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Orchid Repotting: Tales from Beyond
by Aaron J. Hicks
Gratuitous thanks to:
Chris Everard (CEver86333@aol.com)
Jeff Stuart (jastuart@gamera.syr.edu)
Stuart Shedletsky (msjshed@soho.ios.com)
Rob Halgren (rhalgren@casbah.acns.nwu.edu)
Marquis Z. Hodes (hode0005@maroon.tc.umn.edu)
3/17/96
v1.1 3/19/96
v1.2 3/20/96
v1.3 3/23/96
v1.4 3/27/96
v1.5 3/30/96
Yours truly never knows what he's getting into. He really doesn't.
About a billion and a half years ago (that's 14 months in computer
years), I started compiling and editing all kinds of orchidaceous information,
to help "spread the wealth". This is yet another addition in the vast amount
of information available on orchids on the Web. Most of this is original;
it's stuff I learned the hard way, by killing orchids. Some of it is
stuff I know of via word of mouth, or by "something I overheard". I don't
swear by it all, as most people don't grow under my conditions. Orchids
are notoriously variable: what works for one under _X_ conditions fails
absolutely under another's growing conditions. Keep this in mind. Experiment.
I don't know what I mean by _Tales from Beyond_; it's very late
as I start this, and I'm in a weird mood. I think it's kind of funny, and
maybe someone will find a deeper meaning in it sometime in the future,
something I didn't mean, but was interpreted as being brilliant, witty and
deep, and all kinds of other good stuff.
After reading what I've written, most people will want to skip the
first two pages as amusing, if mildly delusional, crap; after that, it starts
to get serious, and might have some vital information in it for you, but,
on the other hand, it might not.
Orchid potting. The first thing you need to know is that, for about
80% of the species out there, putting an orchid in a pot is an awful thing.
Yup. Honest-to-goodness. Orchids are mostly epiphytes- they live on trees,
as non-parasitic ride-along sort of plants. As they grow in the wild, they
enjoy all kinds of air around their roots, along with nice clean water, and
the occasional bit of bark or bird sh*t.
If you don't know what sh*t is, please e-mail me (ahicks@nmt.edu),
and I will elaborate at length.
So. Jungle Joe goes stomping out into the Brazillian Rainforest
(after having his appendix removed, eliminating the chance of a bout of
peritonitis at a most inopportune time), and finds a lovely Cattleya, growing
happily. He rips it off, gleeful at the monetary reward he shall find after
its export to the States or some other locale. It is packaged after being
meticulously groomed to remove any potential insects that might cause the
entire package of plants to be subjected to a hideous chemical brew, and
then imported, and thrown into a pot full of bark. Yuck.
After a while, it recovers, grows new roots, maybe blooms- then
gets sold.
This is what happened to your plant. Or maybe your plant's mother, or
father, or great-grand-uncle, or some other distant relative. It's hard to
tell; actually, it's pretty unlikely that the plant you have is a jungle-
collected species. If you bought it at the lumberyard or at the local
supermarket, it's probably a hybrid that didn't sell too well with orchid
afficianados, and was dumped on the market.
Anyway, it's in your hands, and it's languishing. Feed me, it says.
Water me, it says. Give me a new home, it asks. Give me more light. Sometimes
it tries to negotiate, using your firstborn as a hostage. It is vitally
important that you do not give in at this stage.
So, you stick it in a pot you bought at Wal-Mart or something, and
it grows. Surprisingly, it takes off. The roots grow fat and healthy,
and the plant *gasp!* grows. Sometimes this happens with your first orchid;
I heard about it once in 1986, and many growers have since reported similar
results. In any event, DO NOT BE ALARMED.
It flowers, you show it off to your friends, and it happily continues
to grow for you. This repeats from year to year, and eventually, the plant
needs repotting. It happens to the best of plants; it happens to the worst
of plants. Generally, following Murphy's Law (Murphy was a horticulturist),
it's going to happen to the worst of plants.
This FAQ was designed (without the use of illicit narcotics, despite
what many of you are thinking right now) to help the casual orchid grower
repot that plant you have. A-yup. You can do it! And, if you need help, there
are many orchid societies across the United States (except in Idaho, where
many orchids have been declared illegal). Many of these groups are happy
to attract new growers, mainly because they sell orchids, and need to maintain
"new blood," and addict new people to these plants to support their own
habit. Bring it in to a society meeting, and get first-hand advice as to
what media works best in your climate, for your plant, and how to go about
it. Orchid growers are nice people. Terribly nice, like me, who's doing this
for no pay, and even less credit, because he has entirely too much time
on his hands.
Anybody want to hire me?
Enough groveling. On with the important stuff!
So, kid; you wanna repot your orchid?
Note: Cattleya may refer to the entire sub-family, meaning cattleyas,
brassavolas, laelias, sophronitis, etc. Judge by the context.
When to repot.
This is the big one (as you might well suspect). There are two general
categories of plants that require repotting.
1) The plant has outgrown the pot. Physically, it's too large. The
leaves are spilling over, the new growths are cracking the old pot, the
roots are extending over the edge. Wow!, you think; This plant is HUGE!
It looks like Marlon Brando on steroids!
And it probably does. There are too many roots in the pot, and it
is getting dehydrated between waterings. The latest new growth has grown
out over the edge of the pot, and is going bonkers.
In other words, it needs a new home.
2) The media is shot.
This one can be tricky. If the media is visibly mushy (looks like
it's breaking down a LOT), it probably needs repotting. If, when you water,
bits of organic material come out every time, the media is breaking
down. This happens with distressing speed in warm, humid climates, and
is accelerated by the presence of fertilizer, insects, and poor drainage.
If allowed to dry out between waterings (if your plants will allow you),
even "delicate" media will last a long time.
Some plants require fresh media on a regular basis. Some people
state that they repot their Phragmipediums in new media every year, for
example. Some Australian terrestrials require similar conditions.
Inorganic media, such as lava rock, perlite and rockwool, do
not break down. Organics, such as the ubiquitous fir bark, cork and
sphagnum, all break down at a fairly steady pace. Depending upon your
watering conditions, and other factors listed above, organic media can
last many years.
Something Chris Everard suggets is that, if a plant feels either
"too heavy" or "too light", that you have some sort of problem. Either
way, the media has probably been ruined; it's rotting, and holds too much
water ("feels leaden", according to Chris), or has rotted and run out,
leaving you with a hollow pot, in effect (or it's simply too dry; when I
put stuff in sphagnum, this is what happens when they need water).
Timing! is everything
OK, this can be a tricky one. With Phals, the best time to repot is
after they are done flowering, and the roots are actively growing. And
how do you tell when roots are actively growing? They will have fat, green
(or purplish) tips; the longer these tips are, the better the plant is doing.
