lava rock and my orchids

[AussieVanda]

Hi kindra, I've found that oncidium will grow on mostly anything providing that the media is relatively free draining. Slabs, tree trunks etc all work fine. At the moment I have a big bunch of the stuff growing around the base of a potted plumeria with 4 spikes in flower and just for kicks I threw a couple of bulbs inside a cement block in mostly full sun with no media other than the block and the dirt it sits on. The older growth suffered but now it has new bulbs which are doing fine.

I guess my point is, is to be creative and experiment. Never know KindraG, you may be the next 'trend-setter' on OB!

[katrina]

Been using leca and/or lava rock for 3 or 4 years now...love it for anything that wants/needs to drain quickly and dry out between waterings.

For oncids, I prefer shredded redwood. For me the lava would dry out too quickly for water hog Oncids. But, that's just my grow space.

Another interesting medium you might want to check out is ...Grow Stones. I recently started using this product...it holds a bit more moisture than leca or lava and early results look like it'll be a good one for those plants that need a bit more moisture than catts. It's very light weight though..might not work out well for tall oncids.

[kindrag23]

Originally Posted by AussieVanda

Hi kindra, I've found that oncidium will grow on mostly anything providing that the media is relatively free draining. Slabs, tree trunks etc all work fine. At the moment I have a big bunch of the stuff growing around the base of a potted plumeria with 4 spikes in flower and just for kicks I threw a couple of bulbs inside a cement block in mostly full sun with no media other than the block and the dirt it sits on. The older growth suffered but now it has new bulbs which are doing fine.

I guess my point is, is to be creative and experiment. Never know KindraG, you may be the next 'trend-setter' on OB!

Interesting. But I have to be able to bring in for january/february months lows in teens!!! So cement block wont work lol!!! But thank you. Its woeking great thus far!