Haraella retrocalla potting? - Orchid Board

Zoey339 · #1 07-10-2019, 12:05 PM

Hi guys, I'm pretty much a orchid newbie with only the common orchid from the grocery store until recently. I've been doing alot of research though.
I recently purchased this orchid, Haraella retrocalla, in a jar. With expectations it would live 6 months+ before I had to repot it. Plenty time to learn. Well it came to me with mold on the gel stuff so it needs to come out. Please be kind I'm trying what I can for the plant. I want to pot it because I know pots, nothing about mounting and dont want to water constantly. I know it needs high humidity and I already got a fine orchid poxing mix and added moss to it. I reused the glass jar with little rocks about an inch deep at the bottom, excess water can drain into the rocks, with potting mix and plant on top with the leaves just poking out the top. I was thinking this would keep the humidity up. But now I'm thinking this will not allow enough air flow and the soil will be too damp. The humidity in my house is around 50ish%. Any advice?

I'm thinking I might have too much "soil" for lack of a better word. It's about an inch and a half. But it seemed like what I needed to cover the roots. I can post a picture later. I'm also thinking I'm over thinking all of this and I should just put it in a pot and water it every few days.

Roberta · #2 07-10-2019, 12:55 PM

We really need a picture to diagnose. Gel? That sounds like a flask, but with only one plant? This species really does best mounted, perhaps with a little sphagnum moss to provide moisture. I doubt that it will be happy in a pot.

Zoey339 · #3 07-10-2019, 01:06 PM

This is a picture of when I got it. It's one of those zero maintenance gimmicks. It is not currently in this set up. Mounting is not an option. Really just want to know if any version of my current set up with the jar will work or if I should go with the pot.

Roberta · #4 07-10-2019, 01:08 PM

Try again on the upload... don't see a picture.

Zoey339 · #5 07-10-2019, 01:12 PM

Fixed it

Roberta · #6 07-10-2019, 01:32 PM

That looks like it's growing in a medium similar to a flask, it now just has its own. In this environment, it has 100% humidity. The mold comes because it is not a sterile environment. You CAN get away with growing these in a jar (closed system, high humidity. They don't seem to need a lot of air movement.) I'd suggest taking it out of that gel. It should be able to be rinsed off easily. Then you can put it back in the jar on a little bed of moist sphagnum moss. Open it up every few days to give it fresh air, but then you can close it to preserve humidity. So essentially, it will be "mounted" - roots exposed to the air, but high humidity. Think of the jar as a "mini-terrarium" (By the way, these are great terrarium plants)

Zoey339 · #7 07-10-2019, 01:40 PM

It's no longer in the gel. It's the jar with rocks at the bottom with a bark/moss mix. I worry though that I will be too damp for it, without good air flow, and it will rot. When I get home I'll get you a picture of it's current set up. In a couple hours. I can replace the mix with pure moss if that would suit it better. Or I've read that it can be fine in a pot watered every few days. If that would be a better route.

Roberta · #8 07-10-2019, 01:45 PM

The setup that you have sounds good. Just open it up now ant then to refresh the air. Maybe someone on the forum has had success growing it in a pot. From what i know of the way it grows, I'd think that would be difficult. Also the flowers come from under the leaves. Not sure how you'd get it into a pot where you could see them.

Zoey339 · #9 07-10-2019, 02:48 PM

This is the current set up. I probably need less medium and have the plant more so in the jar. But theres not enough space for the leaves in the jar. If I keep this set up, I might move it to a mason jar to give the plant more room to spread its leaves and be more enclosed in the jar. As long as theres no risk of rot from being too damp in this set up I should be okay. Thanks.

Roberta · #10 07-10-2019, 03:15 PM

How long has the plant been in there? My concern would be lack of drainage. It doesn't need 100% humidity... I grow mine mounted outside, humidity ranges from 80% at night to 40% or so during the day (and occasionally goes down to single digits, but not for many days) It gets daily watering, but by evening is quite dry and that does it no harm. It tolerates winter temperatures down into the 30's F, summer into the 90's F so it's not as fragile as it looks.