Osmunda fiber

[E-Jag]

A friend gave me a bag of osmunda fiber. Any of you folks know what this stuff is? Says it's for orchids and bromeliads on the bag. According to the instructions, you use this stuff when repotting and pack it all around the orchid, clear to the brim of the pot. Anyone use it?

E-Jag

[arleneg]

Lucky you! I've been searching for osmunda fiber for a while and haven't yet found a local/nearby nursery or supplies website that sells it...or being available.

Osmunda fiber is the earlier form of potting medium used for orchids. If I recall correctly, it holds moisture and great for adding humidity around an orchid. However, since the fiber became expensive, growers switched to using fir bark, sphag moss, etc.

[E-Jag]

Arleneg - So, this is pretty good stuff? Do I need to worry about it holding too much moisture, like sphag can do? Would you add this to bark or just pack a plant in it as the instructions suggest? Thanks, I appreciate your response. I'd never heard of it.

E-Jag

[Tobi]

E-Jag,
I looked into using Osmunda for repotting about a year ago. Arlene pretty
much summed up the info I found.

Here is some info I found that might be helpful
www.capefearorchid.org/Jul06tips.htm

[fred]

http://www.how-to-grow-orchid.com/or...ing-medium.htm

here is a link that may help

[E-Jag]

Tobi, wow. That's a chunk of info in not much time. Right now, I'm thinking I don't want to jam 6 pounds of material into a 1 pound container just to make roots happy, especially since they seem happy now. At the very least I don't know enough about it to use it as stated. Maybe I'll try using it in conjunction with bark to see if it helps hold moisture. I wonder what happens when it breaks down/deteriorates. Thanks for the help - that was interesting.

E-Jag

[E-Jag]

Fred, my God, after reading that I may never repot an orchid, especially with osmunda fiber. Clicking the "repotting medium" link at the end of that article is the stuff of nightmares. I wonder if anybody actually does that? Man, that's getting waaaaaaaay too serious about repotting.

E-Jag

[fred]

I guess there would be some people out there that would take repotting that serious.

I would not though but thats me.

[E-Jag]

Fred, my respect for you, which was high to begin with, just crawled up a notch. We can't let the demons beat us. If I decide to jam some osmunda into a pot I'm going to have it exorcised first.

E-Jag

[fred]

E-Jag
with kind words like that I may have to see my local orchid doctor I dont want the swelling to get to big in my head. hehe

very nice of you to say that though.

I guess it also comes down to it with the potting mediums we grow our orchids in the mix we know that works for us.

like the old saying goes--If you are on a good thing stick to it.

Its like a friend of mine he grew most of his orchids in water wells ( always wet) he loved it he even tryed to talk me into trying the water wells but having orchids in potting bark mix always wet is not my idea of good growing.

I like the idea of controling the water myself.

just my opinion

[m3phist023]

Looking at all of that fiddly repotting info really makes me appreciate Mother Nature and that all She has to do is toss an orchid on the ground or in a tree in the right environment and it does everything else on its own.
Think about it- Mama Nature doesn't repot, or germinate seeds in a lab, or flask seedlings, and Her orchids do great.
Sorry, I think about weird stuff like this, but it's pretty amazing considering all of the work it takes us to cultivate happy plants. I just had to share.


It sort of blows my mind sometimes.

(And no, I don't take psychotropic drugs)

[jerrymeola]

Pure osmunda is used here in Florida lightly packed as an almost bare root growing condition. It is popular in basket with species Dendrobium.

It is also used as a mount for totally bare root.

It is popular as part of a mix.

I have never seen it used by itself in a pot.