Suitable Mulching material

[Paph_Person]

So as the title says, what would be a suitable Mulching material for my potting mix consisting of leca + pumice + pine bark. I find the top dries out rather quickly. I don't want the new roots to die due to the dry top. What material other than sphagnum moss would be ideal in this case?

 

[gonewild]

Sphagnum moss is the number one choice.

 

[big923cattleya]

I have never “top dressed” any orchid pot. In my experience it messes with the normal wet dry cycle of orchid culture.
If my plants dry out too fast, I a. Water more often or b. I increase humidity c. Or if an orchid needs more water I put it into a finer mix.
Conversely if the plants dry out to slowly I decrease water frequency or I increase air movement.
If you pot it correctly and use the appropriate media, there should be no need to top dress. I know florists do it because the orchids that they sell might look “prettier.” I don’t want prettier, I want healthier.

If an orchid stays to wet, try growing it mounted.

 

[big923cattleya]

Oops, i
Kind of misread that title. You asked about mulching material. I have never heard it called mulching material. I call it “media.”
View attachment 49979
The above image shows my media of choice. Perlite, charcoal, fine bark, seedling bark, Leca.
Sorry.

 

[Paphluvr]

The inclusion of the Rotelle pasta is an interesting choice!

 

[gonewild]

Mulch is a layer of material covering the soil/media surface. Its not the same as the primary main media.
It's extremely useful to create a humid surface for new roots from Paphs and Phrags growing in coarse media.

 

[gonewild]

Is there a reason you wanted to exclude sphagnum moss?
I've never found a mulch that worked better.


The moss mulch does not interfere with airflow through the open leva media. But it stays moist enough to encourage and support new lateral root growth.

 

[Ray]

I have never “top dressed” any orchid pot. In my experience it messes with the normal wet dry cycle of orchid culture.

Unfortunately, “normal wet dry cycle of orchid culture” does not mean it matches the normal constantly moist and airy properties of the plants in nature.

Many paphs live with their roots spread in that interface where leaf litter (“mulch”) covers the soil below. It may get very wet when it rains, but that’s temporary and unless there is an unusual drought , it never dries completely.

I achieve the moist and airy conditions by using a very open medium and watering the hell out of my plants, but it seems to me that sphagnum top dressing is a pretty good alternative.

 

[Paph_Person]

The inclusion of the Rotelle pasta is an interesting choice!

That's K1 biological media. It's made of plastic and is used in aquarium filters.

 

[Paph_Person]

Mulch is a layer of material covering the soil/media surface. Its not the same as the primary main media.
It's extremely useful to create a humid surface for new roots from Paphs and Phrags growing in coarse media.

Quality sphagnum is difficult to get and sphagnum once crispy dry is difficult to re-wet.

 

[gonewild]

Quality sphagnum is difficult to get and sphagnum once crispy dry is difficult to re-wet.

Crispy dry should never happen. It's a new root killer for most orchids.
What genera are you growing?

 

[Paph_Person]

Crispy dry should never happen. It's a new root killer for most orchids.
What genera are you growing?

Phalaenopsis, cattleya, paphiopedilum. I know it should never happen but unfortunately if it does happen when I am not able to water and I wanted to factor this in while choosing the ideal Mulching media for me.

 

[hkunberger]

Oops, i
Kind of misread that title. You asked about mulching material. I have never heard it called mulching material. I call it “media.”
View attachment 49979
The above image shows my media of choice. Perlite, charcoal, fine bark, seedling bark, Leca.
Sorry.

A little off the topic but where do you get charcoal for your media? I’ve had a hard time finding anything that isn’t tiny and full of dust. Thanks

 

[Ray]

That's K1 biological media. It's made of plastic and is used in aquarium filters.

It is unlikely to be of any biological benefit in a potting mix, but it IS airy!

 

[Morja]

For a dry environment, it's hard to think of a great moss alternative. Wild collected moss that you bake? Some sort of water bead or shredded wood/paper/coconut something or other? I top dress my paphs with sphag. I save every strand I get when shipped plants arrive packed in it (letting it dry out and watching for pests on those plants for a while before using) and I bought a tiny bag of it once. I have a small collection though (21 plants, more than half slippers) so that is what works for me. One way I increase humidity for the whole root system is by setting my inner holed pot in a decorative non-draining outer pot (or mug... or ugly clear soup container) that nests it perfectly where there is air space inside between the two pots, but the top is tight together. When I water I don't necessarily let every water drop drain out before re-nesting it and allow a bit of water to collect in the outer pot, but not so much that it's touching roots in the inner pot. This and top dressing with moss has made a world of difference for me as it makes a humidity sandwich for the root system. Also, my media is primarily a seeding bark/charcoal/leca pieces mix that I was worried would be too small initially, and I think that small size really helps as well. My ambient humidity is typically in the 30% range and now my sphag doesn't dry out between my every 3-4 day waterings and root growth is good.
Sphagnum gets crispy unless I water more than once a week. (I have one phalaenopsis in lightly packed sphag that I mostly don't worry about getting crispy on the outer edges, since I water that one less anyway due to its needs and the inner moss likely stays a bit damp.)

 

[Paph_Person]

It is unlikely to be of any biological benefit in a potting mix, but it IS airy!

That's right I added it for keeping the potting media.

 

[Paph_Person]

For a dry environment, it's hard to think of a great moss alternative. Wild collected moss that you bake? Some sort of water bead or shredded wood/paper/coconut something or other? I top dress my paphs with sphag. I save every strand I get when shipped plants arrive packed in it (letting it dry out and watching for pests on those plants for a while before using) and I bought a tiny bag of it once. I have a small collection though (21 plants, more than half slippers) so that is what works for me. One way I increase humidity for the whole root system is by setting my inner holed pot in a decorative non-draining outer pot (or mug... or ugly clear soup container) that nests it perfectly where there is air space inside between the two pots, but the top is tight together. When I water I don't necessarily let every water drop drain out before re-nesting it and allow a bit of water to collect in the outer pot, but not so much that it's touching roots in the inner pot. This and top dressing with moss has made a world of difference for me as it makes a humidity sandwich for the root system. Also, my media is primarily a seeding bark/charcoal/leca pieces mix that I was worried would be too small initially, and I think that small size really helps as well. My ambient humidity is typically in the 30% range and now my sphag doesn't dry out between my every 3-4 day waterings and root growth is good.
Sphagnum gets crispy unless I water more than once a week. (I have one phalaenopsis in lightly packed sphag that I mostly don't worry about getting crispy on the outer edges, since I water that one less anyway due to its needs and the inner moss likely stays a bit damp.)

Thank you