In Brazil we are having success using Macadamia nut shells (sometimes mixed with charcoal) as they tend to last double the time of bark and drain well, orchids seem to love it, for some reason it helps roots growth noticeably.
Live sphagnum is the best media I can recommend for phalaenopsis and similar varieties. I buy my live sphagnum from people who pick it themself in wet lands. I know a person who have grown suitable species in this way for 30 years. Some of the advantages is that it keeps moisture very well, it's antiseptic so the risk of root rot is minimal if used correctly. Another advantage is that when the plant is well rooted it sits so well you can shower on and then turn it upside down. It is an easy way to keep the leaves clean and stylish without risking leaf rot in your phal. for example. And if you drop it or the cat knocks it down you don't have sweep half the room from bark and disturb the plant by re potting it. I do not know how long lasting it is but since it's living and antiseptic it's probably longer than most other media. I use clear plastic pots to my phal. since it's as much photosynthesis in the roots as the leaves and it looks much nicer and more natural with green moss than with the media. The only drawback I've found is that you have to make sure it does not dry on the surface since it becomes brownish and dull so you have to keep an eye on it and spray before the damage is done. // Peter
Yes of course, but there will be a few days. I have no good camera and is trembling because of Parkinson's disease, so I'll ask my ex-wife for help with the pictures. Then I have to ask my teenage daughter for help to transfer the images to RUclips.
I'm trialing semi-hydro on some of my orchids. If it doesn't work out I will do something similar to your set up with the hydroton. I am also giving sphagnum a chance. I always feared sphagnum because the rotting plug in the core of new plants was all I had seen of it. But fresh long fiber strands of sphagnum is actually quite nice. I swirl it around in water with a ton of perlite and it seems like it makes a nice mix for my miltoniopsis. Bark was all I had ever used, but the more I try other media the less I want to go back to bark.
Yay first to leave a like! haha. Loved the video, it's useful for everyone. I was impressed with the seramis when I started because the bark I could get a hold of was bad quality and had all sorts of debris. Also, in my mind, seramis and leca are an investment in the sense it doesn't decompose and can be reused ( I reused it twice with a couple of orchids that had to go), because at least for me, having to spend money on media every so often is not ideal. Since I am quite new to the hobby, I use clear plastic pots with extra holes to promote ventilation and prevent to some extent the layering of the media plus seramis for things like oncidium that likes a lotof water , and I add leca to those like phals that like things a bit more airy and dry. Also I want to be able to see the roots, as I am not so experienced that I know whats going on without any proof.Some phals had a couple of roots die but that's normal as far as I know when you change medium and so far I think they quite like it. But the thing I like MOST of seramis is that I don't need to always soak the plant, wich is VERY time consuming. I usually just pour water from the top, let it drain and its good so you can do a lot of orchids at the same time. I do soak it from time to time to allow any possible salt deposit to dissolve. I bought Seramis at Amazon because in Spain there are few options and although not cheap I think it was on pair to some other medias. I recently bought 30 L for like 38 euros, and I think I won't need any more. I hope this comment is useful to some people wondering about seramis. PS: My haul isn't here yet and I'm dying inside. The DHL link hasn't update since early Tuesday morning, and I don't have any tracking number for my country mail company so I don't know anything. Is that normal? Schwerter sent it Monday morning so I expected it on Thursday as you said in your haul videos you usually purchase on Thursday so they are sent on Monday to receive them on Thursday, being that the distance should be quite similar. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to elaborate a bit on my experience with the media with plastic pots instead of clay. Oh, and I forgot to mention I live in south Spain, so I have dry very hot summers and not so cold and moist winters.
That hoya has such beautiful leaves! Interesting how hoya's leaves can vary so much. In Finland too vandas are mostly grown in glass vases. I have never tried that, because it takes a lot of space. And the ones I've seen become ugly with time, with lots of algae and black stuff growing in between the roots and the vase. People soak the roots once a day, 30 minutes with water in the vase and then remove the water completely, but the roots stay moist for a while and algae grows on it. About semi hydro, one problem I noticed is that, besides the environment of the person, another possible problem is that there are many different kinds and brands of hydroton pellets, and while some are very good, some contain mineral residues. I bought a brand that was supposed to be good, and tried with 2 orchids in semi hrydro, but both had problems with salts, even though the water had a very low ppm reading. Salts accumulated on the roots and appeared even on the lowest leaves. I had to repot both in bark, and the plants immediately started to grow much better. But I know of people who have success with semi hydro, with other brands. But knowing that some brands have this problem, I don't dare to try anymore. I will stick to what works for me, like bark, sphag, etc. I like to make experiments too, but a few orchids. I have experimented with seramis in a clay pot, and in a plastic pot, and both are doing fine too. I would like to try orchiatta when I manage to get my hands on it, but so far I haven't found a vendor with reasonable shipping costs.
Also...I must update you a bit. Since I haven't heard from you I decided to repot those phals...I bought new mix for orchids( Florimo), it was quite an adventure to find any kind of media for orchids...they are now potted and threatened: if you guys don't recover, it will be bin for you! 😉 I'm mad, talking to plants!
