I am unsure about unflasking, but to be add to the talk of substrates / media - remember, orchids are epiphytic, not parasitic. What this means is they grow ON something, not INTO something. I guess that sounds a little odd, but what I am getting at is in response to someone who posted earlier that orchids grow on trees, not rocks. One greenhouse I was at grew phalae's in chunks of glass, chunks of plastic, and in pure river gravel - just to demonstrate the diversity of orchids.
As orchids get little nutrient from the bark of trees they really don't know WHAT they are growing in, nor do they care - As long as their needs for light, air flow, moisture and food are met, and the PH is within a reasonable range, they will grow. And of course there can't be anything toxic present.
Remember the leaves and roots absorb food equally; in nature the fertilizer would be bird droppings and rotting vegetative or insect matter, and they absorb it through their entire overall coating in order to increase the efficiency of processing food in an environment where food sources may be scarce at times.
This is one of the reasons orchids amaze me - you can really use your imagination to find alternative potting mediums and devices - really, the limit is your available resources.
And there are orchids that grow directly on rocks - they are classified as lithophytic - Epidendrum radicans (reed stemmed epid.) is one that I own - it grows on the trunks of trees, on rocks and in gravel or a combination of these.
Just a few notes to add to the conversation -
Steve
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