Recent joiner, long time lurker

[skeptic]

Hello from Ottawa, Canada! I've been growing paphs and phrags for about 10 years. The paphs that were cooperative enough to bloom for me this spring have done so, and now it's time to think about repotting. This is the time of year where I get to see what's REALLY going on with them, and no doubt I will have questions!

 

[Toadwally]

Welcome, Skeptic, and congrats on success with them. Mine are in semi-hydro using geolite. Switch'em soon as I get'em. What do you use?

 

[skeptic]

Hi @Toadwally! I'm definitely a tinkerer when it comes to media, but I've never tried geolite. I really struggled with over-watering and over-potting in the early days, and over time I've been moving to coarser and coarser media. These days I'm generally using a mix of medium orchiata, hydroton clay pebbles, a bit of charcoal and then supplements like oyster shell for the calcium lovers. But I definitely tinker with the blend, and sometimes do include things like sphagnum. Depends on what I see when I un-pot.

But it's truly confusing to me that my orchids always arrive in high-sphagnum mixes. If I left them in that stuff I'm sure they would have root rot. Maybe greenhouses have more light and better circulation, or maybe I'm still over-watering, but the coarser media seems to be working with my weekly watering routine.

How long have you been using the geolite?

 

[Roots]

Welcome from the Pacific Northwest. I will be interested to hear what you find when you repot. I am all over the place with potting medium, trying to figure out what my paphs want. I haven't been growing long enough to have many data points. I feel like the brachy's and parvis are okay in SH but the insigne like henryanum and helenae are not.

Switch'em soon as I get'em

This has been my practice too but I am feeling like it is really setting them back if they were grown in an organic mix. How long is it taking before yours start growing new roots?

 

[NYEric]

Welcome from NYC.

 

[Toadwally]

Hi @Toadwally! I'm definitely a tinkerer when it comes to media, but I've never tried geolite. I really struggled with over-watering and over-potting in the early days, and over time I've been moving to coarser and coarser media. These days I'm generally using a mix of medium orchiata, hydroton clay pebbles, a bit of charcoal and then supplements like oyster shell for the calcium lovers. But I definitely tinker with the blend, and sometimes do include things like sphagnum. Depends on what I see when I un-pot.

But it's truly confusing to me that my orchids always arrive in high-sphagnum mixes. If I left them in that stuff I'm sure they would have root rot. Maybe greenhouses have more light and better circulation, or maybe I'm still over-watering, but the coarser media seems to be working with my weekly watering routine.

How long have you been using the geolite?

Yes, tinkering's the way to go. Almost 2yrs. Some groups, like Latouria dendrobiums, Neofinetia and its hybrids, and Onc. hybrids, I use as sole mix. For Dendrochilum, paphs, phrags, phals, some angaecums, and Coryanthes, I use it as semi-hydro per Ray Barkalow. Thay take readily to it. Your chunky mix provides similar effect of wet/airy.

After phrags, I used maudiae paphs as non-phrag test plants. 36.00 for a 40lb bag. When ready, I'll move my catasetums over.

No telling where the paphs are raised for sale in sphag, though some northern US outfits use it.

Most all of the paphs and phrags I've purchased were in chunky bark.