Just a little note: clay isn't intrinsically cool. Like any thing (that is not generating heat), it will become the temperature of its surroundings. Clay FEELS cooler than, say, wood, because it is a better conductor of temperature. So, a clay pot at room temperature will feel cool to the touch because it is less than the temperature of the surface of your skin, and you feel the change in temperature of your skin when you touch it. Wood in that room will be that same temperature, but won't feel as cool because when you touch it, it doesn't change the temperature of your skin as fast as the clay did.
yellowhelix While that may be true with dry clay pots (although I’ve had several professional orchid growers say in presentations that clay is up to 10 degrees cooler at the roots than plastic), wet clay is most definitely cooler because is sweats the moisture creating an evaporative effect that cools the sub-strait. Thats how kool-logs work. Terracotta/clay works the same way. You can even purchase clay water jugs that set out at room temp and cools the water inside.
I use bark and throw in a little charcoal and perlite for all purpose and usually lay a couple strips of moss around roots. This time of year with the humidity getting messed up I'm trying adding sphagnum to the tops of pots, not packing it in just enough to cover the medium completely and keeps some moisture more but allows air flow after drying. That is the orchids that don't need a rest.
I’m a beggar with grown flowers and okay okay it okay okay its okay its okay or kids or kids or kids flowers my orchid I have 1 that is a year and a half and it Grow 2 new flower spike’s and I let it fall the 2 times 🥺 . I then said you did a video of how to grow a Second dairy flower spy from the knock on the flower spy peel it back and I did and it now is grown a new branch out of the flowers by that sounds so hopefully I will have flowers this year 🙏🏼💖 . I luv all your videos and you know your stuff 👌🏼 . I found if you get a cutting from a flower put it in soil and water it with food plant food and you will get roots and a new plant , if you need to put a flower snap into water put a dip of flower food in the water and you will get roots in only new to planting flowers and this has worked very well for me and I’ve got beautiful flowers out cuttings . Just a tip for ppl Danny I love your program I have learned a lot from you thank you for that and I appreciate you very much 🙏🏼❤️💖
Hi Danni , I was searching RUclips the other day for a video on adding calcium to your orchids and your old video from about two years ago popped up I was hoping that maybe you could do a newer video on it and help us out with how much to use and which orchids would benefit from it🌱
I've been using LECA as more of an airy filler in mixes for my cattleyas and dendrobiums and phals than as semi-hydroponics and it seems to be going well. I water them 1-2x weekly and so far all is good... though I'm looking to get coconut coir/ sphagnum to intersperse into the phal and oncidium mixes to keep them from drying out too fast.
Excellent overview of potting media. I am using Orchiata right now, but it takes time to "break it in" It seems to repel water. Not sold on it. Works well with Catts though, if you are very observant.
It's a tricky media to deal with - no doubt about it. I usually end up over-watering because the media is feeling dry......but I am getting used to it. Will not be using it again - that's for sure! Rotted out my Tetraspis C1 - it's in ICU. By the way, I love your way to convince rotted or rootless orchids to grow. I have 5 in my box! Trying to save some of the catts that showed little signs of life after they got frozen. I like the method. It never made sense to sphag and bag - no air movement, or oxygen. Great tip!
Excellent information about orchid media. As for sterilizing the media, using a pressure cooker( aka autoclave ) creates steam under pressure which is more effective than simple boiling. How about giving an updated review of your experience with different orchid fertilizers?
Thanks, Danny. As usual, great video. I'd like to use Seramis, but I'm in the US, and I haven't found a good source for it. I've considered something called Growstone, but I've read that there are concerns about its pH balance. I'm waiting for some more data to hit the forums before I try it myself. I'm currently using lava rock. I'm really new to the hobby, so I can't say how well it works yet from personal experience. I have one phal that seems to love it, and one phal that doesn't seem to do much regardless of what medium I try. I just moved two other phals from bark to lava rock, and I'm watching them closely. Hopefully I'll find a way to get Seramis reliably in the US and give that a try. I'll also keep an eye on Synthic since I'm experimenting with a couple of Dracula orchids which are currently potted in sphagnum moss. They require so much water that I expect the moss to break down really quickly, so once I build up some confidence with them (still struggling with nighttime temps), maybe I'll try one in an inorganic medium.
Right. Easy to sterilize, readily available in the US, and inexpensive. I use plastic pots, so I also like that it provides some good weight to the base of the plant.
I think Seramis would be pretty easy to make if you have a kiln. All it seems to be is bisqueware clay, in irregular shaped, smooth pieces. You could sieve it thru a piece of wire lathe or even a pasta machine.
Hi MOG, I received an orchid recently so I’m a newbie. It was potted in the moss and I wondered if I can repot it in the bark? I think it needs to expand more and seems pretty tight in the moss. Thanks for what you do. This can be so confusing in the beginning.
is mixing medias good? I'm a newbie and I live in a dry country and for my Phalaenopsis orchids I use a mixture of bark, cocohusk, clay pepples, active charcoal and chunky perlite and put a bit of sphagnum moss on top. is this a bad idea and I should use just one type of media? my other question is that sphagnum moss that I put on top of the pot is always dry.it gets bone dry a few hours after watering my orchids.should I spray it with water everyday? top parts of my orchids roots are always very dry
I'm trying Hydroton in a few of my orchids to see how it goes. I hope using it with my Vandas isn't a huge mistake. Not sure how long it will take for me to see results. I hope it doesn't take long and I can spot problems before they get out of hand. I do have other medium here just in case.
My wife was given an orchid as a gift a year ago. The flowers fell off and it recently reflowered and sent up a new shoot which is preparing to flower. I'm thinking I should get it unto a larger pot, but don't know how to decide.
