What medium should I pot my Darwinara

[moniluhum]

Please advise the best way to grow Darwinara.

[Island Girl]

Since these guys are related to Vandas, I would say, that if you cannot take care of it mounted, then maybe a basket, or a plastic net pot, with a little bit of CHC, or coarse bark, or large tree fern chunks, would probably work. But, I can't really say for sure, b/c I have never grown this type, and I also do not know your growing conditions (ie humidity, temps, etc). I know how this is gonna sound, but, it really depends on your growing conditions, and how much time you have to water this orchid (i.e. mounted: need water daily; vs. potted: less water- anywhere from once a week, to 5 days a week - depends on the media (type/size), pot type (basket, plastic, etc), and your growing conditions).

If you do have experience w/ growing orchids, then I would suggest going w/ a media that you are comfortable with. If you are a newbie, sorry, this is a lot to take in! Lol I assume these guys like to dry off quickly after being watered, (I say this being familiar w/ this orchid's relatives) their roots like to be drenched in water, and dry off by night/next morning. So the coarser the media, the better. Also, choose a media that doesn't hold a large amount of water, I would assume, that Darwinara do not like to be constantly moist, much less, wet. The more air these guy's roots get, the better. Air circulation is a very good friend to these, and almost all orchids! (no hurricanes, tho, ). A tip about watering, roots that are saturated tend to be green in color, roots that are dry, are silver. So if you go to water, and the roots are green, wait a day... or two. A good rule of thumb, is if you are in doubt, as to whether you should water or not, wait a day or two, before you water. You can also learn how to water, by the weight of the pot, when you pick it up... another good way to learn when it's time, is something called "the skewer method" (do a search for a proper explanation). Ppl use this, b/c the center of the pot, tends to stay wetter than the top & sides.

I mention all of this, not to overwhelm you, but because it makes a difference in what type of media/pot you choose. There's a lot of great info, and even better ppl on this forum, so ask questions, everyone loves to help! (orchid ppl are wonderful people!!) You can also try doing a search on this forum (or google, even) on Darwinara, and potting media, and see what other ppl use, paying even closer attention, to ppl who live in the same area as you. That will help as well, b/c their conditions will be similar to yours. Glad to see that you have joined this forum! and, Good Luck!

[cbuchman]

I grow my Dawinara in a teak basket with some very loose large bark thrown in - I have to replenish the bark periodically since it falls out over time. Mine took off once in the basket. It really didn't like being potted.

In the hot summer months when outdoors, I do have to misted multiple times a day to keep it hydrated.

[Ray]

Both Mary Linn and Carrie have hit on it, but let me be a bit "professorial" in responding.

With medium choice, you're trying to reach a balance between the needs of the plant and how the combination of container, medium, your growing conditions and watering capabilities mesh to meet those requirements. Fortunately or unfortunately, there are many ways to accomplish that, so you just have to decide to "fix" some of them, while adjusting others.

For example, in my very humid greenhouse, which gets watered fairly frequently, I grow those vandaceous hybrids in baskets or mesh containers and with no potting medium. In my home, where the %RH is much lower, and it isn't practical for me to water more than once a week, I use a coarse bark mix in a plastic pot, as that retains the water longer, while remaining airy.

[Vanda lover]

I grow mine in baskets with a little sphagnum and charcoal. What I like about growing this way is that they dry out fairly quickly and you can tell when they are dry by touching the moss. With some mediums like bark I find it hard to know if it is completely dry. Coconut chips are also pretty good this way.