Tips that are 1 cm or longer are optimal. This rule also holds true with
Vandas, Cattleyas and many other genera. Otherwise, _something_ can be
improved, be it amount of water, amount of light, fertilizer or some
other growth constraint.
With Cattleyas, this is best done when the new growths are between
1" and 4" long, when the new roots coming out of the base of the growth are
about 1-2" long. This will keep damage to the roots to a minimum, and they
will also be most actively growing almost immediately after you repot
the plant.
How to treat them.
There are two major groups of plants.
1) Sympodial.
If you have an orchid that grows along something that resembles
a rhizome (but itsn't), with a steady trail of pseudobulbs behind it,
it's classified as a sympodial orchid. Given enough time, these plants
will grow over the side of the pot. Cattleyas, brassvolas, laelias, most
dendrobiums and other orchids with pseudobulbs will do this, and are
sympodial.
2) Monopodial.
If you have an orchid with one growth "point", it's probably
monopodial (there are some like this that are actually sympodial, but
for our purposes in repotting, they can be considered to be monopodials).
They grow leaves out to the side, and generally grow upwards; they _will_
grow outward, but only as the leaves get progressively larger.
Some examples are phalaenopsis, vandas, and paphiopedilums.
Paphs and phragmipediums are both monopods, but they tend to form "clumps",
and are a special case.
There are also a few "oddballs"- the basketed plants, the
vines, the vandaceous plants, the thumb-potted equitant oncidiums; these are
best left up to the experts when consulting. There are a few basic rules to
follow with each of these, and once those are mastered- cinch.
What to pot them in.
This will be a combination of what you can get; what works for you;
what the plants like; and what will work under your conditions.
Confused yet?
The easiest thing to do is put the plant in the same media as it
came in. If it's doing well in _X_, don't change it, unless you've found
something else that works well for you, and you want to change over. One
of the most important things to keep in mind is how often you need to
water a specific plant; Chris Everard likes to break plants into light,
medium and heavy water recipients. This can be hard to judge, but think
about how much you have watered it before, and how susceptible, in general,
the plants can be to root rot and other problems.
Listed below are the properties of some different media, and
their characteristics.
Peat. Peat has become big, especially with Phalaenopsis. It's
called "mud", and has some special properties. I've not had many dealings
with it, but there are the usual claims that follow novel materials, and
how they create miracle results. To which I say, yeah, well- right, sure.
Whatever. There are better sources of culture in mud, and I suggest the
reader find them... elsewhere. The general rule is that the mud must
NOT be packed too tight; otherwise, the air spaces are driven out, and
the plant dies. It doesn't break down at any noticable rate. Some orchid
growers use gobs of peanuts at the bottom of the pot, to allow for better
colateral circulation. Roots tend to dive into the media, rather than
over or on top of it, unlike other media.
For further info, see: http://www.cs.andrews.edu/~brneise/mud.html
One disadvantage is that most peat is Canadian; the Canucks
are selling out their peat bogs, which is ruining an entire ecosystem.
Further, they are risking the existance of many species of native orchids,
some of which grow nowhere else. It's not just the Canadians, of course,
but use of peat risks the extinction of several species of their orchids
in particular.
Perlite. Perlite is a white mineral, a calcium-magnesium
silicate that is completely inorganic. It is rarely used as a single-
component mix, but rather with other components, such as peat, sphagnum
or rockwool. It is very light, and has virtually no nutrient value to
any plants, as is the case with all inorganic mixes.
One disadvantage is that perlite mines are environmentally destructive;
they are very damaging to the environment. There is one here in Socorro, New
Mexico, though, and they're pretty good about it all. Some people say that
there are some species threatened by the existance of perlite mines, as they
are mostly large, open-pit or strip mines, but I cannot cite specific examples.
Charcoal. Charcoal is the product of logs, or other parts of trees,
that have been exposed to high temperatures in an anoxic environment.
This is to say, a large pile of logs has been lumped together, and
heated in an environment with a minimum of oxygen. Charcoal is a valuable
component in many mixes; smaller pieces can be included in a terrestrial
mix, which helps "sweeten" the mix. It is fairly lightweight, and
rather inexpensive.
Charcoal adsorbs contaminants. This is not the same as ABsorbing
contaminants; instead of putting "garbage" into the nugget, it is
put on the outside, where the roots will be. Charcoal has an extremely
high surface area, due to a very complex void-forming that occurs as it
is cooled. Some of it (activated charcoal) has a higher degree of
fracturing than charcoal that is not intended to be used as such. In
any event, it can concentrate contaminants if one is not careful to flush
when watering.
Charcoal may be from rainforests, where trees are indiscriminately
cut down and burned in large piles. It is of concern, but may make little
difference if the trees are taken from, say, North America or South America:
somewhere, trees are cut down and burned. Feel guilty, but not too guilty,
unless it makes you feel better (note: if you're Jewish, your parents may
require that you feel guilty, so you should check with them first).
Bark. Bark (generally fir) is a primary component of many orchid
mixes. It is a byproduct of logging operations, and is inexpensive. It
is available in many sizes and grades from commercial dealers. It's
fairly heavy, which can be used to the grower's advantage by stabilizing
larger plants. As a very, very general rule, use bark nuggets about the
size of the cross-section of the base of the plant, or of a pseudobulb.
In other words, if you were to cut the stem of a Phal you were ready
to pot, or cut a Cattleya's pseudobulb in half, that should be about the
same size as the bark nuggets you're using (this rule also works for
other media as well).
Sphagnum. I use sphagnum moss for just about everything, but many
growers have problems keeping it around in moist, humid environments. For
potting up seedlings, I have found nothing works better than dried sphagnum
moss. When dry, it readily wets and absorbs a fair amount of water. It
is very "airy", and lightweight when dry. It has a high degree of void
space, which allows for a good level of air-flow through the pot. For
plaqued plants, the roots may be packed with sphagnum, which is then wired
in place to keep the roots moist for a longer period of time.
Sphagnum must be handled very carefully; there is a very slight
risk of contracting a rare fungal disorder from spores that are latent
in the media. Do not handle raw sphagnum moss without gloves; an infection
may result from these spores entering through small cuts or punctures
in your skin. If you're particularly vigorous, a respirator or nuisance
mask will be in order to keep from inhaling small particles.
