lava rock and my orchids

[kindrag23]

I bought some lava rock and was thinking of using it on a few of my oncidium would this be a bad idea?

I was also thinking my paph. Honey Addict in this it is very very top heavy and I am having a hard time putting it in a pot. I currently have it on a starbucks cup I burned holes in but the roots tips are still staying to wet to becoming slimy!!!BLUCK!!

[Leafmite]

I wasn't fond of paphs and gave them away after a time but they did great for me in lava rock, basket pot, watered daily. For the ones that need calcium, eggshells worked for me.
Oncidiums love lava rock. Soak them until the roots turn green, then let dry out. The onc. twinkles like to stay damp.
I have only had a few orchids that don't do well in lava rock, some because they prefer mounting...and angraecum leonis for whatever reason (loves tightly packed moss, tiny net pot). Zygos and burr. Nelly Isler get a top dressing of moss over the lava rock and my bulbo is in a tray with moss.

[kindrag23]

Great will post some pictures post switch. The oncidium I mainly wanted to do it because they are so top heavy and kept flipping.

[kindrag23]

Okay oncidium and gramm wallissii

[AnonYMouse]

Those rocks are too large for the Onc. Oncs usually are very thirsty. Don't know about the Gramm.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Kindra, the rocks are really too big, and also your Oncidium seems very dehydrated. You can easily tell if they are watered good or no - look at the bulb, if it is nice, juiced up without wrinkles it is watered good, if Oncidium bulbs are shriveled like these, there is not enough water! I do grow all my Oncidiums from this summer in tree fern and they LOVE IT! Let me take pics now and post for you!

[MrsSky]

I use lava rock for stabilization and drainage. Because so many of my orchids have responded well to it, I have been incorporating it into most of my re-pots (customized with other mix). Right now I have a little sweet sugar oncidium in spike and a blooming noid wilsonara that I repoted into a lava rock mix several months ago.
I also love that I can buy a huge bag at HD or Lowes for 4$. I rinse off part of a bag with a hose and keep the clean, dry rocks in my potting area.

[kindrag23]

The shriveled phulbs are before me. Its a shermantp plant. The super large pieces on top are just to make sure the plant is stabilized. Everything below is much smaller I would say quater.

Ex.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Ok, look at the bulbs on my Oncidium, this is pretty much what you are looking for - nice full watered with no or very small wrinkles. Yours are shriveled so much it is very dehydrated! Soak it for some 30 minutes in the bucket, let it drink and than repeat as needed till they will fill with water.

[kindrag23]

I have been to the point of roots turning to mush.