potting mixes for phals

[shaelyn]

I was wondering what sort of repotting mixes you guys have found successful for your phals, and what ones you would steer clear of. I'm seeing too many out there and I'm a little overwhelmed...and I have a couple of phals in dire need of repotting.

[billc]

Hi Shaelyn, I generally use a CHC mix. 3 parts washed CHC, 1 part course perlite and 1 part charcoal. You could also use medium bark in place of CHC(coconut husks). I find the CHC retains moisture yet lets the mix be open and airy which the phals seem to like.
There's also S/H which you can read more about here:
First Rays' "Semi-Hydroponic - TM" Culture

Welcome!

Bill

[SlipperGirl]

I like repotmes phal mix. They have a few that you can get I am using there Phal Monterey Imperial Orchid mix.

[AnonYMouse]

Originally Posted by shaelyn

I'm seeing too many out there and I'm a little overwhelmed...

Get ready to be further overwhelmed. There are as many opinions on media choices as the number of media types squared. We won't even go into the different ratio for each type.

The simplest is the chunky orchid mix from the big box stores. They usually consist of bark, charcoal and perlite.

If you have more than the 2 phals and/or plan to expand into other genera, it might be nice to have sphagnum moss, CHC (coconut husk chips) and lava rocks on hand.

I have orchiata (bark), charcoal, perlite, LECA (light expanded clay aggregate), tree fern fiber, lava rocks, CHC, cork bits and mounts and the dreaded sphag moss on hand. I have a small collection (relative to many here) of various genera grown using different methods.

[tucker85]

I like medium coconut husk chips as a base for my mixes but I think a medium fir bark or orchiata bark is OK also. If you have several phals and plan to mix your own, I use 4 parts medium coconut husk chips, 1 part medium charcoal and 1 part LECA or sponge rock. If you want to get something premixed look for something with chc or orchiata as a base or you can use straight medium chc or orchiata. If your phals are real small you should use a finer mix.

[Ray]

The truth of the matter is that success by one person using a certain medium has absolutely NO bearing on whether it is a good choice for you. In a buoyant, open environment of a greenhouse, tightly packed sphagnum is fantastic. On a residential windowsill, it is an excellent way to suffocate the roots and kill the plant.

If you want to be successful with your plants, the first thing to do is to determine what the plant needs. In the case of phals, that means constant moisture while maintaining free air flow to the roots. Next, think about your growing conditions, and how they - the temperature, light levels, humidity, and air movement - will interact with-, and influence the conditions within the pot. Add to that your own tendencies: do you prefer to "mess with" your plants, or "admire them from afar", with a minimum amount of labor?

Once you have given that some consideration, you can think about the properties of the various potting medium components and prepared mixes available. Moss hold moisture well, for example, but can become too compact and suffocating. Bark stays much drier and is very airy, and the different size grades offer some variation in that, too. By mixing different components, you can tailor the medium to exactly what works best for you.

Oh yeah. You might also keep in mind that pot selection - both material of construction and degree of perforation - offer an additional tool you may use to fine tune things.

[shaelyn]

whoa. yep, still a bit overwhelmed XD especially Ray's post : passes out : you guys have some valuable info though, I appreciate it.

Ray, I don't know if you're just asking me to consider or asking me to elaborate, but if I were to consider all of those, I wouldn't know what mixes it would mean I should attempt...so I'm going to elaborate and see if it gets me anywhere...and if it doesn't, that's ok too.

I have an apartment with windows facing south and west. I've been keeping the blinds open so that they light up the apartment, and keeping the plants away from the window. they still get a lot of light, but no direct sunlight. I tried doing something behind closed blinds with my first orchid like I had been reading, and it resulted in really dark green leaves with sunburned spots...that was another thing I think I did wrong. my current setup seems to be working out much better.
the two phals I bought are both in clear pots. I have those clear pots set in other pots that don't drain, but up on styrofoam so that the pots don't set in any water that drains out...so the excess water just provides some humidity. the orchid my mom gave me is in a coconest planter. I may redo all of them at a later date, but for now that's what they're in, and with my first repotting that won't change just yet.
I've found that I'm one of those people that keeps messing with the plants. I'm constantly looking them over and seeing if there's something I can do...and it's driving me a bit crazy that I can only water them once a week.
I typically like the apartment around 70-80º, depending on what time of year it is. I live in Dallas, so warmer climate of the US, too. lately I've let the temperature drop at night and stay cooler in the day to promote flower growth...saving on our electric bill is a bonus.
I really have no idea otherwise about humidity or other airflow. I may need to find a way to provide more humidity for the plant in the coconest...

[Ray]

I was suggesting that you give it some thought.

Check your private messages.

[james mickelso]

Ok. Here's some more info to add to your confusion yet it might also simplify your answers. Phalaenopsis grow in the tropics for the most part. It is wet for part of the day but because of the air movement it dries out. The humidity is around 70-90% MOST OF THE YEAR. iN SOME ENVIRONMENTS THERE IS A DRY PERIOD FOR A COUPLE MONTHS WITH ONLY OCCASIONAL RAINFALL. Phals grow on tree bark or rock faces. Ok. So now what is best for your apt. environment. 70-80*f. Good. Humidity? Don't worry about it. Watering? They like to be watered and then left alone until nearly....that is nearly dry. They don't like to be watered from the top unless there is sufficient air movement that will dry the water that accumulates in the crown of the plant. In their environment they get watered daily or nearly so. Ok so that tells you they like an open media that lets water drain through so the roots get saturated but that dries quickly. I grow in bark/sponge rock/ charcol chunks. I also grow in lava rock. I also grow in moss and a mix of all of the above. Simple??? Yes!!! Grow in a mix that lets air flow freely and yet retains some moisture. But not a mix that inhibits drainage. They like water at the roots and then time to dry out. Easy? Yes. Confused? I hope not. On another note, I water by dunking them in a bucket of RO water that has around 1/4 strength fertilizer in it. Miy container of fertilizer says 1 teaspoon/gallon and so I cut that to 1/4 teaspoon and fertilize at every watering. No problems. I would use RO water on them. No salt buildup. Your light levels sound good too. Happy growing.