Most preferred Paphiopedilum medium

mrhappyrotter · Nov 8, 2013

Ben Belton said:
I would like to add... For those of you who grow indoors, what do you pot your plants in?

I grow under lights in my basement in a plastic room. I pump humidity in to the point of being like a sauna, but my plants still dry out so fast. Right now my Paphs doing best (I don't have many) are in 100% sphagnum. I also grow many Phals in 100% sphagnum. I realize 100% sphagnum is crazy talk for many growers but it works for me. :rollhappy:

What are you insane? You should NEVER grow in pure sphag.

All kidding aside, I feel the same way about rockwool. I've read and heard a lot of opinions regarding drawbacks and pitfalls against my mix of preference. The thing about orchids and plants in general is that what works for me might not work for you.

I actually haven't run into any of the drawbacks to rockwool that I've read and heard. I don't have issues with algae, gnats or salt build-up (yet) after 5+ years of growing in rockwool based mixes. But I also don't discount the fact that many people have encountered those issues with my favored mix.

At the end of the day, when it comes to orchids, people should experiment to figure out what works best in their conditions. That's a fact that I presume the OP recognizes, and hopefully anybody reading this thread will pick up on.

When I'm asked for my opinion, I always suggest growers start with a bark based mix, but I'm also quick to point out that there are many alternatives that may work better in specific growing environments and for specific species/genera.

SlipperFan · Nov 9, 2013

mrhappyrotter said:
I have the gnats covered. I simply allow the spiders to proliferate in my collection. Then when the spiders become too numerous, I add a few lizards to the racks -- they eat the spiders. When the lizards start to over populate, I buy a few snakes. Eventually they take over, so I bring in some exotic snake eating gorillas. And the beautiful thing about that is when the winter comes, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

Hehe! A variation of "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly..." nursery rhyme.

NYEric · Nov 9, 2013

You can grow in 100% sphagnum as long as temps are warm. A lot of Florida growers do it. How often do you water? If it's like a sauna it might be from evaporating water; you may need to water more.

PaulS · Nov 14, 2013

I've played with bark and CHC over the years and found CHC to be far superior because it doesn't break down. I wouldn't touch bark now. I got problems with the CHC as well as it can settle in the pot and reduce the air to water ratio so much that roots can die off.

A couple of years ago I took a chance and went over to LECA for all of my new plants, gradually repotting all of my older plants as I got the time. I have had great success with the LECA, most things are thriving and putting on plenty of growth. I have brought back a couple of things from the brink by putting it into LECA. I use 450ml plastic cups for most of my plants, and when they outgrow them I use cut down 1.5litre soft drink bottles.

Below is a picture of P. Alex's Spots in a bottle, with a P. Lynleigh Koopowitz (in spike) and P. Mem David Hanson in cups. All of them were bought as seedlings a little over two years ago.

I like the LECA because it is super stable, wicks water without reducing the air: water ratio and can be sued with a reservoir in the bottom of the cup to make watering easier.

NYEric · Nov 14, 2013

Nice, but I dont really believe in using one media exclusively. In some of my pots I have leca on the bottom-below the S/H holes, mixed bark, charcoal, leca, coarse perlite, and diatomite above, then bark mix w/ sphagnum shreds on top.