Please help with a Neofinetia Falcata.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by DelawareJim

Shandra;



I lost one of my first ones to root rot due to overwatering, so I've always a little overly cautious in letting them dry thoroughly.

I also grow a lot of my Neos in regular store bought orchid bark. While not as nice looking as the moss mound, they do just as well

Me too! I killed my first Neo with too much water, so I like to err on the drier side.

The one I have in bark (bigger plant, in plastic pot) dries more slowly than my other two (one mounted, one in a quite small clay pot with styro and sphag tucked around that) - and so usually isn't completely dry before I water it, and it's been fine too.

[LinhT]

Just want to clarify.....

I don't want people to get the impression that neos MUST be grown in the traditional moss mound. Simply not true. People grow them successfully in bark mix, S/H, lava rock, mounted on a slab, Japanese coarse pumice etc..

The ideal method of growing them is the method that works best for the conditions you are able to give them coupled with how much time you are able to devote to them. My favorite resource (I still think it's the most useful culture info I've read on them) is the Baker sheets http://www.orchidculture.com/COD/FREE/FS344.html/

This gives you detailed info on their natural habitat. So you, the grower, can determine what conditions you can realistically mimic to give them.

The remounding videos are just a visual aid to show,those who WANT to put their neo in the traditional moss mound, one way of doing it. There are other ways to remound, even. Use the growing media that works best for you and your conditions.

Ideally, I would love to mount half of my collection on rock but I would need a 4 season greenhouse to do well with that method in the area I live in.

Growing in the moss mounds allows me to ignore them for 2 - 3 weeks at a time in the winter because I keep the temp in the range of high 40's to low 60's F. Cool, bright, dry.

One thing I have to warn about the moss mound is they seem to dry out more evenly when the plants are hung. When I had them in a rack like this

even more craziness by LinhT, on Flickr

they did not dry out as evenly (even with the giant fan running at full speed) as when I have them hanging in the neo hangers:

001 by LinhT, on Flickr

Honestly, since you will be home often to devote time to them AND this is your first neo, I'd encourage you to try the lava rock. Hopefully, the folks who grow in lava rock or even S/H can chime in and give you detailed info on their culture.