Proper media and pot or mount for Den. Second Love 'Ali'

[SpclK]

I went to the Greater Cincinnati Orchid Society's Spring Show and Sale today and a friend gave me my choice of bare-rooted orchids. I chose the Den. Second Love 'Ali' (Den. Peace x Den. Awayuki). The last time AOS awarded a Den. Second Love was the 'Tokimeki' in 2005 which had approximately 475 flowers on 19 pseudobulbs. They didn't have a picture of it on Orchid Pro, though. However, I found a division of it on orchids.com. Check out the different species which make up the den. on Bluenanta.

I'm not sure if I should put this den. in a small net pot with fine orchiata bark, oncidium and seedling mix from repotme.com, a small slotted plastic pot with the aforementioned medium, S/H, or mount it. At them moment, coconut husk fiber is wrapped around the den. Could any of you please look at the species which make up this cute little compact den. and advise me? My conditions are Winter Day 68°F 40-50% Night 65°F 40-50% and Summer 60-90°F night/day humidity. I'm planning on treating it like my other nobile and put it out in my NNE and ENE-facing enclosed screened-in porch. My other Den. NoID nobile liked it out there until I had to bring it back inside for the winter.

I don't know if the roots are viable... here's some pictures.

[Ray]

How did you grow the other one? I'd do that - minus the freezing.

[SpclK]

Originally Posted by Ray

How did you grow the other one? I'd do that - minus the freezing.

I didn't freeze the other Den. Nobile hybrid; I brought it into the house last autumn during a night when temperatures dropped below 55°F during a rainstorm. I figured out didn't have enough air flow to the den. and each consecutive pseudobulb ended up rotting.

I won the Den. Nobile hybrid, my very first den., in a raffle during our orchid society meeting in May '18; it was a well-established, regular vs. compact den. with many roots and even a few blooms! It bloomed for me last summer of all things!

So, this is my second Den. Nobile hybrid and my first compact miniature hybrid. I feel like I'm a fish out of the water in terms of knowing what to do with it. I just got done giving it another soak in water for a few minutes to see if any roots would get whiter, green up or be brown, papery, etc. Are the brownish-colored roots dead? I know the ends of the roots in one picture are dead and can be snipped off just below where the roots turn from white, plump, and viable to brown, papery, etc. I haven't had a chance to take a look at how the roots are within the coconut husk fiber. I just don't want to 1.) Chop off good roots., and 2.) Put the den. into too coarse media for its thin roots and not give it the proper hydration and air it needs.

[aliceinwl]

The roots look pretty good to me, I wouldn’t cut.

When I’m potting up keikis from mine, I’ve had good luck putting them into 2-4 inch diameter clay pots, for really tiny ones going into the two inchers I use sphagnum. For the others I use small grade bark. Unless the roots really hold them in place, I secure them to a stake. I water whenever the media is dry and try to keep them warm (inside on sunny windowsills) until they’re well established. I also only bury the roots and make sure the entire cane is exposed.

Early on I had rot issues if I kept them on the cool side after potting (putting them outside with the parent plants right away) or if I let them stay too wet (the move from plastic to clay pots seemed to help). The only ones that are hit and miss in terms of survival are the tiny ones (an inch or less) that I took off a dying cane. All the others are doing very well and even a couple of the “tinies” are pulling through.

---------- Post added at 02:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:39 PM ----------

I would also add for freshly separated keikis it helps to let them sit 24 hours so the separation point dries up (not a worry with yours) then I soak them 12-24 hours to get the roots as supple as possible. Even then, I have to be very careful and go pretty slow when I’m twisting them into a pot so that they don’t crack.

For those with really springy roots I have to hold them down when I’m putting in the substrate and have some rocks ready to place on top of the substrate as a temporary measure until the roots accept their new shape.

For those with really unruly roots, I’ll rig something with clips to keep the plant in place and put the whole plant and pot in water and gradually work the roots into place over the course of a few hours.

They don’t like to be overpotted and they don’t like their roots damaged: the extra effort seems to have paid off with all of mine. It helps to have all the supplies lined up: before you start. I’ve been caught with a plant ready to spring out of the pot as soon as I let go frantically running around the house holding it while trying to find something to keep it in place.

[Ray]

Sorry. I misread your post about outdoors...

Unless the thing was planted too deeply, I don't see the medium affecting the growth of new pseudobulbs too often. Roots, certainly, but not the growths themselves. What is the chemistry of your water supply and fertilizer solution?

Could the loss of new growths be due to insufficient calcium?