Stanhopea advice PLEASE.

[bil]

One other question.

If I am using pure sphagnum, how deep would you have it in that basket? I'm a great fan of shallow media, as I would rather water more in the summer, than see it rot in the winter.

[Roberta]

Good idea! Enough to cover the roots, but not much more - so it depends o how big the plant.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Good idea! Enough to cover the roots, but not much more - so it depends o how big the plant.

So, would it be fair to say, as little as/as shallow as poss to have a thin pad under the roots and JUST cover them? ie as little as poss?

That makes sense to me as sphag holds water like crazy!

[Roberta]

I think so. Sphag does dry out pretty fast, especially in an open basket, so depth is not too critical. I think that you may have more humidity in summer than I do.

[Kevinator]

Honestly, sphagnum in a basket should be fine. I grow my stanhopeas in pure sphagnum in rather deep baskets (compared to yours) without problems. I just let the first 1-2 cm of media below the surface to dry and then water them. I have no problems with rot but then again the humidity in my growing area can drop to 15 percent outside of the house and 25 percent inside the house.

I did some research on the species you bought and it is apparently native to Columbia. There is another species (Stanhopea maculosa) that is native to Mexico that used to be called schilleriana. Yours is apparently hardy down to 45 degrees Fahrenheit and can handle warm conditions. Light should be in the brighter range for Stanhopeas (less than cattleya, more than phalaenopsis). There is not much I could find about its specific range so just water it like a tropical Stanhopea, consistently moist year round, not soggy. I hope this helps and good luck with the plant!

[bil]

Originally Posted by Kevinator

Honestly, sphagnum in a basket should be fine. I grow my stanhopeas in pure sphagnum in rather deep baskets (compared to yours) without problems. I just let the first 1-2 cm of media below the surface to dry and then water them. I have no problems with rot but then again the humidity in my growing area can drop to 15 percent outside of the house and 25 percent inside the house.

I did some research on the species you bought and it is apparently native to Columbia. There is another species (Stanhopea maculosa) that is native to Mexico that used to be called schilleriana. Yours is apparently hardy down to 45 degrees Fahrenheit and can handle warm conditions. Light should be in the brighter range for Stanhopeas (less than cattleya, more than phalaenopsis). There is not much I could find about its specific range so just water it like a tropical Stanhopea, consistently moist year round, not soggy. I hope this helps and good luck with the plant!

OK, thanks.

It's always a bit nerve wracking when you take on something significantly different from what you have been used to, so I appreciate the feedback.

[bil]

Right, Captain Steampunk has been hard at work with the welder.

This is what I have come up with for the Stanhopea.

[Roberta]

That looks really good. Plenty of room for those spikes. If they happen to hit a "barrier" they will just change their direction a bit, and there is plenty of room for that to happen.

[estación seca]

As a reference, a plastic basket here 8" diameter x 6" deep filled with completely wet sphagnum moss and an orchid dries to crispness in 3-4 days in the summer, with humidity around 50% and temperatures around 100F / 38C. Your baskets are shallower. And I need to hire you to make some trellises for me.

[bil]

Originally Posted by estación seca

As a reference, a plastic basket here 8" diameter x 6" deep filled with completely wet sphagnum moss and an orchid dries to crispness in 3-4 days in the summer, with humidity around 50% and temperatures around 100F / 38C. Your baskets are shallower. And I need to hire you to make some trellises for me.

Thank you. Yeah, not sure how it will dry out, it's always a fine line here between drying in the summer and rotting in the winter.

---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:23 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

That looks really good. Plenty of room for those spikes. If they happen to hit a "barrier" they will just change their direction a bit, and there is plenty of room for that to happen.

Thank you.

Well, most of the holes are 5x4 cm. That ought to be OK, I'm just hoping that the moss won't fall thru.