? Tips to switching from moss to bark?

[LadySoren]

My mini transferred from moss to bark just fine, but my dtps-phal isn't doing so well new leaf and roots but still it's sad. I think it got dehydrated at first (I've said this elsewhere, but I kinda butchered it down to like 8 roots when I repotted. Ooopsies) so leaves are droopy. Maybe it's healthy and I just can't see past the 2 droopy leaves. I also gave it way too much light at one point.

ANYWAY....

Should I be doing something in particular when I repot from moss to bark?
Maybe let the moss dry out a bunch before and wet the bark a lot after. That way it's used to being drier right before and then it likes the wet bark? I have no idea.

[RandomGemini]

I read somewhere on here, that sometimes, it's a good idea to mix some moss in with the bark when transitioning from an old medium to a new one. I haven't done this, myself, but it sounds like a good idea on paper! It makes sense that the roots would be used to attaching to one sort of medium and would need time to acclimate to the new one.

Hope this helps!

[WhiteRabbit]

I haven't had trouble switching Phals from sphag to bark. Do you think the bark is drying to quickly? You can soak the pot as often as needed. If the bark is dry daily, soak for a couple of hours even, til it's staying moist a bit longer.

Keeping humidity up may be helpful, if that's something you can do.

[LadySoren]

my problem is one in particular is sort of over potted because I had cut so many roots. I used the same pot it came in though. So the bottom half (with no roots reaching that far yet) stays moist and the top half w/ the roots dries. I have put 2 packing peanuts directly under the leaves so that area doesn't rot. I really don't want to repot that one AGAIN, but I may have to. Anyway, I just got another phal (it's huge) and it has great roots, but it's in moss and I plan to repot after bloom (they're blasting bc of the environtment at the store) or in a few months. I just don't want to harm it with all those beautiful roots. I dug around and even the ones covered in moss look good.

---------- Post added at 05:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:48 PM ----------

the first orchid i mentioned (the over potted one) is in bark btw

---------- Post added at 05:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 PM ----------

and for now I have a tray of pebbles and water (water below the top of the pebbles)

[WhiteRabbit]

You could put some styro in the center of the roots, or a small overturned pot inside the pot to take up space. You can also "shorten" the pot by putting styro, pebbles, marbles, or other non-organic material in the bottom.

[LadySoren]

good idea...

---------- Post added at 07:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:10 PM ----------

took me long enough to realize the typo in my thread title. Oh well...

[Orchid Whisperer]

In NC your environment is likely to be humid most of the time, like Georgia. I would skip adding sphagnum in with the bark (though this might be OK in a drier climate). Adding the sphag, for a Phal, will produce "pockets" in the mix that stay too wet, and IME, Phals don't like that.

White Rabbit is giving you good advice (above). Soak the bark when needed to increase the moisture content, elevate ambient humidity if needed.

Re-pot the new Phal that is presently in sphagnum into new medium when convenient for you. For a Phal, re-potting (IME) does not affect the blooms too much (& you said yours is blasting anyway). Until you re-pot, be sure that sphag goes nearly dry before you water again - could be watering only once per week, or less often.

[RosieC]

I've found the switch from moss to bark difficult as well.

I started switching from moss to leca instead as I found that more successful provided I watered it every few days in the leca.

It seemed to me that the roots grown in moss were tailored to a more moist environment. If I watered the bark as I would for phals that had been established in bark a long time the roots that had grown in moss would be too dry and the plant would struggle and the roots would die back. However if I watered enough to keep the roots as moist as they liked then the bark would get pockets that never dried enough and the roots would again struggle.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but I would personally NOT use a tray with pebels. The raised humidity is only just above the surface and won't reach the plant, however you comment that the bark in the bottom of the pot is not drying very well and I think the humidity from the tray COULD be reaching that and stopping it from drying even more. My MIL made this mistake and it took me a while to realise why her bark was never drying at the base.

In your case I think I would try and find a smaller pot, so that you can get the bark drying evenly. To keep the plant happy you might need to water quite frequently, but at the same time it needs to dry well in between watering. Getting that balance is easiest in a pot that is only just big enough for the roots.

P.S. I've corrected the title for you

[MattWoelfsen]

Going from moss to bark is difficult for me as well. I rescued seven mini-Phals in early May 2013. They were all packed in sphagnum moss. I got to thinking that I should put these plants in bark. I repotted everyone of them. They had lots of healthy roots and growing little leaves. A month later one of these Phals developed crown rot and quickly died. I pulled it out of the bark and saw that all of the roots were also rotten. I got another plant, still alive, and pulled it out of its bark. Where it once had beautiful roots, it had two-three roots.

Fortunately I had just received a large bag of long strand sphagnum moss (for my Neofinetia). I repotted these six remaining mini-Phals in this moss, creating a good ball around the roots. I put them them in a clear plastic, slotted pot, the plant sat up above the rim of the pot. They have lived successfully in this configuration. Each one has since grown new leaves and new roots.

My conclusion is, if the plant came in bark, I'll repot in bark. In moss, repot in moss.

[kindrag23]

I have had to move almost all of mine to orchid moss (by better gro) it has been way to hot and the bark is just drying out way to fast even with moss added into it. So now i use broken clay pot pieces in the net pots to help with keeping air to the roots and help with air flow. Hope this helps.

BUT I LIVE IN CENTRAL TEXAS so it is a lot hotter and drier usually around here than the Carolinas....