new phal in a pot full of moss, good or not?
 

I'm a complete newby with orchids, so I appreciate any advice, and I respect all of you for your expertise, as I am coming to understand that it comes with years of experience and hard work with orchids...

I have some phals (quickly learned not to buy them from my local grocery store, and now understand how to examine an orchid to determine its status) from a local garden center that is known to be very reputable, and they seem to be healthy, with nice roots, and some aerial roots. I've read that they like to dry out completely between waterings, and that persistent moisture of the roots may cause damage to roots. A couple of phals I purchased a week ago were potted in moss only - I understand this may be a technique used to obviate the need for retailers to water frequently (?) They are still rather moist a week later. A few sources have given me the impression that it might be worthwhile to repot them immediately in a mixture of moss and bark, but they have so many beautiful blooms and new buds forming. Is this necessary? Do I have to worry about the continued moisture? I'm inclined to just avoid watering until they are sufficiently dry - I know they will dry out at some point. Can I just re-pot them when they stop blooming? Is it desirable to use a mixture of bark and moss for pals? Thanks!

If you're careful you can grow them in moss. Let them get almost dry at the center before you water. This can take a long time! There is a thread about determining how wet it is in the center of a pot

here.

I'm not a good enough grower to grow Phals in moss, but there are much better Phal growers here who can help you more.

Use a skewer to monitor the moisture level (how to do so at the link estacion posted) . Also, if they are in clear pots, water when the roots are no longer green, but silvery / whitish / cream color.
When I have gotten new plants potted in packed moss, if they are in bloom, I do as you are contemplating - be careful with the water, and I use a skewer, watch the root color.

When you repot, use media you feel comfortable with - I generally grow Phals in bark or sphag moss. When using sphag, I don't use as much as the store bought Phals are generally potted in, and I like to put some styrofoam pnuts in the center of the root mass, so I don't get the soggy center ;)

It is totally OK to buy orchids at the grocery store. Certainly many garden centers get their orchids from the same producers as the groceries.

Different kinds of orchids need to be treated differently. The material (medium) you should grow them in depends a lot on the conditions you can offer them. It is mostly about water management.

I grow my orchids outdoors in the warm months. If we get several days of rain in a row, and if I was growing in moss, my Phalaenopsis would be at risk of root rot. For this reason, I mostly grow in orchid bark, sometimes with Styrofoam chunks added at the bottom of the pot (the reason is better drainage). Many people prefer plastic pots, and these are fine, but I mostly prefer unglazed terracotta pots (also a drainage thing; terracotta wicks excess moisture away from the medium and roots).

If you live in a dry climate, or can totally manage how much water each plant receives (greenhouse or indoor growing), growing in moss may work just fine for you. I prefer not to mix moss and bark in the same pot with Phals. With Phalaenopsis, whether growing in moss or bark, you water when the medium is nearly dry, but not totally dry.

You can repot a typical hybrid Phalaenopsis even while blooming. The plant won't miss a beat.

I know that several people grow phals in moss, and they do it well. OK.

My opinion? Moss kills phals. When you water a moss potted phal, the roots start to suffocate. A bit like someone putting a plastic bag over your head and tying it round your neck.

If you pot them in coarse bark, (I use 2" chunks, with everything smaller sieved out.) and make sure that they are repotted before the bark degrades to soil, then it is physically impossible to over water them. You can water them every day, but because the water can't fill the spaces between the bark, THE ROOTS WON'T SUFFOCATE AND DIE.

I only water mine three times a week, and they are outside in 114 F temps.

I grow and propagate phals only in moss. However there are rules to follow
1) only water when sphagnum moss is 'crispy', or pot weight is light in comparison to watered weight.
2) never use in pots greater than 6in in diameter as these take too long to dry out.
3) never allow the pot to become cooler than 60f. Wet moss and cold kill roots quickly
4) fertilize at around 25% of recommended rate, and make sure every 3rd watering is only water that runs out the base of the pot. Water quality and TDS ( total dissolved salts ) is key.
5) use room temperature water or warmer.
6) more controversially, but proven through experience and other breeders, moss must be tightly packed. In other words the way they are sold by reputable breeders.
The above 'rules' work well for me and I have phals under lights and on windowsills. Like any ( proven ) guidelines if you don't stick to them, you pay the price.

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Hi
Just my 5 Cents worth
I grow in Moss also and follow same Rules as Orchidsarefun,except Rule # 4 and #6
I don't fertilize too often,as i feel the Moss keeps fertilizer in longer then Bark and i don't pack them in as tight,a bit less then the growers do where the Plant came from.I just repotted a Phal yesterday as it needed a bigger pot and i took a Picture of the roots-so yes you can grow in Moss-just watch your watering.
and i grow mine also under Lights and on Windowsill

Attachment 120759

Yep, if you are going to keep them in moss, then follow that advice to the letter.

Me I am just too lazy for all that.

I use big bark chunks and very weak fertiliser levels and RO water at every watering.

I water till the water runs out the bottom, and that's the total advice. You simply can't overwater, and you can't overpot.

I use a mix of medium bark and moss and there are plenty of air pockets throughout the pot. My Phal roots thrive in this. I don't have time to water 3 times a week. I do let them dry out or very close to it. You can use anything so long as you water it correctly for the media you are using. For a new one in bloom, I often slip it from its pot and pull a lot of the moss away so it isn't so dense and slip it back into the pot. That way it will have a bit more air and dry out faster. Phal blooms last so long if they are fresh when you buy the plant. By the time you remove all that wet moss after blooming is done, root rot will be well under way-unless it can dry out in a reasonable amount of time. And as mentioned, re-potting them in bloom usually doesn't cause the blooms to fall or buds to blast. Just be gentle with it.

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