There is additional info available about this fungus in the
FTP site, under the name sphag.fungi
Lava Rock. Lava rock is... (words fail me) an igneous rock that
is heavy as hell. Although it works well for holding down very large,
unwieldy plants that are prone to tip over spontaneously, this does
have disadvantages. The big one is that benches tend to collapse, and
that's before you even add the weight of the plants. It's a completely
inorganic material, which means that a balanced fertilizer is of utmost
importance: if you're not adding the nutrients, the plants are simply not
getting them. Plastic pots tend not to hold up very well under the
extra added weight, so clay may be necessary in many cases. This is the
same stuff that is probably in the bottom of your bar-b-que gas grill.
Cork. Cork is a product of the cork oak. The cork is "harvested"
by peeling off the outer layer of the tree once every 8 or 10 years or
so. It is then cut into appropriate-sized chunks for many purposes, ranging
from the ubiquitous cork boards, to really snotty fine wines (try turning
yourself into the local police by saying you're committed to oenology).
It is a renewable resource, unlike many other potting products. Its
lifetime in warm, humid climates is particularly limited. Its use
for plants that require little water is great; I have seen cork nuggets
last 8 years in _perfect_ condition with succulent orchids.
Cork is becoming difficult to find. Many orchid growers may have
to resign themselves to purchasing cork slabs, then making nuggets out
of it with a knife, to produce a) blisters and b) appropriate-sized
pieces of potting material. Others may choose to use wine corks, which
work fairly well. For Vandas and other orchids in baskets, these
may be used as whole chunks; for others, the corks may be cut into dime-
shaped "wagon wheels", two or three times as thick as a nickel. For
really small plants, these can be halved or quartered. No special
treatment (soaking, boiling, etc) is required; the residuals don't
seem to cause any problems.
Treefern. Treefern is made from shredded tree ferns, which are
almost extinct in their range in South America, which is where they are
imported from. There is only one country that continues to export treefern,
and that is Guatemala. All the other countries, to the best of my knowledge,
have ended export. It is a species protected under CITES (Convention on
International Trade of Endangered Species), and must be imported under those
CITES laws. It is imported, with much paperwork, then shredded. Go figure.
Right now, it takes more than 50 years to raise a crop of tree
fern; it's not a lucrative prospect, so it looks like we're going to wipe
out tree ferns unles something is done soon. Don't use treefern, period.
This will probably distress a number of growers, esp. those who love the
genus Pleurothallis. Tough. We're going to have to find substitutes, and
quick, before all the treefern is gone.
Rockwool, as brought to you by Chris Everard
The two forms that I have access to are water-repellant and water-
absorbant. Some people make a mix of the two, but I came unstuck with a
commercial mix of these. I found it became too waterlogged and I lost roots
because of lack of air.
So I went for water repellant Rockwool and I mix it with Perlite.
Ratio Rockwool 70% : Perlite 30%. The initial difficulty is wetting the mix.
For this I use a non ionic wetting agent, and, having potted up the plant,
really flood the pot, and let it all settle down. This results in lumps of
rockwool, nicely wet on the outside, but dry in the middle, so giving a
certain amount of air. This is further helped by separation caused by the
perlite. Follow up waterings are always judged by the weight of the pot; it
may be tedious but cannot be bettered. It is very easy to tell if a pot is
waterlogged. I always say, as a fundamental rule, look at the plants original
habitat. I have experimented and found that Paphs & Phrags do well, and
Phals really race away. They love it. The two terrestrials (Paphs and Phrags)
like it moist, so this makes sense.
Having said that, last year I decided to experiment on two Hybrid
Catts that had been struggling. It was a risk and I had been warned off by a
professional grower. I had nothing to lose as neither were doing well, and
went ahead. Again I was amazed by the roots produced, and one went ahead and
flowered beautifully.
However, two interesting points about Rockwool. One good one to be
aware of is you can easily take a plant out of the pot and inspect the roots
without compost flying everywere. Two - very important, the one mineral
lacking in all feeds is Ca++. Normally the Orchid gets what it wants from
the organic mix - bark whatever - but the rockwool is inert, so Ca++ must be
added in the form of Calcium Nitrate. However I have had another thought, I
am going to add some Dolomite powder - see my recent letter Re: Paphs and pH.
Osmunda, by Marquis Z. Hodes, another pleurothallidiot.
Osmunda is the roots of the temperate-growing ferns of the genus
Osmunda which includes the Cinnamon Fern (O. cinnamomea), the Interrupted Fern
(O. claytoniana) and the Royal Fern (O. regalis). It comes in two colors.
Black Osmunda is stiff or wirey, somewhat resembling tree fern, lasts
longer and is slightly less water-retentive. Brown Osmunda is softer, more
pliable and dosen't last quite as long. Since it is the root-ball of a
fern, Osmunda is usually "dirty". I 'wash' it by soaking thoroughly in
several changes of water. Osmunda has a distinct grain to it. I always
use it so the grain is running up and down in the pot - providing excellent
drainage. There are folks who believe that potting with the grain
crossways is useful to retain more moisture for moisture-loving plants.
My preferred method for potting with Osmunda is to cut a chunk of
Osmunda that is 1/2 - 3/4 inch shorter than the height of the pot it is to go
into and about twice it's diameter. I cut this ball nearly in half widthwise
and then cut deeply into each of the halves. The slits thus made are used
to distribute the roots of the plant evenly throughout the Osmunda ball
which is then wrapped back into its original ball-like configuration. This
ball is then laid across the top of the pot with a potting stick laid
across the top of the ball and then used, with considerable muscle, to
force the whole mess firmly into the pot (the plant starts out at right
angles to the pot top and ends up upright in the pot). I prefer to use
clay pots, slashed orchid pots if I can get them. Plastic is ok if it is
rigid and if you make sure there is adequate drainage. I do not using
"crocking" in the pot, if the grain is up and down properly, water poured
in the top should flow freely out the bottom. Once the plant is upright in
the pot the potting stick may be used to force additional osmunda between
the Osmunda ball and the edge of the pot. Old timers say that when using
Osmunda to pot in clay, if you don't shatter every fourth pot or so then
you aren't potting tight enough. One way to see if you are potting tightly
enough (only do this with 'stout' plants like Cattleyas, etc) is to swing
the mess around by the pseudobulbs - if the pot flies off you haven't
potted tight enough.
Osmunda has several advantages: 1. It last about 3 years, 2. One does
not have to fertilize plants in Osmunda at all (although a shot or two of
dilute balanced fertilizer during the hight of the growing season is
beneficial); 3. Once one learns how to pot with it, it is fun to use (or
maybe I really am nuts?); 4. Done right no staking of tall plants is
nescessary.
