Sheet Moss for Cattleyas & Phals

[chowdan]

Hey Guys,

I am new to the forum, and somewhat new to orchid growing, but not new to gardening.

I have 3 Phals and two Cattleya which all were getting tossed out due to the health of them. They are coming back, but slowly. I have a bunch of Sheet Moss that i acquired long ago for other plants that i grow.

Would sheet moss be a sufficient medium to repot my phals/cattles into?

Unfortunately my budget is VERY low and am not really wanting to spend money if I dont have too, which is why i was thinking about using this moss. The sphag that these guys have been planted in are well over due for replacements(over 2 years old).

Also one of my phals has dark green roots at the top, but these roots have white spots on them which seem to be turning into dead spots? Any advice on what this is?

Thanks for everything guys!!!! I'm glad to be apart of the forum!

[Island Girl]

I don't really know about sheet moss, I'd hate to tell u something, and you do it and then have the plants suffer But, since money is tight, (I understand that ) what I would do is do a test run w/ one of the Phals in it (they like the even moisture moss can provide) just maybe cut it (the moss ) up into cubes & DO NOT pack too tightly, leave a little room for air, but the Phal. needs to be held in place, so it doesn't wobble (this makes it easier for the roots to take hold).

Oh, yea, WELCOME to the O.B.!!! There's lots of friendly, helpful ppl on this board, so don't be afraid to ask questions!

~OR~ You could use the sheet moss to mount with? (It would certainly be pretty, I can't say how well it'd work, or not... but I don't c why it wouldn't ) Just get a tree branch or something (look up 'free mounting materials' or 'free mounts' (or similar) on the "Search" function up top, in the "FORUM MENU" it's in all caps, & it's a green & red bar... (a good material 4 example, around here (in NC), is Crepe Myrtle tree limbs they're perfect for orchids), but some things, you wouldn't wanna use (like treated lumber), then go out for a walk, and find what u need... Just maybe google pictures of the species of trees/shrubs that u want/can use, so u can identify it while out lookin ). You would need somewhat higher humidity for mounts, however, around 50-60% or more (if u have a humidifier- that works good, if your humidity is a little low) and u need to be able to water them anywhere from every 2 days, to every day, 1x - 2x a day... Depends how moist they like to be, and how fast they dry. Basically, mounts are kinda high maintenance, but in the right cond. they r fun.

I don't really grow any catts (I have one) but, I think moss is one of the last things you would wanna use for them... But, again I could be wrong Sorry, I'm not sure how much I've helped, and just rambling on, but at least this gives u a "bump"

[Vanda lover]

Moss has a habit of packing down, but if it is combined with other materials such as charcoal, perlite or fir bark, the air can circulate around the roots better. It also helps to put drainage in the bottom of the pot, such as styrofoam peanuts.

[gnathaniel]

Welcome chowdan, I like Mary Linn's suggestion to mount them on crape myrtle with some of the sheet moss; red cedar, manzanita, rhododendron, sassafras, etc. are other good mounting woods that depending on your region may be easily found for free. Mounted orchids are easy to care for b/c they're very hard to overwater. I try to water mine every day when they're outside in bright light, but inside mounts (incl. Phals) usually get water every 2-4 days depending on the season and whether or not they're growing. Phal hybrids with a lot of magenta/purple coloration (often indicating pulcherrima ancestry) have done well for me on mounts, they seem tolerant of longer dry spells than most other Phals.

If you want to pot your orchids, in my experience sheet-type moss can work well either crumbled throughout another medium or as top dressing. I've never used it alone though depending on the properties of the particular moss it could work fine. Limestone or quartz gravel and brick or granite rubble (some granite places let you scavenge smaller stuff for free) make excellent cheap/free potting media for orchids though a potful can be heavy and they don't hold much water. Lava rock is a bit lighter and more water-retentive and usually costs $3-4 per large bag at the big box stores around here. Any of these mixed with sheet moss in varying proportions (eg more moss for Phals, more rock for Catts) should work well for potting many different types of orchids.

As for your root issue, it's difficult to diagnose anything without a picture (you can include photos after 5 posts). Many phal roots naturally have patterns of white spots on them when wet, but dead spots sounds a little alarming. How much do you let them dry out between watering?