Looking for alternatives to moss

[Angurek]

I'm looking for an alternative moisture-retaining medium for hanging baskets. I'm pretty much done with moss; it gets nasty after a short amount of time, suffocates the roots, and is a pain in the butt to unpot from (it has a tendency to stick to everything, so getting rid of it all is tough. On top of that, fungus gnats love the stuff).

I haven't had experience with media other than moss or bark, so I'm not sure where I'd jump to from here.

[Royal]

Hey Carl,

I have been in your shoes before. I hated moss, now I love it. It's really tough to make it work if you grow outdoors though. Here's a few things you can try:

First, be sure to use the high quality moss. The "orchid moss" they sell at the garden center is crap. The AAA or AAAAA from NZ is the best you can get. Trust me - there is a huge difference.

Another option is to go with a mixture of moss and something else like charcoal, tree fern, pearlite, or chunky bark. These mixes aren't moss-based, but just have some moss added. I use bark/moss for some Paphs and and larger Phals and they seem to love it.

And if you must go with something completely different - try some coconut husk chips. I had very nice results with the few times I used this stuff. Just be sure to pre-rinse.

[gnathaniel]

Hey Carl, coconut fiber can be a good alternative to moss though in my experience it holds far less moisture. I've also heard that urethane-foam carpet padding is pretty equivalent to moss in its moisture-retention and won't break down over time. Like other inert media it probably does collect salts over time and will still need to be changed out (which honestly might be more of a PITA than moss). I'm about to try some out on mounts, I'll report back as I see results.

--Nat

[Vanda lover]

I guess that it pretty much depends on what you put in the baskets. Some use lumps of charcoal, broken clay pots, coconut fiber or clay pellets. My problem with some media is that it falls out the slats. Moss does hold the moisture best, but I like to combine it with other materials to help it dry quickly. What do you grow?

[tucker85]

I've had good results with medium coconut husk chips. Phals and oncidiums grow well in it. Coconut husk is a little harder to get wet. It takes a couple of passes with the hose. But the plants seem to like it. Cattleya alliance orchids I grow in hydroton. Good luck.

[Gage]

I use CHC in my wooden baskets. It doesn't hold water like spag, but works for a lot of orchids. I put plastic screen down in the basket first.

[Vanda lover]

I like the CHC in my pots, it dries quicker and lets lots of air circulate. You do really need to soak it, though. I used to like to use sphag in my pots, but in this climate, where the humidity is high in the winter, the plants can rot easier in sphag.

[keithrs]

I use a bit of everything! LOL

I have even used live sphagnum moss with very good success on Masdevallias.

Every medium has there own characteristics.

I love coco.... about 40% of my plants are in it. Make sure you get coco thats been washed 3 times and compressed. I boil mine for 15 min to remove excess salts instead of waiting for them to soak overnight. It also opens the pores to help it hold more water. It will take getting use too, as it doesn't dry evenly like moss does. In my deep pots for cym. I mix in large chunks of charcoal, pumice, and new broken clay pot chunks about 1/2-3/4" in size. For baskets, I line mine with dried green moss or window screen. I like the moss better as its easier for the roots to go though as the plant grows over the side. You can also buy hydroponic pots that have finer mesh to them.


What are you planning on growing?

[Angurek]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I'll just have to look into trying the coconut husks.

Originally Posted by keithrs

What are you planning on growing?

Originally Posted by Vanda lover

What do you grow?

Well, I'm gonna restart my collection and the plants I'd be putting into the said baskets would be bulbless, thin-leaved zygopetaliinae (which I call pescoroids) and maybe stanhopeinae (I know I said I wouldn't try these, but I changed my mind).

Specifically, I'd be sticking Huntleyas, Kefersteinias, and some of the more water-loving Pescoroids into the baskets since they need to be kept wetter than other members of the group. They do well in moss for a while, but they go south once it stagnates. I've found myself having to replace the moss on my existing plants very often for that reason, and I've already lost my share of plants to root rot caused by the stagnant moss.

[Vanda lover]

coconut husk may be the way to go, then. Other materials may be too difficult for these plants to penetrate, and would be more suitable for vandaceous or cattleyas.