Sorry, I don't have any link, but you can search it or buy it in eBay, Amazon, or in a garden center called Jardiland ( I think they have some stores around Europe) . It costs around 7,20 € (2kg) and it's called AKADAMA
Diane, I actually think I could make some Seramis, but I'd need a kiln to fire the clay bits, which I don't have. Gotta find someone local to work with me on this.
In 3:38 there was a lithos in the corner, well at least I think it was? Do you still have in your new house and if you do could you show us? Also I LOOOVE long talkative videos! 😊 THANKS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL VIDEO I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!😃
Danny I got three new plants:orchids.I got a noid phal and two noid den pals.the phal cost 50 ringgit.but I love it and two den phals is about 16 ringgit. huh who knows that phals cost so much I'm malaysia
Hi Danny, do you think using hydroton clay pebbles alone without seramis is enough for Dendrobium or Phalaenopsis? Seramis is still hard to find in Asia.
Hi Danny ! It may be a stupid question, but I was wondering if it was possible to make my own clay mount or is it a special type of clay ? ( not the clay you can find at art shops for exemple)
You had a lot of sick orchids which were potted in Seramis. What do you do with the Seramis, after you unpotted the sick orchids? Do you use it again? Do you disinfect it? If so, how do you do it? Thanks, Eva
in my experience it tends to help with drainage very well (charcoal bits do wonders too). just has to be washed first cause boy does it have an insane amount of debris!
Hi, depends on the orchid and if it needs direct sun. Also depends on the sate of health, particularly the root system. If the orchid can hydrate herself and is taking repotting well then morning sun, if required, is ok. If the orchid is dehydrating then no, even if the orchid can handle sun generally, it is better not to provide it as it will increase transpiration and it is better to provide bright shade until the roots are starting to hydrate the orchid. Hope this helps :)
hi, Dani! I'm really upset, my 4 phals aren't doing that well...they have grey mould...i took them all out today...they're out of anything...trying to get them to dry out...removed all rotted roots...was trying to get them to water culture but kind of changed my mind after watching your videos... I think the environment is an issue here...the room is not well ventilated, they're in my office...outside is cold right now( Ro weather 😉)...took them out of plastic covers, drilled holes in plastic containers, watered once a week or 10 days...didn't make any difference...they are still losing roots to rot. my opinion they were compromised in the beggining...found all phals stuffed beneath the crown with pieces of sponge( after purchase). Please advise, I absolutely love them all, one bloomed 3 times on 2 spikes...others held flowers for 6-8 months...so I'm doing something good but also some wrong here...
Hi Mady, ok are the sick orchids in bloom still? the first thing to do is to cut all flower spikes, they drain too much energy from the orchids and it would be better for them to focus on roots and leaves now. Second, what medium did you use? tell me the brand too I should know it :) then a picture would help, maybe there are other issues as well, just upload a picture to photobucket, flickr, instagram, imgur or g plus and share the link in a comment here, I'll take a look :) there must be something we're missing so let's find out what :)
A while back, i began to see small mushrooms (With caps and such) in the orchid kompost which houses my Phalaenopsis. Is this a bad thing? I know fungi can be both beneficial and dangerous to plants but i dont know if these are safe to keep. If i were to remove the id have to repot the orchid with new kompost.
Hello, orchids usually come potted in bark chips, coconut husk or sphagnum moss, I am not sure if you refer to actual compost or the medium the orchid is in, but if it is actual compost it isn't suitable for the orchid, The mushrooms usually form in broken down and probably acidic medium, they are a sign that repotting should be done soon, as orchids are sensitive to broken down, soily or mushy media. Is this the medium the orchid came in or did you repot it in the past? I suggest you repot into fresh orchid medium, try to go for mixes that don't contain peat moss, but rather just bark, or combinations of bark and charcoal. Hope this helps :D
MissOrchidGirl It has been repotted once since i got it. The medium it is in now consists of bark chips (The mushrooms grow on these.), sphagnum moss, and some finer material that might be coconut husk or peat. Ill try to get a hold of some pure bark medium, even i have experienced the advantages of pure bark.
My guess is that the medium is quite poor quality and came with some mushroom spores. The problem is the acidity and compactness, I would actually try and repot into plain bark, or a mix made by separate ingredients, in time this medium might prove to be quite bad for the orchid :(
Hi ,I am jean LUC from Rwanda the presence of mushrooms in the pot of orchid is bad for if it act as dicomposer or end up it become consumer of orchids nutrients.
Just wondering (in case you stumble upon this in the nottifs), how did you usually acquire bark before switching to semi hydro? Here it's either in pre-made mixes (not enough for even a tiny collection lol) or sold in 60l bulk (not always the decorative kind). Shame that kiwi bark's too pricey at the moment. 😭 Also, when do you last recall using coconut husk chips? I sometimes considering going back to them because they tend to be affordable and compact, but I think they used to accumulate salts and stay way too moist. Any experience?
Danni, I am in the US and I got seramis through ebay. It does take while to get it. How do you get all the dust out of it? I rinsed growstone and after I potted I could still feel the dust.