There are a few disadvantages: 1. It's expensive; 2. It's hard to find;
3. You break lots of pots learning how to do it right.
For pleurothallids and other moisture loving, thin rooted plants, the
ancients (Sanders, B. S. Williams, Veitch, et al.) recommended: "Osmunda
pulled through with sphagnum moss". Since none of them are still around to
explain exactly what was meant - or to contradict me, heres what I have
found to work. I cut a thin sheet of Osmunda (1/2 inch or so), with the
grain running up and down the height of the pot I plan to use. I put a
layer of about 1/2 inch of long fibered sphagnum moss over it, trying to
keep the fibers parallel to the grain of the Osmunda. Then I roll up the
"jellyroll" and use it, well soaked of course, to pot as with Osmunda alone
- see above. I do not pot quite as tight with this mixture as I do with
straight Osmunda, but tight enough to lift the pot and plant by the plant's
leaves and sustain a firm shake.
It is worth noting that, while popular and highly useful, the
species of Osmunda from which the media is derived were once collected
almost to extinction; it seems likely that the supplies have been added
to significantly since then. Use it sparingly, until such time that it can
be confirmed that it is in better condition for such use.
Shredded tires. Yup- even your old Firestones work for orchids.
Shredding tires has become a lucrative prospect; it can be shredded as
fine as sand, or into chunks as big as a brick. For orchids, the size
(as always) depends upon how big your plants are. Many people find that
1/2" size (which means that they will fit through 1/2" screen, so that
pieces may be much longer than 1/2") is convenient for growing orchids.
I have no experience with this media, but common sense states that it
should last indefinitely. Common sense also says that, if you grow plants
in this stuff in full sun, you're going to burn roots from heat accumulation
on these old, black tires. Further, as media can not be re-used with other
plants (sterilizing it makes for problems), disposal could be full of
hassles 5-10 years down the line.
Nutrients and media.
As has already been mentioned, inorganic media will require the
addition of a nutrient solution that is carefully balanced in order to
make certain the plants do not suffer from any nutrient deficiencies. Organic
media, by their very nature, are made out of plant bits, and commonly
contain the various micro-elements and nutrients that the plants need.
On the other hand, some of these may be locked up, depending upon the pH
and other conditions of the media, or may be present in vanishingly small
concentrations, such that fertilizer and micronutrient applications are of
value. SuperThrive is a vitamin suppliment: its contribution to microelements,
like molybdenum, chromium, etc., is small, if any at all.
Pots.
Two kinds of pots. Plastic and clay.
Clay pots are tougher to work with. Orchid roots tend to adhere
strongly to clay pots becoming impossible to remove without major damage.
Orchids tend to grow their roots into them, and become impossible to remove
them once they have adhesed themselves into place. They are heavy, liable to
break, and hard to find. They are most commonly used with plants that are very
tall and unwieldy, like Cattleya amethystoglossa. They are also the only pots
on which you can comfortably use wire clips to hold down rhizomes and support
spikes. This isn't to say it _can't_ be done on plastic, but it's much easier
with clay.
Sterilize before potting by putting in the oven and baking;
350 F for 15-30 minutes should do it.
Plastic pots come in a spectacular variety of colors, shapes
and sizes. For orchids, they should have good ventilation, and stand
up to ultraviolet light for several years. Thicker pots are, predictably,
more durable than thin ones, although both become much more brittle
over the years. Orchid roots do not adhere to plastic like they do
clay; typically, you'll still lose roots, but not as many.
There are special pots, like Air Cones, which improve ventilation
by raising the surface area inside the middle of the pot. Any discount
store should have a broad variety of pots available for use with orchids.
For most of them, I simply discard the bottom overflow tray, and bore
some more holes in the bottom, and sometimes the sides.
Sterilize before potting by pre-cleaning, then soaking in 10%
bleach solution for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Rinse in
clean water afterwards.
Some people suggest that, for terrestrial species, it is
undesirable to sterilize pots; these plants rely more heavily upon
mycorrhizial fungi than do other orchids, so killing any fungi that
remain inside the pot is a bad idea.
Potting.
When I do repotting, I do it on a clean surface; you don't want
any plant debris or potting material left over from the last plant that
you worked on. Such material may carry pathogens, which could then infect
the plant that you are working on. Remember, you're going to be breaking
roots and so forth, and there's a good chance that any old material you
have laying around might get into a fresh wound, spreading viruses.
As a result, I lay down fresh newspaper. Newspaper is, for our
purpose, sterile. White paper has to be bleached, either by a peroxide
or chlorine, which pretty much sterilizes it (keep this in mind, if you
ever need to hatch a kid in an emergency; lay down lots of fresh clean
newspaper. Expect to see an emergency childbirth FAQ soon enough!). During
the print run, its exposure to air or other potential contaminants is
slight. As a result, it's pretty damn clean. So, before I pot, I put down
a layer or two of paper, which can then be rolled up and put out in the
compost, or burned (if conditions require it, if you were working with a
plant that was definitely infected). Newspaper composts well, by the way.
If potting a number of different plants, I either use gloves, or
provide for some kind of scrub, again to prevent infection. When working
with compots, this isn't really necessary, as these plants have been in
intimate contact all their life. But, when repotting benchmates, each of
which has been around in your collection for years, this is something to
be considered.
Before work, I wash in 100% bleach. Most people (including my
ex-girlfriend), think I'm nuts for doing so. And it is. It dries out the
skin, and you smell like a swimming pool. On the bright side, I can be
fairly certain I am working with thoroughly disinfected hands. Further, if
your current girlfriend is a swimmer, this could be a turn-on. Alternatively,
one could scub with Betadine or similar povidone iodine solution, which
can be had at the local pharmacy, or with alcohol for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the plant from its pot. Sometimes, this is the most difficult
phase. You will probably rip roots, you will damage more. Sometimes plants
repot better if they are dry than when moist; I have found that roots tend
to rip when wet, but "snap" when dry. With clay, you may have to break the
pot; this isn't always bad, as this will make for crockery that you can
use to help drain other pots. With plastic, you may have to cut the pot away;
some plastics get very brittle over time, and may shatter if squeezed just
right, or break away in pieces.
Once removed from the pot, examine the media. Does it look decayed?
Is there any evidence of rot or of insects? What components have broken
down the quickest? By studying the old media, you can get a better grasp
of how often you need to repot plants, based on your watering regimen
and growing conditions. You can also get an idea of what media work best
for you.
Now is the time to look for any signs of insects. Some real odd
ones can only be found when repotting; if you see signs of chewed live
roots, go through the old media, and look for the predators. You might
find milipedes, or maybe ants or earwigs. Cockroaches are notorious for
munching on the stray orchid root. Further, if you grow under very dry
conditions, you may have caused mealy bug or scale to infest the roots.
Although unusual, they have been known to do this with orchids. If everything
looks satisfactory, go to the next step.
