How tightly do you pack your medium?

[shadytrake]

I find it harder to pack tightly with my hydroton so I mix it with the local arkolite which is not round. My s/h are doing better now that they are tighter.

I also had this re-confirmed with the mounts. A learner judge here who is an expert with cattleyas told me that they need to be firmly tied on the mount or in the basket to encourage the root growth. She has a bunch of awards and her catts are gorgeous so I'm taking her advice.

[cythaenopsis]

I just went the distance and pulled my phal from the pot. Wow... lots of beige colored roots and a few black ones. A few green, but not as many as I'd hoped. Anyhow, the moss was SO TIGHTLY PACKED in there. This was the store-bought condition. Is that OK?? Should I pack it a little less so? Or is it important to minimize air pockets inside the pot?

[Call_Me_Bob]

pack it less. commercial nurseries have a tendancy to pack 2-3x as much moss as needed, because it helps in transit or something. i would actually go with bark.

[cythaenopsis]

^ Good to know about that. The moss was generally in good shape. There was one area that had a little white fungus growing in it, so I threw that part away. I re-used the rest for now, as I wasn't sure what mix to use just yet. For smaller orchids, like phalaenopsis, would a fine bark be a good choice? Would you mix it with the moss as well?

[Call_Me_Bob]

i use coarse bark, maybe about 3/4 inch long, just for a reference. for my phals. here is a picture of a neo, for reference on the size of the pieces.


i wouldnt mix the moss in. sometimes in winter i put some on top of the pot, but in summer its not needed

[dounoharm]

phals dont like being tightly potted like catts do....but they do enjoy big chunky bark, not fine bark chips....thier roots need to breathe....i put mine in the pot and then shake the media in around the roots and let it go at that....

[Call_Me_Bob]

i pot mine so that i can pick it up by the plant, and the roots, media, and pot will all lift up. when it can do that, i stop squishing stuff in.

[cythaenopsis]

^ Great tips, thanks!

I think sellers use all that moss to just protect the plant and make it stay in the pot for easier handling. But yeah, mine seemed to be having a bit of a tough time with the dense packing. I've heard that roots tend to live for only one cycle, but even the current roots didn't appear too happy. Many were beige in color, not green. I'll definitely go for that bark.

[Call_Me_Bob]

Just don't get miracle grow. Its much to dirt like.

Neve heard of roots only living one cycle before. Maybe for things that go dormant


You can call me Bob

[Paul Mc]

Miracle Grow's mix is only good for terrestrial orchids, and even then I would highly recommend that you add perlite and other things to it to keep it more open.