And during warm spells they might dry out even faster than that. A lot of people don't like the kind of potting mix used for these at the grower, but I think it works really well if you have intermediate growing conditions. High-quality potting soil mixed with a lot of perlite drains very well, has good air spaces and retains moisture. I would not use a mix like this for many orchids, but I think intergeneric Oncidiums can do very well in it.

[UsagiGreenPaw]

I see. That's too bad to hear if I repotted it unnecessarily! The soil didnt have a lot of perlite in it and there were clumps of soggy...peat moss? I was really worried about it being wet for longer periods of time than I was used to. The plastic pot it came in also had hardly any ventilation. Some small drainage slits at the bottom, which probably helped it stay wet.

I also unpotted it because it was growing white fuzziness on the soil top. I dont mind watering every day, so hopefully I can stay on top of the hydration.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by UsagiGreenPaw

I see. That's too bad to hear if I repotted it unnecessarily! The soil didnt have a lot of perlite in it and there were clumps of soggy...peat moss? I was really worried about it being wet for longer periods of time than I was used to. The plastic pot it came in also had hardly any ventilation. Some small drainage slits at the bottom, which probably helped it stay wet.

I also unpotted it because it was growing white fuzziness on the soil top. I dont mind watering every day, so hopefully I can stay on top of the hydration.

If you were concerned about the condition of the original medium and pot, then you absolutely did the right thing by repotting. Fresh bark doesn't hold water very well in the beginning, after a month or so it should wet easier.

For my large Onc types I even leave water in the saucers during the warmer months (may to october usually). It usually gets taken up / evaporated in 2 days or so, I leave the saucer empty for a day, and then water again. The plants enjoy it, and the pots are completely full of healthy roots.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Get some Sphagnum moss (any garden center should have it) and place a layer of Sphagnum on top of the bark. Maybe 1 or 2 inches thick. The layer of Sphagnum will help retain moisture in the bark and will help keep the plant hydrated.

When it is warm enough where you are, place your plant outdoors on long rainy days. The long soaking rain does wonders to rehydrate plants.

[aliceinwl]

Personally, I've had horrible luck with the soil mix. I just can't seem to keep the roots alive no matter how carefully I water. When repotted some blast the blooms, but others don't. For those, that I really really want to enjoy the flowers on, I hold off until the first flower starts to fade and then re-pot. I've had good luck so far with fine bark. My one try with chunkier bark was a fail.

[UsagiGreenPaw]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Get some Sphagnum moss (any garden center should have it) and place a layer of Sphagnum on top of the bark. Maybe 1 or 2 inches thick. The layer of Sphagnum will help retain moisture in the bark and will help keep the plant hydrated.

When it is warm enough where you are, place your plant outdoors on long rainy days. The long soaking rain does wonders to rehydrate plants.

I have plenty to sphagnum moss! I'll put a good sized layer up to the crown, where all the new little roots come in. Ultimately, I'll probably repot this in a finer bark mix eventually.

---------- Post added at 06:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:47 PM ----------

Originally Posted by aliceinwl

Personally, I've had horrible luck with the soil mix. I just can't seem to keep the roots alive no matter how carefully I water. When repotted some blast the blooms, but others don't. For those, that I really really want to enjoy the flowers on, I hold off until the first flower starts to fade and then re-pot. I've had good luck so far with fine bark. My one try with chunkier bark was a fail.

So far the blooms are doing just fine and the greenish ones are yellowing up as the actual petal color develops. I'm hopeful.
I was reading that some orchid types are less prone to dropping buds, which is great because I have to phal. minis with medium that has turned dark brown and a little mushy.

[aliceinwl]

Good that it looks like it’ll keep its flowers! Phals seem really forgiving. The only time I’ve had issues with flower drop is when I accidentally cut a live root. Even cutting roots with mushy sections can set them back, so make sure the entire length of the root is mushy before you cut (learned from experience). If your media is as you describe, I’d repot them ASAP.