Mark this date for Basket culture.

[likespaphs]

sure does look good!
wonder how these would do in a home environment.
i'm supposed to be getting a couple parishii compots so maybe i'll try.

 

[Rick]

sure does look good!
wonder how these would do in a home environment.
i'm supposed to be getting a couple parishii compots so maybe i'll try.

Ive moved both my parishii and dianthum into this system and they both are doing good too.

Parishii in particular is an epiphytic species, so I think it's particularly well adapted to this method. Do you grow anything in baskets presently?

 

[W. Beetus]

It looks like the system is working well! I am interested. Keep us updated!

 

[paphioboy]

Very interesting.. I think I might try a couple of my barbata types in baskets with moss. They never seen to look happy in pots. I will keep the multis in pots though, as I am using rather rocky material as substrate and they love it..

 

[likespaphs]

nope, not growing anything in baskets
my house doesn't have great humidity so i dunno how they'd do

 

[Rick]

nope, not growing anything in baskets
my house doesn't have great humidity so i dunno how they'd do

Hard to say. The moss is certainly like a big sponge, and with all the sides bottom and top open, it generates a lot more air humidity in the small space around the plant (probably as good as any humidity pebble tray).

But you might want to experiment with a bulbo or phal first.

 

[chrismende]

Yet another reason that could help with erwinia is that basket culture could (should) keep the root ball cooler (more evaporative cooling) which at least in my GH the rot tends to go hand in hand with higher temps.

righto! My erwinia rot babies are anything with looooong thin leaves - some gatrixianum, vejvarutianum, P. Hamana Spice. They get rot at the plant base where the leaves are folded tightly over a narrow space. I'll try repotting these problem babies into baskets!

 

[chrismende]

moss

I wadded some moss around the base and stuck it into a pot sitting in a tray of water (almost constantly filled).

Live moss, right?

 

[Rick]

Live moss, right?

Actually I've been using dead/dried long leaf NZ sphagnum that I got from Roberts Flower supply.

I have been seeding live moss from various pots into the dead moss, and it's growing too.

 

[Rick]

First Paph blooming.

I didn't notice the growth was in low bract before I transferred it the basket system. But It went ahead and bloomed. Young growths growing well and roots are developing.
The flower is cuppy, but it double blasted last year in the old mix it was in. So I'm pleased.

 

[Heather]

I like this idea, Rick. Interesting to watch them progress! Thanks!

 

[paphioboy]

Nice niveum. IMHO, you have to be more careful with brachys in sphag as they d not like it when the moss starts to break down. And remember to add lime.

 

[Rick]

Nice niveum. IMHO, you have to be more careful with brachys in sphag as they d not like it when the moss starts to break down. And remember to add lime.

This one has some limestone gravel, play sand, and "cichlid sand" mixed in the moss. The cichlid sand is a argonite based sand (heavy calcium) that buffers african cichlid aquariums (around 8). The play sand is the white version that also buffers the moss. In practice the sand actually helps slow down the breakdown of the moss. Also since the baskets are so open, I hoping the old moss will tend to fall out of the basket leaving more inert material around the exposed roots.

 

[JeanLux]

Looks great and very healthy Rick!!!! Jean

 

[Jim Toomey]

Hi Rick,
So how are all of the plants doing?
Update?
Thanks,

 

[Rick]

Hi Rick,
So how are all of the plants doing?
Update?
Thanks,

I spilled the beans (hopefully not prematurely) with my tigrinum anouncement in Leo's thread.

I also have a bract coming up in a seedling henryanum (a 2005 joint Slippertalk breeding).

I had the first root come through the bottom of the basket (Phrag wallisii).

My oldest (and beat up) sanderianum is getting major new roots and leaves. Sandies, stonei, gigantifolium,supardii, roths, and other multis are doing very well vegetatively, but haven't seen any sign of blooming for the ones that I thought should bloom this summer.

I think I lost a couple of very beat up rootless plants, but if it was healthy going in, then everything is continuing to grow. Some of the more mature multis are doing lots of roots and vegetative growth, but may take another year off for flowering.

At this point (up to 6 months for the initial group) I'm still pretty upbeat on the progress.

 

[Jim Toomey]

Thanks Rick,
Great news!

What do you think will happen to the root that has come through the bottom?
Are you going to put it into a deeper basket?

Also, do pack the moss in tight?

Jim

 

[Rick]

Thanks Rick,
Great news!

What do you think will happen to the root that has come through the bottom?
Are you going to put it into a deeper basket?

Also, do pack the moss in tight?

Jim

The Phrags get more water, and the bottom of the basket is pretty damp. It made a right turn, and is growing along the surface of the bottom. At this time there is plenty of room for more growths, and I'm not planning on moving it to a deeper/bigger basket. This species is sometimes epiphytic anyway so I don't think it will be a problem.

I pack the moss into the side slats pretty tightly. I've been putting a layer of 1/4 plastic screen on the bottom of the basket to keep the moss from falling through. On top of the moss is either a handful of limestone gravel or hydroton balls (hydroton in the case of phrags). After adding the plant I add moss pretty firmly to center it in the basket and then add a few tablespoons of sand (some cases get aragonite sand). Then I wash it it, and then pack in more moss tightly. I've been adding different species of live moss on top, which is spreading nicely too.

I did have a couple of odd things happen. A couple of plants new leaves had color breaks (white patches). A new leaf on a purpuratum and a couple of new leaves on one growth of a gratrixianum.

For the purpuratum it is expressed as about a 1/4 inch band of the leaf is white and somewhat misshaped, then goes back to normal as the leaf continued to grow.

For the gratrixianum just about one whole new leaf (and one just starting) was white. But its gaining patches of green now as the leaf is maturing.

This particular plant started as a rootless growth I broke off the mother plant. I didn't expect it to survive, and just stuck it in a handful of moss in a plastic pot. Several months later, when I started the basket trials, It was still alive so I thought it would be a good trial plant (nothing to loose right?). It had developed some young roots while sitting in the moss surprisingly, and has been growing very quickly in the basket. Maybe leaf elongation has proceeded way faster than the roots would have allowed for good nutrient uptake???

 

[NYEric]

photos please.

 

[Rick]

photos please.

Maybe this weekend.

I was waiting for your photo prompt Eric!!