Remove all the old media. If you are using all inorganic media,
you may not have to, or want to, remove it; you may be able to "make do"
with what you have. Go ahead with the next step. Otherwise, take care to
remove as much old media as possible without harming the plant. Shake
the plant carefully, if necessary; a stream of water may help remove
peat or broken-down media.
At this point in time, you will also want to inspect for, and remove,
any dead roots. They can be removed by either pulling (if they are rotten
enough), or by cutting; I always suggest that people use sterile razor
blades for cutting off "dead" roots, in the event that they are not
as dead as they appear to be. Most orchids have very "stringy" roots- they
have a core of material that is more like a wire than a root! If you pull,
it is likely that the outer sheath will pull off, leaving behind the
stringy core.
Find an appropriate-sized pot. If you are repotting cattleyas, you
should find a pot that will provide for 2 to 3 years' worth of additional
growth. This will depend upon how fast the plant is growing; generally,
between 2 and 4 inches from the end of the latest new growth will be
required. If your plants have multiple new growth, well- lots of luck! Do the
best you can to estimate how big your plant will be in another two years, and
try to accomodate it.
For phals, I simply use a pot that is 1-2" larger in diameter than
the pot they are in right now; in extreme cases, it may be appropriate to use
a pot larger than this.
For paphs and phrags, you will want to use a pot that will give the
plant another 2 or 3 years' worth of growth; like with the cattleyas, you
will need to estimate how big the plant is going to be. Some people like
to repot phrags annually; in this case, wing it (estimate it).
If you underpot a plant, the only danger is that you shall have to
repot the plant again sooner than you should have to. If a particular plant
does not take this kind of shock well, this may be a consideration.
If you overpot a plant, the primary danger is that the roots may
rot. With a tiny plant in a big pot, the water stays around longer, and
tends to promote infection, etc. Plants that are newly repotted will generally
require less water, partly because of this effect.
The pot should be prepared by placing a few slivers of inert material,
such as shards of clay pot, or styrofoam packing peanuts, in the bottom of the
pot, covering the drain holes so media does not simply fall through the
holes. Add 1/2" or 1" of media, and then position the plant, to see what it
will look like. You may wish to remove the plant and place a "cone" of
media in the center of the pot, where the roots will be. Then put the plant
back in, and back-fill with media. Don't be afraid to jolt the plant a bit,
as this will help settle the media. Fill until the plant is seated, then
jolt the pot a couple of times to settle the media; add more until the plant
is seated. The media should be within 1/2" to 3/4" of the rim of the pot.
You should make certain the plant is positioned correctly; with phals,
it is important that the crown is fairly clear of the media, but that the
base of the plant is into the media. The lowest leaf may also be surrounded
by media, but there should be nothing between the base and the lowest leaf,
which might encourage rot. The base of the phal is where the newest roots
emerge; if they are left high and dry, they stunt and perish. If enough new
roots die off, the plant is set back, and can even die. This is the reason
that many well-established Phals fail to flourish as houseplants, in the
dry environment they are presented with. If they are packed in media at the
base, the new roots are allowed to go wet/dry and back again, and the plants
tend to do much better. Accordingly, if a Phal is producing new roots at the
base, but is not in need of repotting, the base of the plant can be packed
in sphagnum moss, and misted periodically (not watered, as this would
cause the potting media and "deep" roots to rot), which will encourage those
surface starts to grow better.
With cattleyas, it is important to make sure that the new growths
are given the right conditions; Cattleya-types tend to "climb", which means
the latest new growths are from 5mm to 3-4cm "higher" than the previous one.
The plant starts to become "bowed", and progressive growths are further
and further airborne. One may have to rock the plant forward, so that the
new growths are into the media, with the oldest section of the plant is
sticking out of the media. Since the new roots and new growths are at
this forward section, this is the important thing, since the older portion
of the plant is aging, and probably doesn't have active roots anymore.
The base of the new growth should be either just slightly above, or just
slightly below, the media; this way, new roots can find nutrients and
water.
These techniques will suit most plants that are epiphytes that
you choose to put into pots. It will work for oncidiums, miltonias,
dendrobiums, laelias, trichocentrums, angraecums, odontoglossums, and
most all other epiphytes. If you wish to, paphiopedilums and phragmipediums
have been successfully grown in bark, with a little charcoal, perlite and
sometimes some sphagnum added. Many people use special mixes for these
(see below).
Vandas are most readily repotted by switching baskets. Most vandas
and Vanda-types can be grown as "zero-phytes" (not xerophytes), meaning
they can be hung on a string or a wire, with nothing around the roots, provided
they get some kind of nutrient solution on a fairly regular basis. As such,
baskets are an aesthetic feature, something to hold an ID tag, and maybe
a few large chunks of charcoal, bark or perlite. If the teak basket starts to
fall apart, simply remove what you can without damaging the plant, and re-seat
the plant into a new basket of appropriate size.
The Terrestrial Species
Nope. Not the littoral species (the ones that live in humus and
leaf litter). I mean the ones that live in dirt. We all remember dirt,
don't we? I mean the 'Jewel Orchids', like Ludisia and Haermaea (which are
now synonyms, BTW). Luisia discolor is prime amongst these species; it has
black, velvety leaves, with bright red veins (or "nerves"). Brilliant plant
with inconspicuous white flowers with yellow centers. Very pretty.
These species can be raised in (surprise!) dirt. Yup. Go down to
the K-Mart and pick up a big ol' sack of Hyponex or what-have-you, along
with a bag of vermiculite and some fine charcoal, if you don't already have
one.
I, too, have sullied my hands with the dirt of "common" plants.
Yes, I started out with a dragon tree (Dracena) when I was in single-digit
years old. And I liked dirt. I got good with dirt. And I came up with the
following formula.
Take a 20-pound bag of steam-sterilized potting soil. Notice how it's
all black. Imagine how it will have settled after about 2 weeks' worth of
watering: it'll be as hard as a brick. Take a 5-gallon bucket, and add about
4 gallons worth of this black muck. Add about 2 quarts worth of perlite,
vermiculite or whatever you have that's airy and inorganic (insert your own
Dan Quayle joke here). Add charcoal to your satisfaction; I prefer about 2
handfuls, but some dump in a quart or more to 4 gallons, particularly if
the plant is going to remain in the same pot for a long time. Then, you can
add as much sand as you are comfortable with; more sand makes the soil more
workable, adds some drainage, and, to a point, increases water retention.
It also makes it easier to repot next time around.
Mix thoroughly.
