# Growing Medium



## Renegayde (May 14, 2008)

I picked up some seed starter mix today that contains Sphagnum peat, horticultural vermiculite, perlite, and a wetting agent and lime for ph balance


I know early on in my orchid growing addiction I tried growing in mud....just wondering if any one else has tried to grow in anything similiar to the seed stariting mix......I am thinking I might use the mix and add some prime agra to maybe give it some more breathing ability......any thoughts?

Todd


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## SlipperFan (May 14, 2008)

I wouldn't use it for slippers.


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## Ernie (May 15, 2008)

Dick Wells at Hilltop Orchids in IN grows everything in mud masterfully. We can't. It can be done, but there's some "secret". 

-Ernie


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## Roth (May 15, 2008)

Ernie said:


> Dick Wells at Hilltop Orchids in IN grows everything in mud masterfully. We can't. It can be done, but there's some "secret".
> 
> -Ernie




Boscha Popow and me were the only 2 successful in Europe to grow all orchids, including all the paph species in mud mix. A few others I "teached" could do it, but if you do not know the "secret", that's a real failure.

The source of the mix was Bas van Buuren, and the peat had a lot of slow release fertilizer and lime included. Whether his nursery or my place, we seldomly had to use fungicides. The US people did use the mud mix the other way, and have to use heavy fungicides from time to time. The EU team  used the mud mix by potting the plant in the barely damp mix. Then, spray the top of the pot slightly to make a crust, maybe wet 1 cm of the top, NOT MORE !!!

After the crust formed, and is really hard, water until a couple of drops run out of the bottom of the pot. It means as well that the plants are "moistened", but NEVER watered. The water runs, but of course in such a short time the mix is not completely soaked. We used a crazy 30-10-10 at 1g/L... 

Watering the plants would lead to heavy disaster. Brachys especially liked this mix, more than anything else. Repotting every 6 months.

The pH was 4.9, and no rot problems, no sick plants, gorgeous plants. I was using for some species and deflasking the plants until I left Europe. In Viet Nam, the weather is too humid, so it would not be possible to keep the peat dry enough. Boscha Popow grew thousands of species in that mix with the best growing plants one can imagine. I used the same mix and had the very same result. But NEVER, EVER "water", or that's a real disaster. I had everything, including wentworthianum, brachys, dendros cuthbertsonii, tobaense, cattleyas, cyps, calanthe, phals, and all got the very same watering/feeding regimen. roths 4 years from flasks to bloom, easy too... The large plants got the same mix, in clay pot, same watering type.

The mix is no longer suitable for everything too because the peat quality dropped down heavily over the last years in Europe, and the Baltic peat has a different behavior.

Back to the first post, I would be careful because of the vermiculite ( I do not like it, though I have seen beautiful sands in 50/50 perlite/vermiculite mix...), and the wetting agent. You can maybe use it by mixing in about 20% of polyurethan foam, and 5% of bark ( as a component of the "top crust", it helps to spread the water slightly more evenly)


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## Corbin (May 15, 2008)

I do not know what "mud" is and I am far from being a learned orchid grower but I have these thoughts. 

Many of the plants I get from the venders are growing in a dense dark colored and heavy mix. It appears that the plants have not been repotted since the were planted out. I have also learned that if I water them nearly every day like I do most of my plants (It's something to between the time I get off from work and bedtime) they quickly develop rotten roots. 

I pot most of my orchids and all my Paphs. in medium sized bark with a small amount of sponge rock. I repot every year (not such a big chore or to expensive with a small collection). I do not pack the bark down and as a result there are plenty of air pockets in the mix. I can water everyday and not cut off the oxygen to the roots. In fact I think it would be impossible to "drown" the roots in such an open mix so the plants have the best of both, plenty of water and plenty of air.


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## Renegayde (May 15, 2008)

currently I use Aussie Gold and I water ever 10 to 14 days........I have never had any success using anything with bark in it and I am not really sure why......I think the bark holds more moisture than my mind comprehends and I overwater..........LOL either that I let it get to dry between waterings......I think though for seedlings I have been deflasking the every 10 to 14 days routine is letting them get to dry so I though for compots perhaps this sphag peat moss mix might work well....ROFL and after potting one set of 3 compots of BLC Lucky Strike<65+ seedlings> which used most of my Aussie Gold....I thought I might try potting up some of the LC Roeblings seedlings that are currently in compot into individual pots using the sphag peat moss mix......I also just got 3 Paph compots from Peter so I might be adventureous and try a few from each of those compots in the sphag peat mix

Todd

p.s. here is a article on growing in mud http://www.msu.edu/user/harveyb/mud.htm


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## Rick (May 15, 2008)

Elmore orchids in TN uses fasfa or fafa (anyway that's how its pronounced), which looks like a basic "mud" potting mix. I recently got a niveum in it that is flowering and looks really good with a few growths on it. The pot is rather shallow too.

I expressed my fear of this mix too, and he said the "secret" was extreme watering discipline. Only 1 heavy water a week, and then don't even mist or think about anything for the rest of the time. It should be a hard dry crust at the end of the week if you are doing it right he said.

He didn't mention anything about repotting every six months. When its done blooming I'll probably switch to something else anyway.


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## Corbin (May 16, 2008)

Thanks for the link to the mud mix article. I might have to give it a try. Any favorites out there?


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