Hi Dani! I'm new to your channel, but not to orchids. I used to have several when I lived in the cold, dry mountains. Now, I am in a very warm, humid area. I was given a neglected phalaenopsis recently. I have never owned this type before, which is how I ended up finding your channel. I just repotted her with orchid bark 3 nights ago in a clear plastic planter I made air holes in like you've suggested. Next morning, I soaked her in distilled water for about 15-20 minutes. Now, 2 days later, her roots are already grey again. I will be soaking her again in the morning, but was wondering if this is normal for an orchid that was nearly starved of water. Her leaves, stem & roots are still very healthy. I just find it abnormal, even for a starved plant, to dry out so quickly in such a humid environment. Thanks for all your delightfully helpful videos! :)
Hi, welcome to my channel :D about your orchid, yes it is very normal and it has more to do with the medium than the orchid herself. Your medium doesn't retain a lot of water at the moment since it is fresh and since it dries so fast it might be good quality bark. In the first weeks it will dry pretty fast and after a while it will start to hold a bit more water as it starts to break down a bit. The good news is it will not break down probably as fast as a lower quality bark. Water the orchid when the medium is dry, even if it is every 3 days, it's ok. Humidity is good for the orchid, but doesn't always mean the media will stay wet for a long time, depends on temperature a lot, the warmer it is, the more water will evaporate :) Now for the future, if you find that this brand of bark simply dries too fast for you, you can do a mix of bark and some sphagnum moss, this will be particularly good for orchids which like more moisture, such as Oncidiums, Miltonias, their intergenerics and so on. But first it's a good idea to learn this product on its own and a Phalaenopsis is a perfect candidate for this since she is quite tolerant :) hope this helps!
Michael Lobo I have four peals in water culture. I usually leave water in vase about half way up the roots taking care not to get the bottom of the phal wet. After the third day I dump the water into a container keeping water for each phal separate. I usually leave the water out for a day or so. I put some of the original water back in and add some fresh water to get the water level back to where I had it. The best way to learn this is to watch RUclips videos by Orchid Whisperer.
My mom & I reaaaaaaally wanna try the clay pebbles but I am concerned about the algae. I dont want to spend the extra money on a fungicide either. What do you recommend I do for potting medium? I dont like peat moss or the classic bark but wanna try something new that looks neat. and I dont want the extra hassle lol help !! ! ! ! :D
+KATHYY4 I can understand the struggle :)) If you check my more recent videos you'll see I have some orchids in semi hydroponics with opaque pots. Leca does not promote algae at the top and the opaque pots cut the light for algae further down. I have no algae and things work well, but semi hydro needs some reading up beforehand ;)
MissOrchidGirl Thank you so much for your response. I tried to do a bit of research and watch some of your videos on hydroponics but I feel like theres a lot to take in at once!
@@MissOrchidGirl Well I know it sounds kinda click baity but if you research it a bit you'll see that people do use orbeez to grow plants. Orbeez are non toxic and will only release water absorbed. You could probably just try bark with just a handful of orbeez mixed in.
People can use whatever crosses their mind, it doesn't mean it's functional and healthy for the orchid long term. I've seen them all in the past 8 years, I'm good, I do things differently in my backyard ☺️
Hi, sorry I missed it, just saw it now, thanks for reminding me. I cannot visit your g plus I think it's private? can you post the link to your album here in a comment?
Hi, how do you think what is the best option for dendrochilum magnum and promenea orchid, I'm considering between fine lava rocks or vermiculite, because seramis not that easy to find in my country (:
Hi, I never used vermiculite, lava rock so and so but only at the bottom. I think first do some trials in an empty pot, see how water absorbent they are, how they dry, layered or not and so on. This way you will have a better idea on their properties and how they will perform :)
In Brazil we are having success using Macadamia nut shells (sometimes mixed with charcoal) as they tend to last double the time of bark and drain well, orchids seem to love it, for some reason it helps roots growth noticeably.
Live sphagnum is the best media I can recommend for phalaenopsis and similar varieties. I buy my live sphagnum from people who pick it themself in wet lands. I know a person who have grown suitable species in this way for 30 years. Some of the advantages is that it keeps moisture very well, it's antiseptic so the risk of root rot is minimal if used correctly.
Another advantage is that when the plant is well rooted it sits so well you can shower on and then turn it upside down. It is an easy way to keep the leaves clean and stylish without risking leaf rot in your phal. for example. And if you drop it or the cat knocks it down you don't have sweep half the room from bark and disturb the plant by re potting it. I do not know how long lasting it is but since it's living and antiseptic it's probably longer than most other media.
I use clear plastic pots to my phal. since it's as much photosynthesis in the roots as the leaves and it looks much nicer and more natural with green moss than with the media. The only drawback I've found is that you have to make sure it does not dry on the surface since it becomes brownish and dull so you have to keep an eye on it and spray before the damage is done. // Peter
That sounds like a lovely display :D mind sharing some pictures?
Yes of course, but there will be a few days. I have no good camera and is trembling because of Parkinson's disease, so I'll ask my ex-wife for help with the pictures. Then I have to ask my teenage daughter for help to transfer the images to RUclips.
I'm trialing semi-hydro on some of my orchids. If it doesn't work out I will do something similar to your set up with the hydroton. I am also giving sphagnum a chance. I always feared sphagnum because the rotting plug in the core of new plants was all I had seen of it. But fresh long fiber strands of sphagnum is actually quite nice. I swirl it around in water with a ton of perlite and it seems like it makes a nice mix for my miltoniopsis. Bark was all I had ever used, but the more I try other media the less I want to go back to bark.
