Strange potting Carter & Holmes - Orchid Board

chhe · #1 07-21-2010, 02:16 PM

I just received today a standard white phal. from Carter and Holmes, Dtps. Winter Clouds 'Mendenhall' AM/AOS, and I was surprised to see that it was potted in potting soil. I've purchased a lot of orchids in my time, but I never recieved one in potting soil before. First time I bought from Carter and Holmes. The potting soil looks like a black finely milled peat based mix with large chunks of perlite mixed in. Has anybody ever had this experience with this company? I was shocked that they would use such a medium since they have gotten such good reviews on orchid forums and I have been told that potting soil is a big no no when it comes to orchids. Should I repot it into a different medium? The top roots look marginally ok, I haven't looked at those inside the pot yet, but I can't imagine they are that great though. Any advice would be appreciated.

WhiteRabbit · #2 07-21-2010, 04:48 PM

perhaps it's not 'soil' but very fine bark ? Idk - hopefully someone familiar with this company can chime in.
It never hurts to repot - especially a new plant.
Is you plant in bloom?

chhe · #3 07-21-2010, 05:52 PM

no, its not in bloom. It arrived with about 4-5 floppy leaves that tended to stick upright. The soil itself seemed like potting soil you would get at home depot, but with larger than normal perlite added to it.

Gin · #4 07-21-2010, 06:15 PM

It is probably Pro Mix some growers use it .I think to cut down on watering labor .
I have used it and it was fine but you have to be careful of over watering I would re pot into what you are used to .I have ordered quite a few from Carter & Holmes and always been happy with the plants .. Gin

Gin · #5 07-21-2010, 06:16 PM

I hit submit once and it showed up 2 times sorry ..

ElenaMarie · #6 03-21-2012, 05:09 PM

I know this is a very old thread but I found the answer to this question last week during an onsite visit to Carter and Holmes.

They water all of their orchids by hand and use this peat-based potting mix to reduce the amount of watering required for each plant and to "keep the orchid in the pot." According to them, peat-potted orchids don't create as many aerial roots and the roots in the pot are more stable.

They told me that if I was uncomfortable with the potting medium to repot in bark or my preferred medium, which I'm in the process of doing.

The first orchid I replanted, a Phal, had very healthy roots in the peat mix. For me, I have to be cautious about overwatering the blooming orchids until I can move them to bark.

Hope that helps others who read this thread.