Potting media help

[Dan5]

Hi all,

Could someone recommend a potting medium for my orchid? On a recent trip to Singapore’s national orchid garden I bought a small vial containing

Rhyncholaeliocattleya ‘Hausermann's Jade’ X Cattleya ‘Hausermann's Gala’

The packaging recommends 1:1 crushed brick and charcoal mix which I’ve tried to emulate with small sized hydroleca but it looks a little dry for my English climate...

Any advice much appreciated 😊

[Swimmingorchids]

they will do well in your standard orchid mix available at homebase Westland Orchid Plant Compost - 8L at Homebase.co.uk

[SaraJean]

Originally Posted by Dan5

On a recent trip to Singapore’s national orchid garden I bought a small vial containing

Is this a baby? If so, keep in mind that seedlings can’t tolerate long periods of dryness. My Cattleya seedlings are in small pots with either in small-to-medium sized bark or potted in a firmly packed (not rock hard) collar of sphagnum. The ones in bark are in plastic pots and the ones in moss are in unglazed clay pot. Either way, they can all get watered frequently. Just choose a material that can hold a bit of water but still drains well. Plastic pots will dry a bit slower than clay. However, tiny pots with tiny plants will dry quick regardless. What other orchids do you have and how are they potted?

The crushed brick and lava rock sounds might be good for Singapore but, like any growing media, it really comes down to your personal growing conditions and set up.

[Ray]

"A small vial"... suggests your seedling is still in vitro, so removing it and potting it up normally is a sure way to kill it.

The plant has been in a sterile and 100% RH environment literally it's whole life, so you're going to need to "baby" it for a while.

Sure, pick the potting medium that is best for such a plant in your conditions, but be aware that you're going to have to provide a warm, constantly moist (not wet), VERY humid environment for it, and transition it over a period of a couple of weeks to "normal" growing conditions.

[Dan5]

Thanks for the advice.

I’m not familiar with this species of orchid so just wanted to check there wasn’t any very specific growing requirements. Sounds like I can tweak the growing medium to suit my environment without too much concern.

I think I’ll change the mix to 50% orchid bark to help retain moisture better

I did have the foresight not to remove the tiny orchid from the vial immediately, I broke the seal in the lid and left it loose for a week, then had the lid off for a week before removing it. The end of one leaf went brown but there’s new leaves growing nicely from the crown so think it’s generally in good shape.

I have a phalaenopsis in medium grade bark,
A zygopetalum and a Neofinetia falcata both in a bark and moss mix
And Macodes petola and Ludisia in a loose soil / bark / moss mix