That is the mix I use for terrestrial orchids. In fact, I use it on
most any house plant that requires soil. I've even used it with success in
keeping staghorn ferns (Platyceriums) in pots. I know this is sacrillege to
most of those out there who raise the epiphytic ferns, but it has worked
well for me. For the record, I have been able to get a Platycerium bifurcatum
to set spores on a plant with 30" 'antlers', in a 9" pot, in this kind
of mix. If this isn't a miracle, nothing is. This kind of media doesn't
easily compact, and it is easy to work with. To make things better, the
large amount of perlite or sponge rock or whatever indicates when the
salts buildup is getting too high by leaving a noxious yellow-white crust
on the nuggets of perlite at the surface. Works for me.
Plaquing. Plaquing an orchid is the art of sticking an orchid
where it belongs: on a chunk of something.
OK, that's a simplification. Orchids are epiphytes;, they like
to live _on_ things. This doesn't mean that sticking them into a pot will
kill them, it's simply _unnatural_. Fortunately, unnatural things aren't
always bad or fatal, or otherwise Madonna would be dead by now.
Plaquing begins with what type of plant you have to deal with
and what environment you have to work with. If you have a dry environment,
you will be restricted to a very narrow band of plants that you can
plaque. Typically, you will only be able to plaque "succulent" orchids,
like the "mule-ear" oncidiums, the fleshy trichocentrums, and a few of
the more drought-resistant dendrobiums, some of the Mexican species, and
rupiculous ("rock-living") laelias.
If you have a growing area that has a higher humidity, you can
raise more delicate species, ones that do not respond well to drought.
Plaquing begins with removing the plant you want to plaque from its
original media; strip off all the media you can without damaging the plant.
Then find a plaque of appropriate material; most of the time, this will be
cork, or a similar material. Synthetics are becoming more common, as these
will last indefinitely. Some can use carving boards, made of polyethylene,
in the right environment.
Figure out what type of material you will use to "pack" the roots
with; most of the time, this will be long-fiber sphagnum moss. It holds
a considerable amount of water, and "binds" in place very easily. I like
to soak the moss and the plant for an hour or so, so as to make the roots
more flexible without running the risk of breaking them.
After that, it's simply a matter of aesthetics: put a wad of
moss on the bark, and put the plant on it, and pack moss around it. Or
it can be done the other way around: put the plant on the cork, put the
moss around it, and try to sort it out best that you can. The only firm
rule is that the plant must be "aimed" in the right direction: Encyclia
citrina, on the one hand, _must_ point downwards. It flowers downward,
it grows downward, and so forth. Phalaenopsis, if you choose to plaque them,
must be positioned such that the growing point is directed downwards.
With virtually all other plants, the growing point must be placed upwards.
When you are happy with the positioning (and it really doesn't
matter; you can always rotate the plaque 180 degrees, hang it upside down!),
wire the plant in place. Wire is satisfactory, as it will degrade over
time, and eventually fall apart. If this is not available, or necessary,
use monofilament fishing line. Typically, this must be cut off after a period
of time, when it is no longer necessary to secure the plant in place, as it
might "choke" the plant at a later point in time.
Although cork is most satisfactory, other growers have reported
success with a variety of North American barks, such as maple and even
oak. It should be noted that oak contains a great deal of tannins, which
may or may not agree with sensitive species; always experiment with such
barks before plaquing particularly valuable specimens, of course.
Treefern plaques used to be used extensively, and may still be
available. As treefern is about to go extinct from such use (see above),
the reader is asked to refrain from such use, lest we wipe it out completely.
Some words on paphs and phrags, from Rob (rhalgren@casbah.acns.nwu.edu)
I am using a modified seedling bark mix for all my paphs and phrags.
Seedling bark, perlite, some milled sphagnum, charcoal (?) and I think
sand and lime. I buy it commercially from EFG, I think they make it, or
buy it in even bigger batches. The important part is to have all the
particles approximately the same size, makes for better water and air
movement. Pots are never crocked, mix goes straight to the bottom. For very
large pots, I make my own "aircones" by inverting a smaller pot and placing it
in the larger pot (the plants seem to appreciate it, and it is much cheaper
than buying special pots). I and my friends (mostly my friends), have come to
prefer deep pots (in relation to circumference). For seedlings, we use 2.25"
SVD black plastic pots. For larger plants, we use McConkey pots (square
tapering deep pots).
I am experimenting with mixes. One I am fond of is made by my friend
Harvey Brenneise, it has all the above ingredients and some rock wool in it.
I believe the water absorbant type. I don't know where he got the recipe, but
he doesn't follow it too closely. Once again, all the particles should be the
same size. I don't know about the sand and the lime, as I think they wash out
immediately. I think they could safely be left out. Lately, on the advise of
Linda Wish, I have been topdressing my Paphs with lime as I repot. She
recommends dosing them with lime every 3-6 months. I repot every 6 months
(another one of Harvey's ideas, he grows great Paphs, so I follow his lead),
mostly because I overwater and the bark breaks down. Don't lime Phrags, btw.
Because of my overwatering habits, I have been toying with the idea of
making my own, inert, mix. The ideal mix would consist of equal parts sponge
rock, charcoal, limestone or marble chips, and absorbant rockwool. The
rockwool could be replaced with Darrel Dixon's LD Fluff (proprietary), I'm
tinkering with that to get it into the right form. Once again, all particles
should be of equivalent size. I think the above described mix, combined
with my watering habits, would be superior to the one I am using. I have
to wait until I repot again (fall), to find out though, since I just
repotted all of my plants.
Rob's Mud Page: (http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~rhalgren)
Special cases.
* For those of you who didn't expect a surprise when you brought it
home, the genus Stanhopea blooms out of the bottom of the pot. Put
these either in baskets, or specially designed pots that will allow
for the bloom spike.
* Really large "specimen plants" have problems unto their own. Boy,
do they look great when they're in flower, but the other 10 months out of
the year, they cause headaches. The main problem is that they require very
large pots, in which much of the media goes un-used. As a result, the center
of the pot (with its absence of roots) tends to rot, as it stays wet for
very long periods of time. For these plants, take a smaller pot and invert
it in the center of the larger pot, and plant around it. This smaller
pot can have long slashes or vents in the side of it, if you wish. It's a lot
like having an Air Cone pot, but _custom_. Ooooo!
* Disturbingly large Phalaenopsis can become minor headaches.
They look wonderful, but there they are, throwing off all kinds of roots,
and making themselves conspicuous. "Yes," you say; "He was such a sweet
plant when I brought him home, an adorable white Phal." Now, seven years
later, you have a bench-hog that has a leaf span like that of a dawn redwood,
and has 3, maybe 4, pairs of leaves. *groan* Remember that Phals live
on trees, and that they grow with the crown pointing _downward_. Now imagine
your Phal in a teak basket, like a Vanda, with its "core" confined to
a cage. This basket is then hung on a wall, allowing the Phal to
attain a more natural position. The TOP of the basket should face OUT
from the wall, not UP. The media is held in place with the cage, which can
be made out of any available wire mesh or window screening. It takes work,
but can be done.
