NZ Sphagnum Miracle Media?

[Chlorophile]

Before I got my first orchid I spent lots of time reading and came to the conclusion that s/h seemed like the best option for me. Cannot over water, helps prevent underwatering, pot size irrelevant, media doesn't rot, etc.

The breeder I bought my phal. from highly recommends NZ sphagnum moss and says that her orchids do so much better in it than anything else. Reading up on it it does sound like a good media but I don't know enough to say if it's for me.

I know that like anything else orchid growing is going to have fads and new things all of the time and that media works different depending on your environment and care. I guess I'd just like to hear people's experiences and opinions. I already bought some deli cups and planned on transitioning the phal from sphagnum to s/h once it stopped flowering but I could just pot it up with fresh sphagnum.

[Dollythehun]

I use a moss mix from repotme.com. I use it for my phals, oncidiums, Zygo hybrids and sone dedrobiums. I like it for plants that need frequent watering. For the Catt tribe, I use coarse bark. For Tolumnias, I use small bark. If you tend to overwater, it may not be not you.

[Leafmite]

I use NZ sphagnum moss (AAA) for my Phals and it works very well. To help give the roots more air, I use plastic baskets that I buy from Roberts Flower Supply.

Home INDEX

With the moss, always use good quality long-fiber moss. The pots chosen should be just a little larger than the root mass.

Watering is pretty easy. I wait until the moss dries completely and then I pour water into the saucer under the pot and let the moss soak up the water. When the moss is damp, I empty out the saucer. With the good ventilation of the 'plastic basket' pot, I do not need to worry about the roots rotting.

[aliceinwl]

I haven’t had good luck with moss and Phals. I grow mine at room temperature which usually doesn’t get higher than the low 70s. I find it hard to get the moisture levels right. I wonder if people who grow at warmer temperatures have better luck? Mine are much happier in a bark mix. I don’t think that there is any one media that works for all people under all conditions.