Phal species potting mix

[camille1585]

I think that what you add to your mix also depends on your local growing conditions.
When I was still living in France I would add sphagnum to my bark medium, because the pots would dry out to quickly otherwise. When I moved to the Netherlands the climate is cooler and much more humid, and the orchids were staying damp for too long. So I switched them over to a totally sphag free mix, or for the moisture loving ones, less sphag.

[OzPhal]

Originally Posted by The Mutant

I would really like to try using charcoal as well, but I have no idea on where to find any sellers in Sweden.

If you can't find any at gardening stores/nurseries why not try and aquarium supply shop? they often sell activated carbon as a filtration media for aquariums - alternatively you should be able to buy some online. Alternativel Uppsala University are doing a project on a product called 'Biochar' - you might be able to get some advice or even get hold of some of the product - try Assoc Professor Lars Hylander Lars.Hylander@hyd.uu.seor here's a few other suggestions:

Boyce Carbon, specialized activated carbon suppliers, coconut shell products - Boyce Carbon

---------- Post added at 08:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 AM ----------

Originally Posted by The Mutant

In the beginning of my orchid fever I hadn't even planned on mixing my own medium, but somehow I started doing just that anyway. Just as I've tore down my broken Venetian blinds to give my Phals as much light as possible as well as started hanging moist towels on the radiators to provide them with enough humidity - I had no idea I would go as far as this to care for them.

This is what an orchid forum might do to the unaware so beware people!

Uh-oh we have a new addict

---------- Post added at 09:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:59 AM ----------

Thanks everybody for your responses... I might have to mix up a few blends and check their water holding capacities... Australia is fairly hot and dry in summer so I need something that will retain some moisture but, as always, it's a fine line between 'some' and 'too much'. I think the pine bark, charcoal and perlite is a great base to start with and i'll just have to add a little sphag to one or two and test them without a plant in (via weighing) to see what the moisture retention/loss is like...

[The Mutant]

Well, here in Sweden it's rather cold and dry during winter season and warm and slightly humid in the summer season. I think going easy on the sphag is a good idea for me too, at least until I've figured out a good watering regime.

Thanks for the tip on where I can get my hands on some charcoal. So activated charcoal is good for Phals? I got suspicious since the word "activated" was included and my brain immediately drew up pictures of radioactive wastelands...

Who? Addict? Me? I've no idea what you're talking about...

[camille1585]

aquarium activated charcoal costs a fortune compared to normal charcoal, and I'm not sure if it's good to use the activated type anyway. Given the price and seeing that it's not a MUST have ingredient in potting mixes, I wouldn't bother.
Keep an eye out for in when your order online from growers, some do sell it.

[The Mutant]

Okay, thanks Camille. I think I've found two Swedish places on the net that sells charcoal of good quality. One I found after asking on the Swedish orchid forum and receiving a link to the website in question, and one I actually managed to find by myself.

I'll see what their prices are and decide what to do from there.

[OzPhal]

So I've been working with my bark mix for the last few months and so far-so good! what are peoples thoughts in terms of appearance?




I'm also considering using this mix for some P. kunstleri & P. violacea flasks that I'll be receiving soon... can anyone see a problem using that mix?

[OzPhal]

How's that mix look in the last photo?

Also, with watering, should I allow the mix to dry out before watering again? I water via soaking from the bottom - there's some in sphagnum moss but I'm changing them over to this potting mix

[zxyqu]

Potting mix looks ok. But I think the plant is sitting too high. You should really get those newer roots at least touching the mix, if not half way buried into it.
Also, make sure that however you are soaking/watering, that the plants done share the bowl. Not sure if this is that obvious, but you'd hate to share one plants 'issues' with another.

[OzPhal]

Thanks zxyqu, I appreciate your feedback... that P. speciosa is getting re-potted in a few days in to a clear 50mm square pot (smaller than the one it's in) so I'll make sure that it's re-potted lower... thanks for your advice on the watering too...

[OzPhal]

So this is my mix three days after a soaking watering (a few hours sitting in 10 - 20mm of water):



This one is a plant that came potted - the mix is still a little damp after three days:



These are freshly watered pots:



The leaf on that one has grown since the 11th July!

This one is freshly watered and those roots and that leaf has appeared over the last two days:



So, what do people think of the drying capacity of my mix? should i wait a day or two before i water that first one again - how long should i let it dry between waterings? I can always include a coarser perlite in the mix - thoughts? thanks for your help

Also, any thoughts on that P. pulchra in the background of the first pic? It's currently potted in sphagnum moss and has beautiful looking roots at the surface (not sure what they're like in the sphagnum moss)! but there's some black spotting on the leaves and the lower leaf is going yellow - is it natural die off? i'm thinking of potting this one in my bark mix as well or just putting more sphagnum in there to copletely cover the roots