* You've just discovered that your favorite Phal looks like hell;
it needs repotting, but it's the wrong time of the year. Repot it now, you
might cause it more harm than good. How do you help the poor guy?
Two options: 1) Do it very carefully. When done properly, a
plant that is repotted carefully enough should not undergo _any_ shock.
Most people who have grown orchids for more than 10 years won't believe
this statement; these are the ones that have discovered that you can get
away with ripping a plant up, throwing it into a new pot, and neglecting it
into flowering, all in the span of a month or so. This is where beginners
excel: they don't _want_ to hurt the plant. Do it carefully, and stay low
on the water; careful careful careful!
Second option: get out the sphagnum moss, and replace the top 1-2"
of media with nice, clean sphagnum. Using a spray bottle to deliver the
water *exactly* where it needs to go, add just enough water to soak down
this media. Here's what happens: you keep the media underneath from getting
soaked and rotting even more, but you also keep the live roots, the ones
in those top couple of inches, supplied with water. You'll need to water
more frequently, but using a lot less water than you normally would. If you
can prod a plant into surviving until it starts showing signs of active
growth, you should keep it alive long enough to repot.
* Vanilla is a vine. If you were curious enough to see what it
looks like, well- there it is. A vine- you happy now? It'll grow like
mad, *maybe* get around to flowering when it is over 20' long, and then
you can go through the headaches of making your own Vanilla flavoring
(however in the WORLD you do it). Keep it rooted in a large pot, or provide
some sort of support for it to wrap around; a totem pole, made of chicken
wire and stuffed with bark, cork, charcoal or sphagnum, should do fairly
well. Fairly well, that is, until your dog disappears, eaten by That
Vine in the Greenhouse.
They get big. Oh- and the flowers only last one night, and must be
hand-pollinated in order for them to form pods. Don't even ask how many
you need to make a quart of Vanilla ice cream. You don't want to know.
* Grammatophyllum species get big. I mean HUGE. They turn into
dilly-whomping specimens in fairly short periods of time, given the
chance. They are vaguely allied with the Cymbidiums (hybrids have
even been made between these two genera), and form big clumps. It is
nice to have these plants in pots that are fairly delicate for their
size; thus, it can be ripped or cut away when that fateful hour of
repotting arrives.
De-flasked Seedlings
Well, these are about the tiniest little buggers you could want to
work with. You might have only 2-3 of a rare clone, or you might have 250
from some big nursery batch, all meristems, eager to grow like little weeds.
How to Get Them OUT!
I always liked the ones that came from Jungle Jems, in Maryland: they
were 25 mm flasks, about 1" in diameter and 3-1/2" long. There was a bit of
agar jell in the bottom, and the plants were rooted in and around this. To
remove the plantlets, I would take off the cap, and fill it with warm water.
Let it sit for a couple of hours, then shake the seedlings out; then I
would use a pair of forceps to extract the remaining seedlings with.
I would take a pair of surgical forceps (from any decent Army surplus
store), and then bend one of the ends out so that there was about a 1/4" gap
at the end of the points when they were closed. These are also useful for
retrieving that last olive out of the jar, as well as to dunk Nilla wafers
in milk without getting your fingers cold (so I'm prissy, sue me).
I would then float the seedlings in a bowl of warmish water until
I was ready to pot them. Some people add SuperThrive or other chemicals
to the solution, but I have not found this to be useful.
If the seedlings are in a large Erlenmeyer flask, it is sometimes
best to simply break the flask. Try to smash just the end off; either rap
it on a hard surface, or rap a hard surface on it. Wear safety goggles;
seedlings come out of a flask much easier than the glass from your eyes.
NOW what do I do?
Float the seedlings in water. This serves several purposes. Most
importantly, you'll keep the seedlings hydrated. Secondly, you'll be able
to see any nutrient agar sticking to the roots. Although it's not really
harmful, it will grow bacteria if allowed to stay on the plants. Remove it
gently but be thorough. If you've missed any glass, it'll sink down to the
bottom of the bowl. Lastly, it looks kind of cool to have all these little
packets of genes, floating in your mom's favorite bowl.
OK, well, maybe it's just easier to handle them this way. *grin*
Seedlings should be potted in media that is appropriate to their
size. I use mainly sphagnum moss for this. Some find fir bark or other
fine media works well for their purposes; above all, it should be fairly
small and well-sorted. 50/50 fir bark and small charcoal works well.
Seedling Wrangling
Yee-haw! Best way to wrangle seedlings is by putting them in flats.
If you don't have many, use ice cube trays; sterilize them in bleach solutions,
then bore tiny holes in the sides, about 1/4" from the bottom (so they can
hold a bit of water in the reservoir). A hot soldering iron works well for
this purpose, but produces an awful stink. Pack them full of sphagnum moss; put
the seedlings in, making certain the roots are in the media as best as
possible. If you have no fixed growing area which has high humidity, bag
the plants in some clear plastic bag to keep the humidity up. After a while,
the bags can be open at the top, once the seedlings start to get established.
Eventually, the bags can be removed, and the plants can be treated as smaller
varieties of your other plants once they are hardened off- be careful of
shocking the little buggers!
Remember that young plants are much more susceptible to drought than
the mature ones are- they simply can't store as much water as mommy and
daddy orchid can. They also have higher surface area to mass ratios, and
will dehydrate much more rapidly as a result. This is why I like to use
sphagnum (plus there is evidence that sphagnum acts as a mild fungicide)-
it holds a lot of moisture. Plus, the water well at the bottom holds some
water, maintaining it through dry spells for a while.
Custom Mixes!
From the grapevine (aka: what works for ME!)
Phal Mix #1
I used to _love_ OFE's special Phal mix; it would grow Phals
like mad. But, they stopped selling cork nuggets, which was a major component
of their Phal mix. So, buy some slabs, and cut them up, or substitute wine
corks or simply exclude them.
1 part bark nuggets
1 part cork nuggets (slightly larger than the bark)
1 part perlite
1 part charcoal (considerably bigger than the bark)
1-2 parts long fiber sphagnum moss
Mix thoroughly; sometimes, I leave more sphagnum on the surface, which
is two-fold: if the salts start to accumulate, it shows up first on the
sphagnum moss, which is at the top where I can see it. Second, it
takes up water more easily, and shows when it's dry. It also helps
keep the surface roots moist for a longer period of time than other
media does.
*****Large Cattleya Mix #1
3 parts bark nuggets
1 part perlite
1 part charocal
I play around with the ratios, but I find this works pretty good
for me. Switch perlite for charcoal, or simply 4:1 bark to charcoal.