Yay first to leave a like! haha. Loved the video, it's useful for everyone. I was impressed with the seramis when I started because the bark I could get a hold of was bad quality and had all sorts of debris. Also, in my mind, seramis and leca are an investment in the sense it doesn't decompose and can be reused ( I reused it twice with a couple of orchids that had to go), because at least for me, having to spend money on media every so often is not ideal.
Since I am quite new to the hobby, I use clear plastic pots with extra holes to promote ventilation and prevent to some extent the layering of the media plus seramis for things like oncidium that likes a lotof water , and I add leca to those like phals that like things a bit more airy and dry. Also I want to be able to see the roots, as I am not so experienced that I know whats going on without any proof.Some phals had a couple of roots die but that's normal as far as I know when you change medium and so far I think they quite like it.
But the thing I like MOST of seramis is that I don't need to always soak the plant, wich is VERY time consuming. I usually just pour water from the top, let it drain and its good so you can do a lot of orchids at the same time. I do soak it from time to time to allow any possible salt deposit to dissolve.
I bought Seramis at Amazon because in Spain there are few options and although not cheap I think it was on pair to some other medias. I recently bought 30 L for like 38 euros, and I think I won't need any more.
I hope this comment is useful to some people wondering about seramis.
PS: My haul isn't here yet and I'm dying inside. The DHL link hasn't update since early Tuesday morning, and I don't have any tracking number for my country mail company so I don't know anything. Is that normal? Schwerter sent it Monday morning so I expected it on Thursday as you said in your haul videos you usually purchase on Thursday so they are sent on Monday to receive them on Thursday, being that the distance should be quite similar.
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to elaborate a bit on my experience with the media with plastic pots instead of clay. Oh, and I forgot to mention I live in south Spain, so I have dry very hot summers and not so cold and moist winters.
That hoya has such beautiful leaves! Interesting how hoya's leaves can vary so much.
In Finland too vandas are mostly grown in glass vases. I have never tried that, because it takes a lot of space. And the ones I've seen become ugly with time, with lots of algae and black stuff growing in between the roots and the vase. People soak the roots once a day, 30 minutes with water in the vase and then remove the water completely, but the roots stay moist for a while and algae grows on it. About semi hydro, one problem I noticed is that, besides the environment of the person, another possible problem is that there are many different kinds and brands of hydroton pellets, and while some are very good, some contain mineral residues. I bought a brand that was supposed to be good, and tried with 2 orchids in semi hrydro, but both had problems with salts, even though the water had a very low ppm reading. Salts accumulated on the roots and appeared even on the lowest leaves. I had to repot both in bark, and the plants immediately started to grow much better. But I know of people who have success with semi hydro, with other brands. But knowing that some brands have this problem, I don't dare to try anymore. I will stick to what works for me, like bark, sphag, etc. I like to make experiments too, but a few orchids. I have experimented with seramis in a clay pot, and in a plastic pot, and both are doing fine too. I would like to try orchiatta when I manage to get my hands on it, but so far I haven't found a vendor with reasonable shipping costs.
Also...I must update you a bit. Since I haven't heard from you I decided to repot those phals...I bought new mix for orchids( Florimo), it was quite an adventure to find any kind of media for orchids...they are now potted and threatened: if you guys don't recover, it will be bin for you! 😉 I'm mad, talking to plants!
:))) as far as I remember Florimo had peat moss.. does it still?
Just a little note: clay isn't intrinsically cool. Like any thing (that is not generating heat), it will become the temperature of its surroundings. Clay FEELS cooler than, say, wood, because it is a better conductor of temperature. So, a clay pot at room temperature will feel cool to the touch because it is less than the temperature of the surface of your skin, and you feel the change in temperature of your skin when you touch it. Wood in that room will be that same temperature, but won't feel as cool because when you touch it, it doesn't change the temperature of your skin as fast as the clay did.
yellowhelix
While that may be true with dry clay pots (although I’ve had several professional orchid growers say in presentations that clay is up to 10 degrees cooler at the roots than plastic), wet clay is most definitely cooler because is sweats the moisture creating an evaporative effect that cools the sub-strait. Thats how kool-logs work. Terracotta/clay works the same way. You can even purchase clay water jugs that set out at room temp and cools the water inside.
I use bark and throw in a little charcoal and perlite for all purpose and usually lay a couple strips of moss around roots. This time of year with the humidity getting messed up I'm trying adding sphagnum to the tops of pots, not packing it in just enough to cover the medium completely and keeps some moisture more but allows air flow after drying. That is the orchids that don't need a rest.
The top layer of moss is a very good idea, I used to do this with almost all my orchids, it does really help with moisture :)
Gavlick Apthesycerski
I’m a beggar with grown flowers and okay okay it okay okay its okay its okay or kids or kids or kids flowers my orchid I have 1 that is a year and a half and it Grow 2 new flower spike’s and I let it fall the 2 times 🥺 . I then said you did a video of how to grow a Second dairy flower spy from the knock on the flower spy peel it back and I did and it now is grown a new branch out of the flowers by that sounds so hopefully I will have flowers this year 🙏🏼💖 . I luv all your videos and you know your stuff 👌🏼 . I found if you get a cutting from a flower put it in soil and water it with food plant food and you will get roots and a new plant , if you need to put a flower snap into water put a dip of flower food in the water and you will get roots in only new to planting flowers and this has worked very well for me and I’ve got beautiful flowers out cuttings . Just a tip for ppl Danny I love your program I have learned a lot from you thank you for that and I appreciate you very much 🙏🏼❤️💖
Hi, your videos are so informative and so detailed. Simply in love with them. Great job..keep it up!
