Well, first I'm totally new to orchids, and within a year I from 0 to 10 of them, having caught the addiction big time. With that said, of course I have to keep the adventure and angst going by trying out growing my orchids in something different. I had read (and saw some awsome photos)
of members here growing their orchids (masdevallias and phals) in glass bowls. Some like the ones people put beta fish in, only larger. They have several inches of hydroton balls in the bottom, 'angle' moss on top of that, and the orchid itself is in a net pot, inserted into the top of the top of the bowl. Is this S/H culture? Anyway, naturally I go out and purchase all this stuff, the hydroton and moss and bowls, and repot my phals as well as my brandy new masdevallias that I just received, into the bowls. Please excuse my ignorance here, and forgive my 'not having researched all of this elsewhere', but I have some questions.
I worry that the phals will be too wet. True, I can see the water level is down in the hydroton, so the net pot isn't actually IN the water, but will the wet moss be too much moisture for them? It's only been a few days, and nothing bad's happened yet, but I like to worry ahead of time.
I've never grown masdevallias before ( in my vast 8 mth experience as an orchid grower)
and much of this change in the potting choice has been due to reading here that masdevallias like high humidity, a bit more moist conditions then phals, and lower light levels. Is anyone familiar with what I've gotten into, and if I'm on the right track?