Hi Rob -

I've learned along the way that it doesn't really matter that much what
medium you use, as long as you adjust your growing and watering
conditions so your chosen media can work. You are a light waterer, so
moss works well for you. I am not - I do use moss, however, for cooler
growing orchids, which then go into clay pots.

I also try to underpot whenever possible here at home. My boss figures
the size of pot based on how big he wants the plant to be, and he judges
from the size of the leaves. It's interesting, really - many of the
plants start out with no roots and end up with a potful. Others don't
cooperate quite so well. At work we also cut the roots so that the
plant will fit into the pot. My boss says they will break anyway, which
is true.

One thing about moss is that it can't take a lot of fertilizer. That
isn't a problem in my greenhouse, but in my workplace, it just wouldn't
work.

I find it interesting, hearing how other people grow! Keep it up!
~Denise


Rob Parsons wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Like Lisa, I feel Denise knows far more about this than I do and
> hesitate a
> bit with my response. Having said that, however, I do have fairly strong
> opinions on this.
>
> After about 4 years of growing, I have switched almost entirely to
> growing
> Phals in sphagnum moss. I am a light waterer and this works really
> well for
> me. If you are heavy with water, moss is possibly a bad idea!
>
> At any rate, I repot every Phal when I acquire it. I find the ones you
> buy
> from most commercial sources are packed WAY too tightly in moss. It's so
> dense, it is hard to get the water to penetrate the medium, and if you
> succeed it stays really wet for long periods, leading to root rot. All
> the
> sources say use a well-draining medium and the densely packed sphag
> does not
> qualify.
>
> I knock the plant out of the pot, pull away the sphagnum moss from the
> roots, fluff the moss up a bit and repot into the original container
> unless
> the roots are not very large. (If this is the case, the plant goes into a
> *smaller* pot.) I usually have enough sphag left over to use on a second
> plant!
>
> I do try to maintain all leaves & roots--I only remove the leaves as
> they go
> yellow or brown and I usually wait until repotting to remove any totally
> shriveled roots. I try to keep the plants in as small a container as the
> roots will easily go into, and try hard not to overpot. BTW, keep in mind
> that the air roots are quite normal for Phals--they try to anchor the
> plant.
> Pot culture is entirely for our convenience & entirely alien to the
> plant's
> natural growth habit.
>
> Well, that's about it. I'm sure many of the people on this list do some
> things quite differently, but this has worked for me.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rob
>
> On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:39:38 -0000, Lisa (Cruetsonly) wrote
> > Denise,
> > You know more than I do, so I cannot answer your question. However,
> > I want to ask another question. At work, do you use the method
> > where you wrap the roots tightly with moss and then twist them into the
> > pots? I've heard that is fast and efficient but that the plants need
> > to be repotted after only a year, rather than two. I'm thinking of
> > trying it.
> >
> > I'm glad you asked this question. I have a Phal. lava glow that has
> > lost it's bottom leaves and now is sitting too high in the pot. It
> > is one of the thicker-leaved varieties and the roots are having a
> > hard time reaching the medium. Sounds like it needs a repotting
> according
> > to your boss' specifications. :)
> >
> > --- In Phalaenopsis-orchids@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:Phalaenopsis-orchids%40yahoogroups.com>, Denise Nash <djnash@...>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi!
> > >
> > > I am wondering about how everyone pots their phals. At home, I try to
> > > maintain all live roots and leaves. At work, where I repot
> hundreds if
> > > not (what seems like) thousands of phals every year, we maintain the
> > > whiter roots (newer ones), we rip leaves off, cut the bottom off the
> > > stem of the plant, etc. My boss's contention is that if you don't rip
> > > some leaves off, you will lose them anyway, and then they will sit
> too
> > > high in the pot. Also, the roots need to come out, and it's true, I
> > > have noticed that with some of the thicker leaved varieties the roots
> > > can't escape or poke their way through, and end up stunted or coming
> > out
> > > of the top as air roots.
> > >
> > > Any comments? I am curious on the methods other people use.
> > >
> > > ~Denise
> > >
> >
> > Some other orchid groups you might be interested in:
> >
> > Paphiopedilums
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paphiopedilum-orchids
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paphiopedilum-orchids>
> >
> > Cypripediums
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cypripedium-orchids
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cypripedium-orchids>
> >
> > Phragmipedium
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phragmipedium-orchids
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phragmipedium-orchids>
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>
> IC Enternet Webmail
>
>