I totally agree! Her voice is calming and she doesn't babble
Hi Danni , I was searching RUclips the other day for a video on adding calcium to your orchids and your old video from about two years ago popped up I was hoping that maybe you could do a newer video on it and help us out with how much to use and which orchids would benefit from it🌱
I've been using LECA as more of an airy filler in mixes for my cattleyas and dendrobiums and phals than as semi-hydroponics and it seems to be going well. I water them 1-2x weekly and so far all is good... though I'm looking to get coconut coir/ sphagnum to intersperse into the phal and oncidium mixes to keep them from drying out too fast.
Excellent overview of potting media. I am using Orchiata right now, but it takes time to "break it in" It seems to repel water. Not sold on it. Works well with Catts though, if you are very observant.
Hi, I actually heard it is very similar to kiwi bark and yes, initially it doesn't hold water almost at all :)
MissOrchidGirl
It's a tricky media to deal with - no doubt about it. I usually end up over-watering because the media is feeling dry......but I am getting used to it. Will not be using it again - that's for sure! Rotted out my Tetraspis C1 - it's in ICU. By the way, I love your way to convince rotted or rootless orchids to grow. I have 5 in my box! Trying to save some of the catts that showed little signs of life after they got frozen. I like the method. It never made sense to sphag and bag - no air movement, or oxygen. Great tip!
Excellent information about orchid media. As for sterilizing the media, using a pressure cooker( aka autoclave ) creates steam under pressure which is more effective than simple boiling. How about giving an updated review of your experience with different orchid fertilizers?
I love using lava rock
I just mount them on trees but i realised some plants prefer pure sphagnum when potting.
I like seramis, I use it almost in all my hoya medium, I mix it with coco husk, my hoyas like it. I also have a couple orchids in seramis. :)
Can I use clay balls and bark mixed together for my medium
Love all your videos
Thanks, Danny. As usual, great video.
I'd like to use Seramis, but I'm in the US, and I haven't found a good source for it. I've considered something called Growstone, but I've read that there are concerns about its pH balance. I'm waiting for some more data to hit the forums before I try it myself.
I'm currently using lava rock. I'm really new to the hobby, so I can't say how well it works yet from personal experience. I have one phal that seems to love it, and one phal that doesn't seem to do much regardless of what medium I try. I just moved two other phals from bark to lava rock, and I'm watching them closely.
Hopefully I'll find a way to get Seramis reliably in the US and give that a try. I'll also keep an eye on Synthic since I'm experimenting with a couple of Dracula orchids which are currently potted in sphagnum moss. They require so much water that I expect the moss to break down really quickly, so once I build up some confidence with them (still struggling with nighttime temps), maybe I'll try one in an inorganic medium.
I've been experimenting with adding Lava Rock to my mixes as well. Too early to tell, but I like that I can sterlize it by boiling before use.
Right. Easy to sterilize, readily available in the US, and inexpensive. I use plastic pots, so I also like that it provides some good weight to the base of the plant.
I think Seramis would be pretty easy to make if you have a kiln. All it seems to be is bisqueware clay, in irregular shaped, smooth pieces. You could sieve it thru a piece of wire lathe or even a pasta machine.
Orchidbaba
Good coverage of this topic! 🌿🌸🌿
Now I'm thinking if I can use bamboo...since we have a lot here. Quite interesting to try.
Thank you sweet child!😬👍🏻
Hi MOG, I received an orchid recently so I’m a newbie. It was potted in the moss and I wondered if I can repot it in the bark? I think it needs to expand more and seems pretty tight in the moss. Thanks for what you do. This can be so confusing in the beginning.
Best video mam and thanks
is mixing medias good? I'm a newbie and I live in a dry country and for my Phalaenopsis orchids I use a mixture of bark, cocohusk, clay pepples, active charcoal and chunky perlite and put a bit of sphagnum moss on top. is this a bad idea and I should use just one type of media? my other question is that sphagnum moss that I put on top of the pot is always dry.it gets bone dry a few hours after watering my orchids.should I spray it with water everyday? top parts of my orchids roots are always very dry
I'm trying Hydroton in a few of my orchids to see how it goes. I hope using it with my Vandas isn't a huge mistake. Not sure how long it will take for me to see results. I hope it doesn't take long and I can spot problems before they get out of hand. I do have other medium here just in case.
Anyone else think the sphagnum moss looked like a chineese dragon head when it was picked up briefly? 3:12
No.
My wife was given an orchid as a gift a year ago. The flowers fell off and it recently reflowered and sent up a new shoot which is preparing to flower.
I'm thinking I should get it unto a larger pot, but don't know how to decide.
Good Video.
Sorry, I don't have any link, but you can search it or buy it in eBay, Amazon, or in a garden center called Jardiland ( I think they have some stores around Europe) . It costs around 7,20 € (2kg) and it's called AKADAMA
ok from what I see it is a clay mineral, but it's properties depend on its porosity :) worth a try and experiment maybe :)
Excellent summary, Danny! Wish we could get Seramis here to try, but it's not available in the States. Love water culture for Phals.
Laurie Paris aw
Diane, I actually think I could make some Seramis, but I'd need a kiln to fire the clay bits, which I don't have. Gotta find someone local to work with me on this.
