Good potting medium for vanda in West Virginia

[cirillonb]

I think, at least in my experiment, the rapid production of aerial roots was the plant's way of compensating and it seemed to have done a good job.
for my experiment a living plant was great but the spike (maybe 2) was beyond my wildest expectations.
Nick

[kanikedude03]

do i want the fine or coarse grained primagra? or does it matter?

[cirillonb]

I used the medium since I already had it for s/h culture, the fine would work too. The course might not get enough contact for any benefit.
(I have no hands on experience with other than the medium)
Nick
PS I'm sorry, I used the Coarse grade, medium size. I wasn't conversant in the terminology of the material but just looked it up

[kanikedude03]

ok, so i ordered 5 liters of coarse grade primeagra and 5 liters of epiweb. I've never seen or used this stuff before. When mixing the 2, would it be best to just do half and half, primeagra on the bottom and epiweb on top, or what would you suggest? Sorry for all the questions, i just want to make sure i get it right the first time.

[cirillonb]

I used about 3 parts of epiweb to 1 part primeagra all mixed together as best I could. It probably doesn't matter. The epiweb is to hold the plant in, the primeagra is to keep some moisture there. I also needed to put a stake in the epiweb once the plant was potted to hold it up until the roots took hold.
remember, to water/feed I submerge the entire pot into a bucket of water or water/fertilizer. I use"Dynagro orchid" mixed according to the direction on the package (1/2 teasp per gallon) for each dunking. I save the stuff and reuse 2 times (that is,3 uses per mix) Sometimes I have added superthrive to the last use. If you try to save mix with superthrive it gets vile.
Good luck. I hope I haven't led you down a bad path but as I said, this is working for me...so far.
Nick

[cirillonb]

sorry, to be more precise. You will want to wash the PrimeAgra several times before using it as it is very dusty. The soak for 24 hours. Some people soak in a root promoter such as KLN or Superthrive but then others say these things are worthless I don't think you would need to use an additive to the soaking water.
Nick

[JennS]

I am sorry to hear the bare root method (and vase method) didn't work for you. That is the method I have used to work best. I have tried potted ways, but it didn't work for me.

Please keep in mind that vandas don't want to have constantly wet roots, so make sure your medium dries out daily. That was a normal response for your roots to be dry within a few hours. Actually, probably within one hour is normal. Alot of people recommend doing a thorough watering (until you see the green showing through the roots) then about 15 minutes later, doing a thorough watering again. Good luck and keep us posted!q

[kanikedude03]

I am really hoping my plant can make it until i get the stuff that i ordered. It has lost all of it's leaves but 2! The odd thing is that the leaves are green when they are falling off. They are only yellow/brown at their connection to the plant. Is this some sort of rot or what am i dealing with exactly? My stuff ships tomorrow, i just hope my vanda can make it until the stuff arrives here.

[kanikedude03]

i know i should probably post a new topic for this. But if anyone knows what might be wrong with my vanda, i'd like to hear your thoughts. thanks

[kanikedude03]

I just got my potting materials yesterday and replanted my vanda into its new home. I do have one more quick quesiton though. When watering with the primeagra and epiweb, do you soak the medium for an hour, like is suggested for vanda's or do you do the 5-15 minute soak like most other orchids. Thanks in advance.