Sphag + Charcoal mix for Phals

[OzPhal]

Hi everybody,

I currently have a few Phal seedlings that i've been growing in a semi-hydroponic set-up a mix of hybrids and species. I'm wanting to get out of the semi-hydroponic set-up and revert them to a media. I was thinking of using a spaghnum moss and charcoal blend. Does anybody have any recommended mixtures or any other suggestions? Is charcoal and spaghnum a good mix for phals? I'm going to be growing the seedlings in an environmental chamber with controlled lighting, humidity and temperature... it will be a constant 70% Humidity with around 1,300 lux of lights and a stable 28oC initially to encourage growth...

[Paul Mc]

I personally can't attest to the use of sphaghnum and charcoal mix, but I can tell you that people use horticulture charcoal quite a bit in mixes to help keep the medium fresh.

Another thing I can tell you is that when I've tried my phal's in sphag (moved from a bark mixture media) it was a catastrophe. Other people here hae had similar experiences, and if I'm remembering correctly it's because the roots are developed and used to getting less water and have adapted to it.

If I remember correctly, the general consensus here was that moving phal's from a bark based medium to a sphag medium (drier to wetter) was actually very hard on phal's though a few people commented that had great success with it. Again, the general consensus seemed to be that moving phal's from a wetter medium to a drier one did not as significantly hurt phal's.

You might check on the website, RePotme.com, and see what they use in their sphag mixtures for phal's. I believe they have two versions of it. One is in the Imperial line and the other I can't remember the name of at the moment. That might give you some good ideas.

As for the lux you are using, I don't know much about lux but I do know that phal's seem to be happiest at around 1500 footcandles (or perhaps a bit brighter). If the leaves start turning purple in color (other than the edges on new emerging leaves) then you may be in a bit too much light. Conversely, if the leaves start turning a lighter shade of green then they may not be getting enough. Shoot for a nice deep green color.

Hope that was helpful.

[littlefrog]

We have a pretty good grower in the local society who uses a mix of sphag and charcoal. I couldn't tell you the proportions exactly, but it looks like a generous amount of ~pea sized charcoal. 25%?

Trick to using sphag is to pack it very loosely. When you buy plants from the megamart in sphagnum it is packed in with a hammer and a stick I think. That is way too tight. I like to use just enough sphag to hold the plant in the pot, as little as possible (besides, it is expensive!).

[OzPhal]

Originally Posted by Paul Mc

As for the lux you are using, I don't know much about lux but I do know that phal's seem to be happiest at around 1500 footcandles (or perhaps a bit brighter). If the leaves start turning purple in color (other than the edges on new emerging leaves) then you may be in a bit too much light. Conversely, if the leaves start turning a lighter shade of green then they may not be getting enough. Shoot for a nice deep green color.

Hope that was helpful.

I actually meant 1,300 foot candles - the lighting is rated at 14,200 lux

[OzPhal]

Originally Posted by littlefrog

We have a pretty good grower in the local society who uses a mix of sphag and charcoal. I couldn't tell you the proportions exactly, but it looks like a generous amount of ~pea sized charcoal. 25%?

Trick to using sphag is to pack it very loosely. When you buy plants from the megamart in sphagnum it is packed in with a hammer and a stick I think. That is way too tight. I like to use just enough sphag to hold the plant in the pot, as little as possible (besides, it is expensive!).

Thanks for that info - the plan was to just use enough to hold it in place... i currently do it semi hydroponic so i will be going from a permanently wet medium to slightly drier but i'll be watering them daily but only enough to dampen the moss

[tucker85]

About half of my phals are in sphagnum planted in net pots. They've done very well and have healthy root systems with no rot. I've never tried mixing charcoal in. The roots do grow out through the wholes but it doesn't bother me. The other half of my phals are in a mixture of coconut husk chips and charcoal planted in slotted plastic pots. These are doing equally as well. When I tried sphagnum in the slotted pots it stayed too wet.

[Paul Mc]

After having thought about it some more, I think it may really depend upon your watering habits and environment as to the success you will have with sphag. As others have attested here, sphag does work but it just needs to be able to dry so the phal does not have any rot issues.

[tucker85]

I agree with Paul Mc. Phals grow well in sphagnum as long as the medium is allowed to dry out. It is easy to overwater plants in sphagnum. With careful watering it works well. If you're planning to water the surface every day you may not want to use sphagnum. Another consideration is that phals in sphagnum should be repotted once a year. The medium tends to hold salts that will eventually hurt the plant. On the other hand phals that I have in slotted pots with a mixture of coconut husk chips and charcoal are very hard to overwater. Good luck.

[Gage]

I have used sphagnum and charcoal in a plastic pot for 1 of my phals and it has been doing great for the past year or so. However, I recently started potting my phals is just CHC, and they seem to retain enough moisture while having a lot more air circulating within the pot than straight sphagnum. In plastic pots I'm sticking with just CHC, but if I had them in slotted pots or a basket I would definitely need to water a bit too often I think. I feel like if they are still very moist after 6 or 7 days they are staying too wet, and if they are drying out sooner than 4 days I may miss a watering and cause needless suffering.

[silken]

I plant most of my phals in a mixture of sphagnum and fir bark. The sphagnum is at least 50% of the content and likely more. They are in plastic pots. For me, when I try them in all bark, they are dry and limp just about every day. I do soak the bark thoroughly first and if I soak the potted plant for about 20 mins. when I water, it may be OK for 2 or 3 days at most. So I loosely stuff in moss and bark and it works great. Mine grow in a greenhouse where there is lots of moving air and warm temps in summer, so that may be why I need the moss. In winter I water them less-about once a week, but the skewer in the pot tells me when they need water. I have ordered a bunch of clear pots and those that aren't in clear pots, will be getting re-potted into them as I find that very helpful to see what's going on.