Which one can be used in UAE
In 3:38 there was a lithos in the corner, well at least I think it was? Do you still have in your new house and if you do could you show us? Also I LOOOVE long talkative videos! 😊 THANKS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL VIDEO I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!😃
Oh, sorry I meant lithops
hi, can you please show us how you did the stand you have in the back....it looks awesome, great idea
Hi James, I didn't make the stand it is an IKEA stand, check it out here ruclips.net/video/Ol1wnr45UX0/видео.html
Danny I got three new plants:orchids.I got a noid phal and two noid den pals.the phal cost 50 ringgit.but I love it and two den phals is about 16 ringgit. huh who knows that phals cost so much I'm malaysia
Don't forget rock wool, one of my favorites
GardenGnome Jay Is
+Diane Temov ??
GardenGnome Jay
+Susanne Meehan yes?
WHAT'S THE BEST POTTING MIX FOR DEHYDRATION?
Eveleny F sphagnum moss
Hi Danny, do you think using hydroton clay pebbles alone without seramis is enough for Dendrobium or Phalaenopsis? Seramis is still hard to find in Asia.
Hi danny..Im planning to used a clay pebbles..but is this good to used in a tropical country like Phillippines?
Do you pour the boiling water over the seramis and clay? Or do you put it in a pot and boil it like a soup?
Boil it like a soup
Hi Danny ! It may be a stupid question, but I was wondering if it was possible to make my own clay mount or is it a special type of clay ? ( not the clay you can find at art shops for exemple)
Can I use only gravel stones for phalenopsis?
You had a lot of sick orchids which were potted in Seramis. What do you do with the Seramis, after you unpotted the sick orchids? Do you use it again? Do you disinfect it? If so, how do you do it? Thanks, Eva
Hi Eva, yes I reuse it after I boil it for half an hour or so :)
At the moment I'm trying akadama in orchids, a clay tipe medium for bonsais, did you tryed anytime?
Hi, no I never heard of it, do you have a link I can check out and learn more?
Important video Danny, can I use small bits of lava rock add a media?
in my experience it tends to help with drainage very well (charcoal bits do wonders too). just has to be washed first cause boy does it have an insane amount of debris!
I just had my orchid repotted. It gets early morning sun. Can you put your orchid back in the sun right after you replant please? Thank you.
Hi, depends on the orchid and if it needs direct sun. Also depends on the sate of health, particularly the root system. If the orchid can hydrate herself and is taking repotting well then morning sun, if required, is ok. If the orchid is dehydrating then no, even if the orchid can handle sun generally, it is better not to provide it as it will increase transpiration and it is better to provide bright shade until the roots are starting to hydrate the orchid. Hope this helps :)
hi, Dani! I'm really upset, my 4 phals aren't doing that well...they have grey mould...i took them all out today...they're out of anything...trying to get them to dry out...removed all rotted roots...was trying to get them to water culture but kind of changed my mind after watching your videos...
I think the environment is an issue here...the room is not well ventilated, they're in my office...outside is cold right now( Ro weather 😉)...took them out of plastic covers, drilled holes in plastic containers, watered once a week or 10 days...didn't make any difference...they are still losing roots to rot. my opinion they were compromised in the beggining...found all phals stuffed beneath the crown with pieces of sponge( after purchase). Please advise, I absolutely love them all, one bloomed 3 times on 2 spikes...others held flowers for 6-8 months...so I'm doing something good but also some wrong here...
Hi Mady, ok are the sick orchids in bloom still? the first thing to do is to cut all flower spikes, they drain too much energy from the orchids and it would be better for them to focus on roots and leaves now. Second, what medium did you use? tell me the brand too I should know it :) then a picture would help, maybe there are other issues as well, just upload a picture to photobucket, flickr, instagram, imgur or g plus and share the link in a comment here, I'll take a look :) there must be something we're missing so let's find out what :)
Hi, Dani! I posted some pics on google plus/photos...you can find them under Mady Mady my 'not doing so well orchids.' Thanks!
another advantage of using charcoal is that it can remove toxins in water
A while back, i began to see small mushrooms (With caps and such) in the orchid kompost which houses my Phalaenopsis. Is this a bad thing? I know fungi can be both beneficial and dangerous to plants but i dont know if these are safe to keep. If i were to remove the id have to repot the orchid with new kompost.
Hello, orchids usually come potted in bark chips, coconut husk or sphagnum moss, I am not sure if you refer to actual compost or the medium the orchid is in, but if it is actual compost it isn't suitable for the orchid, The mushrooms usually form in broken down and probably acidic medium, they are a sign that repotting should be done soon, as orchids are sensitive to broken down, soily or mushy media. Is this the medium the orchid came in or did you repot it in the past? I suggest you repot into fresh orchid medium, try to go for mixes that don't contain peat moss, but rather just bark, or combinations of bark and charcoal. Hope this helps :D
MissOrchidGirl It has been repotted once since i got it. The medium it is in now consists of bark chips (The mushrooms grow on these.), sphagnum moss, and some finer material that might be coconut husk or peat. Ill try to get a hold of some pure bark medium, even i have experienced the advantages of pure bark.
My guess is that the medium is quite poor quality and came with some mushroom spores. The problem is the acidity and compactness, I would actually try and repot into plain bark, or a mix made by separate ingredients, in time this medium might prove to be quite bad for the orchid :(
MissOrchidGirl Ive just ordered plain bark chips from a reliable source, as soon as i get the shipment, ill repot it right away!