*****Small (Mini) Catt Mix #1
3 parts bark nuggets
1 part perlite
1 part charcoal
1 part long-fiber sphagnum moss
I add the sphagnum moss, as mini-Catts are in smaller pots, and
tend to dry out too quick. So, the sphagnum keeps the roots moist for
a bit longer.
*****Disas according to Tony Paroubek, Par-O-Bek Orchids, via Jeff Stuart
Growing Media:
Must provide excellent drainage and aeration.
a) Pure NZ Sphagnum moss packed loosely.
b) 90% Silica sand (#2 grade) & 10% peat moss.
c) 33% of each - peat moss, vermiculite, perlite.
Repot in late summer and fall after flowering as new growth emerges.
Remove all dying old growths to prevent problems with disease.
Pots: 5" diameter for mature plants, preferably light colored to
reflect light.
***** Kirby's Phal Mix #1
For Paphs, (at least those with some reference to growing on
limestone) I have been successfully using (for about 9 mos of my 1.5 year
orchid history) a mix of fine bark, crushed dried oak leaves (NH red oak),
aquarium dolomite (or crushed limestone), small perlite or sponge rock,
chopped spagnum, and small agricultural charcoal. Part sizes are somewhat
scaled to the plant size. This rather catholic mixture is proportioned by
eye, so I can't define it exactly, but the proportions are roughly equal.
This mixture goes over a wad of styrofoam peanuts in the pot base. So far,
drainage is excellent. I seem to be able to water every day, and have it
just stay moist. I expect (and act on the assumption) that the older the
mix, the wetter it will stay, so older pottings get less water.
ksmith1@mailgw.sanders.lockheed.com
*****Rob's Paph and Phrag Care!
I am using a modified seedling bark mix for all my Paphs and Phrags.
Seedling bark, perlite, some milled sphagnum, charcoal (?) and I think sand
and lime. I buy it commercially from EFG, I think they make it, or buy it
in even bigger batches. The important part is to have all the particles
approximately the same size, makes for better water and air movement. Pots
are never crocked, mix goes straight to the bottom. For very large pots,
I make my own "aircones" by inverting a smaller pot and placing it in the
larger pot (the plants seem to appreciate it, and it is much cheaper than
buying special pots). I and my friends (mostly my friends), have come to
prefer deep pots (in relation to circumference). For seedlings, we use 2.25"
SVD black plastic pots. For larger plants, we use McConkey pots (square
tapering deep pots). I am experimenting with mixes. One I am fond of is made
by my friend Harvey Brenneise, it has all the above ingredients and some rock
wool in it. I believe the water absorbant type. I don't know where he got the
recipe, but he doesn't follow it too closely. Once again, all the particles
should be the same size. I don't know about the sand and the lime, as I think
they wash out immediately. I think they could safely be left out. Lately, on
the advise of Linda Wish, I have been topdressing my Paphs with lime as I
repot. She recommends dosing them with lime every 3-6 months. I repot every
6 months (another one of Harvey's ideas, he grows great Paphs, so I follow his
lead), mostly because I overwater and the bark breaks down. Don't lime Phrags,
btw.
Because of my overwatering habits, I have been toying with the idea of
making my own, inert, mix. The ideal mix would consist of equal parts sponge
rock, charcoal, limestone or marble chips, and absorbant rockwool. The
rockwool could be replaced with Darrel Dixon's LD Fluff (proprietary), I'm
tinkering with that to get it into the right form. Once again, all particles
should be of equivalent size. I think the above described mix, combined with
my watering habits, would be superior to the one I am using. I have to wait
until I repot again (fall), to find out though, since I just repotted all of
my plants.
***** Stuart Shedletsky's Bulbophyllum and Cirrhopetalum Care
I grow a good many Bulbophyllum and Cirrhopetalum in an intermediate
basement setup under HID light. While the humidity is good enough to grow these
plants and flower them mounted(70% avg.) I have found that they do much
better in slat baskets filled with a nest of coco-fiber (readily available
both in garden centers and orchid supply places like OFE). The coco fiber
seems to sustain enough moisture to allow constant and determined root
growth as well as spectacular foliage production. I soak my fiber in
water with one tbs. per gallon of RD20 or Physan as a wetting agent.
Bulbophyllum and Cirrhopetalum do not like to be frequently disturbed; in fact
it sets them back quite radically thus the propensity for mounted
specimens. When possible, I remove new plants from their mounts unless undue
root damage would occur in doing so and loosely wrap the roots and rhyzome
in a soaked coco fiber nest which gets gently pressed into a slat basket of
reasonable proportion to the plant size (do not pack the material tightly
as it will deter a freely developed root system ). If, in time, the plant
becomes too large for its basket, the entire nest can be removed with gentle
pressure from below with the eraser end of a pencil and then POTTED ON to a
larger basket. If the growth habit of the plant forbids evicting it from
its nesting place the entire basket can simply be placed in a larger one
and surroundeded with new coco-fiber. When a newly received plant cannot
be removed from a mount I will either wrap the mount itself in a coco-nest
and place it in a proportional basket or as a last resort, devise a
horizontal in stead of a verticle mount for the plant and then water it
very regularly. Bulbo's and Cirrho's do MUCH better on horizontal rather
than vertical mounts. The advantages of coco fiber is that it holds up very
well over time, it never gets soggy as will sphagnum moss, it is a very
airy substance that does not seem to readily rot or get fungus ridden or
sour, especially when treated now and again with a standard anti fungicide
as mentioned above. Coconut by-products are very good to experiment with in
orchid growing as more exotic substances become scarce and we undermine our
own environment protecting principles in continuing obtaining them. It is
inexpensively available not damaging in any way to the environment in its
harvesting or disposal andis consistent in its quality which is more than I
can say for N.Z.(suposedly) sphagnum, especially on the east coast. Other
coco products worth experiment with are coco-peat and whole coconut
shells, both inner and outer as mounts and baskets.
*****About Aaron:
Aaron is this guy with a geology degree, and no clue about what he
wants to do in life, but it's nothing to do with rocks. If you want to hire
him, check out http://www.nmt.edu/~ahicks/, and make him an offer. It's
not much of an understatement to say there isn't much of anything he
can't do.
He's terribly intelligent, but likes to wear old army pants. There
is also this nasty tendency for him to wear hiking boots, even when he's
not hiking; nobody really knows why. Contrary to the rumors, he had
nothing to do with either of the Kennedy assassinations; he was born
in 1970, which makes these scenarios highly unlikely. He prefers boxer
shorts over jockey briefs.
Aaron has lately been calling himself a "Wonk," and nobody knows why.
His favorite hobby is arson investigation.
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