Who Really Loves Moss?
 

Hello, friends! It's been a while since I've been here. :blushing: Today I went to the Greater Omaha Orchid Show and bought 3 new phals. They are really the only ones I have success with.

OK, so here's the deal: They're in moss-only. I pulled out the moss and the roots look really healthy. The last time I had a flowering, beautiful orchid that I swapped out of moss right away, all of the buds blasted. I do NOT want to do that because I bought ones with buds specifically so I could watch them open.

Everything I have is in bark. I want to take the risk, BE CRAZY, and keep the moss to see what happens. I know a lot of you don't like moss, but there has to be someone who does.

Anyone? Can you tell me that it's OK to leave in the moss for a while to see what happens?

Many thanks!

Your flowers are very beautiful . I have purchased plants in moss in the past myself. I don't really like to keep it in the moss for too long because it stays too wet for too long . However , when a plant is in flower I think it is best not to repot it . I would wait until the flowers are finished so as not to disturb the flowers . I don't think it will hurt it being in the moss for awhile just as long as you do not water too much to make the moss too wet for too long.

Nice Phals! I think you'll get as many answers here from folks who like moss and use it successfully, as you will from those who hate it. ;) I fall somewhere between the two opinions. I have all my species Phals, Bulbophyllums, and Dendrochilums in Sphagnum, but I also mix in something to keep the moss from compacting. For the Phals I use pine bark; for the Bulbos and Dendrochilums, I use chopped tree fern fiber.

Everyone's growing conditions are different; if you grow under lights and with good ventilation, like I do, you might find moss works just fine as long as you let it dry out really well between watering and resist the temptation to keep wetting it. If, on the other hand, you grow in natural light, like it appears you might from your pic, then you might find the moss just holds too much water. In either case, I personally wouldn't touch them till they finish blooming. You might get away with repotting them if you keep the root disturbance to a minimum, but why take the chance? I'd just be careful with the water. :D

Here in South Florida, I've never seen a nursery (except 1) that grow their Phals in anything except sphagnum moss so, by the time the retail outlets receive them, they're in the same medium it was growing in all along. If potted and watered correctly, sphagnum is a great medium. A lot of hobbyists use the moss in their mix for the added moisture the orchids derive from it...a good thing. Also, typically a spiked Phal with buds should not blast from changing the medium. What will cause this to happen is usually a change in temps and light environment, not the medium. Taking them from indoors to the car on a cold day is enough to cause bud blast.

There's no harm in keeping the plant in the moss until after the blooms are spent. It won't hurt your plant. If you're doubtful and the temps haven't been too drastic when you brought them home, just leave them for a week or 2, let them adjust in their new environment and then, do a repot. The temps should be more of a concern than the moss.

I too would leave them in the spagh moss until they've finished flowering...but, I would definitely use the 'skewer method' to make sure I wouldn't overwater!

Blondie, What a gorgeous display in your picture!!!

I personally hate moss, but that's because of my growing environment. As others have mentioned, different mediums work better or worse for some depending on their environment. It's important to remember that you shouldn't do what the 'books' tell you to do, you should do what WORKS FOR YOU.

However, with that being said, I don't think you should change your newly purchased orchids until they are finished flowering and have new root growth. I used to always repot my new purchases to match my growing preference as soon as I got them home. Most of them have taken a long time to grow vigorously again. I recently started waiting to repot until flowers were finished and/or new root growth has initiated and I have seen tremendous success. I will never repot again until flowering has finished and new root growth has initiated.

Loving the advice and thoughts so far. Yes, these are in the "natural light" from the nearby window. I have yet to see if this is a good location for them, but I'd like to keep them there if I can.

Thank you for telling me it's OK to keep them in the moss for a bit. Sometimes, I just need confirmation from others that what I'm doing with my orchids is OK. Hee hee.

I have only used it for deflashed seedlings/young seedlings and they grow beautifully in it. You do have to be careful it does not stay too wet.

I don't like moss, but I know a lot of pros use it. Since it holds water so well, it can really save on water bills.

Hi Blondie! I used to hate moss because I did not understand it when I started growing orchids and that led to over watering and yes I lost a couple phals, however, l have found that it can be very good medium, at the moment I use it in a mix with bark and LECA.