Hi ,I am jean LUC from Rwanda the presence of mushrooms in the pot of orchid is bad for if it act as dicomposer or end up it become consumer of orchids nutrients.
Just wondering (in case you stumble upon this in the nottifs), how did you usually acquire bark before switching to semi hydro? Here it's either in pre-made mixes (not enough for even a tiny collection lol) or sold in 60l bulk (not always the decorative kind). Shame that kiwi bark's too pricey at the moment. 😭
Also, when do you last recall using coconut husk chips? I sometimes considering going back to them because they tend to be affordable and compact, but I think they used to accumulate salts and stay way too moist. Any experience?
Danni, I am in the US and I got seramis through ebay. It does take while to get it. How do you get all the dust out of it? I rinsed growstone and after I potted I could still feel the dust.
Hi, I talk about this issue here ruclips.net/video/tbHHM9Is8Us/видео.html
MissOrchidGirl media
Hi Dani! I'm new to your channel, but not to orchids. I used to have several when I lived in the cold, dry mountains. Now, I am in a very warm, humid area. I was given a neglected phalaenopsis recently. I have never owned this type before, which is how I ended up finding your channel. I just repotted her with orchid bark 3 nights ago in a clear plastic planter I made air holes in like you've suggested. Next morning, I soaked her in distilled water for about 15-20 minutes. Now, 2 days later, her roots are already grey again. I will be soaking her again in the morning, but was wondering if this is normal for an orchid that was nearly starved of water. Her leaves, stem & roots are still very healthy. I just find it abnormal, even for a starved plant, to dry out so quickly in such a humid environment.
Thanks for all your delightfully helpful videos! :)
Hi, welcome to my channel :D about your orchid, yes it is very normal and it has more to do with the medium than the orchid herself. Your medium doesn't retain a lot of water at the moment since it is fresh and since it dries so fast it might be good quality bark. In the first weeks it will dry pretty fast and after a while it will start to hold a bit more water as it starts to break down a bit. The good news is it will not break down probably as fast as a lower quality bark. Water the orchid when the medium is dry, even if it is every 3 days, it's ok. Humidity is good for the orchid, but doesn't always mean the media will stay wet for a long time, depends on temperature a lot, the warmer it is, the more water will evaporate :) Now for the future, if you find that this brand of bark simply dries too fast for you, you can do a mix of bark and some sphagnum moss, this will be particularly good for orchids which like more moisture, such as Oncidiums, Miltonias, their intergenerics and so on. But first it's a good idea to learn this product on its own and a Phalaenopsis is a perfect candidate for this since she is quite tolerant :) hope this helps!
Danny what is this orchid in hydroponic 14:40 minute?
Hi, that was the Oncidium Sweet Sugar :)
I was going to ask you before you mentioned it haha, do you know anything about water culture?! and how does one grow phalenopsis in such a way?
+Michael Lobo hi, nope sorry I'm not your girl on that subject :)
MissOrchidGirl haha OK thank you!!! :P
Michael Lobo I have four peals in water culture. I usually leave water in vase about half way up the roots taking care not to get the bottom of the phal wet. After the third day I dump the water into a container keeping water for each phal separate. I usually leave the water out for a day or so. I put some of the original water back in and add some fresh water to get the water level back to where I had it.
The best way to learn this is to watch RUclips videos by Orchid Whisperer.
thank you!!
You need to watch the Orchid Whisperer for water culture orchids.
My mom & I reaaaaaaally wanna try the clay pebbles but I am concerned about the algae. I dont want to spend the extra money on a fungicide either. What do you recommend I do for potting medium? I dont like peat moss or the classic bark but wanna try something new that looks neat. and I dont want the extra hassle lol help !! ! ! ! :D
+KATHYY4 I can understand the struggle :)) If you check my more recent videos you'll see I have some orchids in semi hydroponics with opaque pots. Leca does not promote algae at the top and the opaque pots cut the light for algae further down. I have no algae and things work well, but semi hydro needs some reading up beforehand ;)
MissOrchidGirl Thank you so much for your response. I tried to do a bit of research and watch some of your videos on hydroponics but I feel like theres a lot to take in at once!
For a good video idea, you should try planting an orchid in a pot of orbeez.
Hi, that would be click baity indeed, but not my jam ☺️
@@MissOrchidGirl Well I know it sounds kinda click baity but if you research it a bit you'll see that people do use orbeez to grow plants. Orbeez are non toxic and will only release water absorbed. You could probably just try bark with just a handful of orbeez mixed in.
People can use whatever crosses their mind, it doesn't mean it's functional and healthy for the orchid long term. I've seen them all in the past 8 years, I'm good, I do things differently in my backyard ☺️
Sent Question to your Twitter, and never received a response.
B
hi again, have you seen my latest message? I was waiting for a reply...
Hi, sorry I missed it, just saw it now, thanks for reminding me. I cannot visit your g plus I think it's private? can you post the link to your album here in a comment?
Hi, how do you think what is the best option for dendrochilum magnum and promenea orchid, I'm considering between fine lava rocks or vermiculite, because seramis not that easy to find in my country (:
Hi, I never used vermiculite, lava rock so and so but only at the bottom. I think first do some trials in an empty pot, see how water absorbent they are, how they dry, layered or not and so on. This way you will have a better idea on their properties and how they will perform :)
Thanks!