If you are going to keep them in only moss I can only suggest to keep it loose to promote air circulation in the roots and to watch out for over watering, the best way to prevent it? don't water again until the moss is crispy dry :D

Hope the buds don't blast this time :goodluck:

I grow in moss and LOVE IT!
This might be due to my conditions- fairly dry and humidity is not fantastic.
I grow phals and laelias and a few catts in moss, everythign is doing well. I have to make sure nothing sits for a long time in a soaking wet mess.
I put a ton of packaing peanuts at the bottom so there is lots of air- an I use clear pots to see the progress or lack of in root growth and production-

Everything dries out for me in 2 days or less, if moss takes far longer than that to dry out for you i'd consider mixing it with somethign else. When my moss is crispy i soak everything- i usually water twice to three times a week.
Moss is a great medium if you can control how long you can keep it wet since it creates a nice moist environment for roots-

I grow on the windowsill so I have very low humidity so I grow all my minis in sphag. I also am experimenting growing some phrags in my own version or semi hydro-pumice on the bottom and sphag in the rest of the pot. I pack the moss loosely for better circulation and use the neo style of mounding trying to leave a pocket of air in the middle bottom of the pot.
Also I do unorthodox things like repot when the plants are in spiking because I have to make my hobbies fit my schedule. Not all the plants blast when you do this ;)

Growing in Moss
 

:hello I have a number of "Phals" that have been growing in moss for quite some time. All are in clay pots except for one which is in a clear plastic pot. Needless to say the one in the plastic pot takes longer to dry out, but I have never experienced any problems with them having root rot etc. I am meticulous about my watering habits and the monitoring of their wetness etc.
We all have our different growing habits and I have found that I, personally have had better luck using moss than bark.
HAPPY GROWING.

I absolutely love moss, and have all my phals growing in it with clear pots. I grow under lights with fans on, so it dries pretty quickly for me overall. I love the moss when it's dried. I'll just lift the plant out to inspect roots and then plop it back in the pot since the moss is already molded to the pot :)

Whatever works for peoples growing conditions is all that matters!

I'm glad to hear that so many of you have success with moss. Since they are brand new, they are really packed in tight, but I'm sitting on my hands to keep myself from doing anything to them until they are finished blooming. Then I can give them a little more room and new pots. They are so beautiful that I'm telling myself NO TOUCH.

Blondie
I started two keike's about the same size back in June of last year,one in moss and the other in bark. The one in moss is in bloom with 3 flowers and 1 bud.The one in bark is doing finne but has no flower spike or any signs of one.I grow under lights,so if you pay attention to the watering side I have no problem with moss.
Ed b

Sphagnum moss is my second favourite medium behind S/H and LECA for phals. I got some Phals in flower packed in tight sphagnum moss in clear plastic pots, and the moss wouldn't completely dry out for about 2 months!! And believe it or not, the roots were mostly fine. It all depends on what your roots have adapted to.

Moss is fine as long as you let it get crispy dry between waterings, LECA (or perlite for young seedlings) has worked best for me, no need to worry about watering and tonnes of new growth. I've killed everything i've put in bark.

Hi Blondie!
Moss can be your new best friend. When it is nice and loose and airy, it is PERFECT!! I use it for almost all of my plants. Like Cookie monster said, you need to use packing penuts ( I use styrofoam which I buy my annuals in), and fill probably the bottom 1/3 of the pot.

Ps. I have been enjoying your blog :)

So where do you guys buy new moss and how do you treat it before putting orchids in it? I'm excited to learn about this new medium. My bark orchids are so dry and they never spike. :(

Well I normally buy new moss at shows or at a local orchid greenhouse. You can probably order it online with little shipping costs because it weighs almost nothing. You do nothing to prep it; I just usually fill the pot I am going to use with dry moss. Then I take it over to the tap and drench it completely with warm water. You then squeeze out most of the exess water with your hands.

The key is to keep the plants in the smallest pots possible, so that they dry out quickly. I like to think that you water every five days, or less, and if it takes any longer it is too wet for the roots.